The atmosphere in the gym is absolutely electric as the Libertyville Wildcats and the Barrington Broncos battle for glory and an advancement to the next round of the IHSA basketball playoffs.
With just under eight seconds left, the score tied at 47, senior Jack Huber (22) takes the ball up the court. Facing pressure from his opponent, he spins and fires a lightning-fast pass to senior Aidyn Boone (40).
As his opponent closes in, Boone seems to consider the shot, before halting and rushing for the top of the three-point line. He fakes a shot and his opponent goes for it, lunging right past him. Just before time expires, Boone launches a three-pointer towards the basket.
Swish.
Game over.
The 2022-23 school year saw many memorable moments such as this one and was an arguably incredible year for Libertyville athletics. The football team returned to the playoffs, the boys and girls basketball teams both claimed the conference title and phenomenal athletes from all different paths achieved glory for their teams.
There were college commitments, breakout rookies, spectacular coaching and a vibrant student section. But as the school year draws to an end and a good portion of the teams find themselves losing star players and team leaders, it’s time to focus on the future: the juniors.

Boys Basketball:
In the 2022-23 season, the team saw a phenomenal road to success, besting the Barrington Broncos in the state series to make it all the way to the super-sectional round against the New Trier Trevians.
Among the starting line-up, which regularly consisted of mainly twelfth graders, were such seniors as Aidyn Boone (40), Cole Bonder (35) and Jack Huber (22). But with the impending graduation of players like Boone, whose buzzer-beater against Barrington secured the team’s advancement to the next round of playoffs, the team now rests in the hands of the class of 2024.
“I think I bring leadership and communication to the team,” said junior Jacob Bahrani (33), a point guard who spent four years on the A-team for the JCATS basketball feeder program. “I always keep a smile on my face, keep thinking of the positive and staying optimistic.”
The end of the basketball team’s stellar season (a loss to the New Trier Trevians in the super-sectional round), according to Bahrani, “was just the saddest thing ever. I thought of all the seniors as bigger brothers to me and they’ve pushed me through from freshman to senior season.”
One thing that Bahrani aspires to work on is “my leadership and communication being louder, because next year we’re going to have a pretty young team and not that much experience on the varsity court. So, us getting into the gym and just doing as much as possible and me just guiding the younger players through a varsity season is what I’m wanting to do. Improving.”

Boys Water Polo:
One sport currently underway is boys water polo, a spring sport enjoying a significant amount of success. The team kicked off their season with a 15-4 win over the Highland Park Giants on March 8, 2023, and have kept chugging ahead since.
Another athlete making a name for themselves is junior Ali Tolba (3), one of this year’s captains who has been playing since his freshman year.
“I think I bring my hard work in practice,” said Tolba. “I feel like that directly affects the team because I’m bringing energy to practice, making people work hard.”
As a returning senior next season, one of Tolba’s goals is to “bring the team further, potentially help the team go to State.”
The team’s dynamic between returning players and newbies is a strength, according to Tolba. “We work really well together, and just overall, we make a good team.”
With such players as captain Eric Sparks (4) in their final year, Tolba and others hope to finish this season strong and return next year as a force.
“It’s just a pleasure working with them,” said Tolba on this year’s graduating class.

Girls Volleyball:
Another popular sport with a senior-driven team is the girls volleyball program. For the fall 2022-23 season, the team saw great success with a 7-1 conference record that secured them a first place finish in the North Suburban Conference, as well as a 29-9 record.
A key player on the team was senior Keira Kasten (22), an outside hitter whose skill led her to commit to playing collegiate volleyball at Elon University in North Carolina.
However, this year’s juniors will have to step up next year to play well despite Kasten’s graduation. Breakout juniors in the season included such players as Jaimie Marquardt (12) and Lily Evans (18). Another was outside hitter Hannah Fleming (17).
Fleming started playing volleyball when she was in the sixth grade. By the time her sophomore year arrived, she was already on the varsity team, and continued to play at the highest level during her junior year, alongside Kasten and others.
“I think I bring confidence to the team,” said Fleming. “I feel that when I’m back row passing, I communicate well with my teammates, and then when I’m in the front row, the same thing goes for that. I think the people around me then become more confident and then also just bring good energy while on the court.”
Similar to Bahrani and Tolba, Fleming noted a strong team dynamic that fosters good morale and energy for the team, saying that “the dynamic is really good. Our coach makes us do a lot of team bonding stuff and I think at practices, we switch around who’s playing with who, so everyone becomes more comfortable with each other. There’s not much to say that’s bad about the team dynamic.”
Referencing the role that she will step into on the team next year, following the departure of Kasten and others, Fleming said that “we’ve lost a big hitter this year. So I think just finding more space on the court to put down swings, to get more points.”

With the school year drawing to a close and the graduation date for seniors drawing nearer, athletes like Fleming, Bahrani and Tolba prepare themselves for the roles they will step into next year, alongside other junior athletes who will be given the opportunity to step up, lead the team, and fulfill their potential.

Another popular sport with a senior-driven team is the girls volleyball program. For the fall 2022-23 season, the team saw great success with a 7-1 conference record that secured them a first place finish in the North Suburban Conference, as well as a 29-9 record.
A key player on the team was senior Keira Kasten (22), an outside hitter whose skill led her to commit to playing collegiate volleyball at Elon University in North Carolina.
However, this year’s juniors will have to step up next year to play well despite Kasten’s graduation. Breakout juniors in the season included such players as Jaimie Marquardt (12) and Lily Evans (18). Another was outside hitter Hannah Fleming (17).
Fleming started playing volleyball when she was in the sixth grade. By the time her sophomore year arrived, she was already on the varsity team, and continued to play at the highest level during her junior year, alongside Kasten and others.
“I think I bring confidence to the team,” said Fleming. “I feel that when I’m back row passing, I communicate well with my teammates, and then when I’m in the front row, the same thing goes for that. I think the people around me then become more confident and then also just bring good energy while on the court.”
Similar to Bahrani and Tolba, Fleming noted a strong team dynamic that fosters good morale and energy for the team, saying that “the dynamic is really good. Our coach makes us do a lot of team bonding stuff and I think at practices, we switch around who’s playing with who, so everyone becomes more comfortable with each other. There’s not much to say that’s bad about the team dynamic.”
Referencing the role that she will step into on the team next year, following the departure of Kasten and others, Fleming said that “we’ve lost a big hitter this year. So I think just finding more space on the court to put down swings, to get more points.”

With the school year drawing to a close and the graduation date for seniors drawing nearer, athletes like Fleming, Bahrani and Tolba prepare themselves for the roles they will step into next year, alongside other junior athletes who will be given the opportunity to step up, lead the team and fulfill their potential.