Girls Basketball: Webb a bright spot as Vernon Hills loses to mighty Trinity

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Vernon Hills Lauren Webb (No. 42) puts up a shot during the third quarter of Saturday's game against Trinity. | Brian O'Mahoney~for Sun-Times Media

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Updated: March 26, 2012 1:57AM

The Vernon Hills girls basketball team lost for the first time in more than month on Saturday night.

And even though it was Think Pink night, it wasn’t very pretty.

No. 4 Trinity showed why its one of the best teams in the state. The Blazers were on fire, winning this nonconference contest 67-34.

Despite the one-sided loss, Vernon Hills’ Lauren Webb stayed on course and kept looking to create.

“She really took off,” said VH head coach Paul Brettner. “She was attacking the basket throughout the game for us, even with the big hole we fell into.”

Webb finished with 13 points to lead Vernon Hills, and fellow sophomore Sydney Smith chipped in with seven points, as the Blazers’ steely defense sealed off all space.

That didn’t stop Webb from giving it her all.

“She is a great scoring threat,” Brettner said. “She works very hard, and anytime she wants to take over a game, I’m fine with that.”

Dooming Vernon Hills, however, was an inability to secure the ball and execute its game plan.

“We definitely didn’t come out the way we wanted to,” Brettner said. “Offensively, we just couldn’t get into a rhythm. Trinity had a lot to do with that.”

Alyssa Dengler drained her first four three-pointers to put Trinity (19-1) in the driver’s seat, and the Blazers never eased off the gas pedal.

Dengler’s fiery start seemed contagious for Trinity, as the Blazers sprinted out to a 16-point halftime lead, running its offense like a well-oiled machine.

“This is a very versatile team,” said Trinity head coach Ed Stritzel. “We have been on the road for a month straight now. There is no environment we haven’t seen at this point.”

Depaul-bound Megan Podkawa followed suit for the Blazers with 10 points in the third quarter — part of her 16 points overall — as Trinity pulled away and opened a 30-point lead.

Stritzel said getting a fast start is critical to playing on the road against strong opponents such as Vernon Hills (16-3, 8-0).

“Vernon Hills is the biggest team we’ve had to go against,” he said. “We were worried about their size, but with Alyssa shooting the heck out of it, we were able to come out and get comfortable.”

Brettner said the defense had its hands full.

“Defensively, it’s tough to go up against a team that has five shooters who can step out and hurt you,” he said. “We really need to limit our turnovers and work for high-quality looks. We’ve got a lot left on our plate still. With the rest our of schedule, we need to take every practice seriously and continue to get better every day.”

Both teams incorporated pink into their outfits to commemorate “Think Pink Night.”

Recap: The Cougars claimed win No. 16 on Jan. 17, when they took down North Chicago 73-47.

Meri Bennett-Swanson led the way with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks,

Smith finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Megan Riehm (10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) and Brie Bahlmann (6 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) also helped out.