UPDATE: Sandburg's Rachel Ruzevich is Patch MVP

Sandburg's Rachel Ruzevich outpolled seven others in voting for Southland Patch's MVP, Dec. 17-23. She is now eligible for Patch Athlete of the Month honors.

Your Patch is a place to celebrate local high school athletes. Show your support for these prep sports MVPs—each of whom is Athlete of the Week in his or her local Patch—by cheering them on in the comments thread, sharing your own photos with the Patch community and voting in the poll. Do you think we're missing someone? Tell us in the comments and share his or her photo to the gallery above. (It's easy. Just click the Upload Photos and Videos link — learn more here.) Read more about this week's MVPs in the photo gallery, and show your support for them by: There is one more way for you to become a more interactive fan: Sign up to become a Patch sports blogger. (Learn more about blogging on Patch here).

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Joe

7:30 am on Saturday, December 29, 2012

Ron, did you know Rachel is the first Sandburg basketball player to receive a full college basketball scholarship in over 5 years. Rachel signed her letter of intent to play at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. Rachel will be playing for Coach Cari Lohr.   more ›

UPDATE: Lincoln-Way West's Josh Glover is Patch MVP

Lincoln-Way West's Josh Glover outpolled 11 others in voting for Southland Patch's MVP, Nov. 12-18. He is now eligible for Patch Athlete of the Month honors.

Your Patch is a place to celebrate local high school athletes. Show your support for these prep sports MVPs—each of whom is Athlete of the Week in his or her local Patch—by cheering them on in the comments thread, sharing your own photos with the Patch community and voting in the poll. Do you think we're missing someone? Tell us in the comments and share his or her photo to the gallery above. (It's easy. Just click the Upload Photos and Videos link — learn more here.) Read more about this week's MVPs in the photo gallery, and show your support for them by: There is one more way for you to become a more interactive fan: Sign up to become a Patch sports blogger. (Learn more about blogging on Patch here).

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Signing Day: Eight is Great Recruiting Haul for L-W North

Eight Lincoln-Way North student-athletes announced their college plans during a signing-day ceremony Wednesday at school.

The number eight was great for Lincoln-Way North. That's because eight Lincoln-Way North student-athletes announced their college plans during a signing-day ceremony Wednesday at school. 1. Jillian Galich (softball), George Washington University. 2. Ashley Weringa (basketball), Ashford University. 3. Jake Pearson (swimming), Oakland University (Mich.). 4. Jackie Billie (volleyball), St. Edwards Universty (Texas). 5. Mike Miller (baseball), Southern Illinois University. 6. Kevin Smith (baseball), Creighton University. 7. Josh Handzik (baseball), St. Joseph's College (Ind.) 8. Alyssa Lombardi (equestrian team), Kansas State University. Get News Alerts and Facebook Updates From These Patch Sites:

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Girls Basketball: L-W North's Weringa Places 2nd in 3-Point Shootout

Lincoln-Way North's Ashley Weringa placed second in the 3-point shootout at the Class 4A girls basketball state tournament.

L-W East Girls Basketball Rides D-Fence to Fifth Straight Regional Title

Lincoln-Way East's ball-pressure defense set the tone in the early going of the Griffins' 61-36 girls basketball victory over district rival Lincoln-Way North.

Two words: Ball pressure. Lincoln-Way East’s in-your-face brand of man-to-man defense set the tone in the early going of a 61-36 girls basketball victory over district rival Lincoln-Way North. East’s Caitlin McMahon came up with a steal after the Phoenix moved the ball on the perimeter for more than a minute during the opening possession of Thursday night’s Class 4A regional championship game at Lincoln-Way Central. McMahon scored on a layup 11 seconds later. And the Griffins were off and running toward their fifth straight regional championship. “We really took this game very seriously,” Lincoln-Way East coach Jim Martin said. “They’re good. They have 23 wins. Jim (Nair) is a great coach. He’s got great assistants. They do a nice job. I …

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L-Way East and North Make Our Top 5, Face Off Tonight

Top-ranked Marist had no trouble in the opening round of postseason play. Lincoln-Way East, Homewood-Flossmoor, Marian Catholic and Lincoln-Way North also advanced to regional finals.

1. Marist (29-1): Nothing to it. Marist opened postseason play with a name-that-score kind of victory, rolling past Thornton 80-27. Next up: The RedHawks will face Thornton Fractional North at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Class 4A Marist Regional final. 2. Lincoln-Way East (24-4): Caitlin McMahon (21 points, 7 rebounds) and Taylor Johnson (16 points, 7 steals) powered the Griffins to a 70-24 regional semifinal victory over Crete-Monee. Next up: Lincoln-Way East faces district rival Lincoln-Way North in the Class 4A Lincoln-Way Central regional final at 7:30 tonight. 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (21-7): Charnelle Reed’s knee injury raises questions of whether the Vikings will get out of the Class 4A Stagg Regional. H-F defeated Thornton Fractional …

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Girls Basketball: L-W North Gets Past L-W Central in Regional

Lincoln-Way North had to be methodical in its 27-14 girls basketball victory over Lincoln-Way Central on Tuesday night in regional semifinal play.

Girls Basketball: L-W North Chops Stagg Down to Size, Gains Share of Title

Taylor Boardman scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Lincoln-Way North's 47-38 girls basketball victory over Stagg on Thursday night. The win enabled the Phoenix to gain a share of the Southwest Suburban Red Conference title.

Graham Adds Punch to L-W North Girls Basketball Front Line

Sophomore Ellen Graham has teamed with senior Taylor Boardman to give the Lincoln-Way North girls basketball team a Twin Towers look under the basket.

Taylor Boardman is tall enough to take over a game by herself. And she has done just that on a number of occasions this season for the Lincoln-Way North girls basketball team. More recently, she has teamed with Ellen Graham to give the Phoenix a Twin Towers look under the basket. Graham, a 6-foot-2 sophomore forward, came up big in a 41-27 victory over district rival Lincoln-Way West on Thursday night in Frankfort. She scored four points—and had at least as many assists. She grabbed five rebounds. And she blocked four shots. She also took some of the pressure off Boardman, a 6-foot senior forward who has grown accustomed to being double-teamed on the blocks and grown more and more appreciative of Graham’s help down low. “She’s added a lot…

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