The Round Lake Panthers came out on top of the Grayslake Knights last Friday. The girls suffered a tough defeat losing 44-14, but nonetheless the Knights still have a positive outlook on the season.

The team lost the first half 32-1, which was a hard comeback to make in the second half. The other challenge that led to a Knight’s demise is they could not beat a press defense. A press defense is where one team plays all the way up on the court, not allowing the other team an easy way over the half-court line.

“We weren’t able to do anything against their zone and press. It’s hard to beat a decent team when we don’t take care of the ball and never really get into our offense,” said junior Peyton Gerdes.  

Despite the team’s poor showing on Friday night, it isn’t all bad as the team is bonding well together and is working hard in practice to improve on things they are struggling with. All in all, it seemed to be an off night for the Knights as Abbie Kukis believes overall they are improving. 

“I am proud of the team and how they’ve improved through the season, but I don’t feel it showed tonight at all,” said senior Abbie Kukis  

Round Lake’s leading scores were Amari Cole and Lilli Burton who were lights out and combined for 35 of the 44 Panther points. They were spectacular to watch, with Cole’s rebounding capabilities combined with Burton’s three specialty shots, the Knights had a hard time stopping the offensive threat they put up.

“From watching, I was really able to see that playing as a team is very important,” said junior Allyson Kubik, team manager.

It was apparent that the Knights were off that night, no pun intended. It is clear to see that the Knights are coming together and are a team. It’s good to hear that everyone feels involved and includes no matter their position on the team. 

“I enjoy being the manager because I am not able to play right now, and it’s a way for me to be involved,” Kubik said.