Wauconda’s Helen Macey faces another test. Given recent history, don’t count her out. ‘You can’t help but root for her.’

Wauconda forward Helen Macey’s recommitment to basketball earlier this year was no small thing.

Turns out that was only the beginning for Macey, who considered quitting the sport during middle school and again questioned whether to continue playing after two junior varsity seasons.

“I started losing my passion a while ago, probably from seventh grade to my freshman year,” she said. “In seventh grade, I was going to quit because I had friends who were not playing basketball and wanted to hang out on weekends, but I always had games and tournaments.

“I was getting so sick and tired of playing on JV. But I kept with it because of my mom. I’m so grateful now.”

Instead of quitting, Macey went all-in, joining an AAU team to work on her skills. The 5-foot-11 junior then earned a varsity spot for this season and made an immediate impact for the young Bulldogs (8-5), averaging 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in her first six games.

She torched Woodstock North for 29 points and 12 rebounds in a 61-38 win on Nov. 21, racked up 23 points and 12 rebounds in a 45-37 loss to Marian Central Catholic on Nov. 29 and piled up 17 points and 19 rebounds in a 46-33 win against Woodstock North on Dec. 3.

It was all a dream for Macey.

“I decided to put more time into the sport after last season,” she said. “I joined AAU for the first time in the offseason. I wanted to play with people who would push me.

“It was weird because I went from AAU competition to the varsity, and I thought it would be a huge step and a lot harder. But some varsity games were easier than my AAU games. I definitely saw that all of the hard work had paid off. It was amazing.”

“Amazing” is a good way to describe Macey’s development, according to Wauconda coach Jaime Dennis. Macey is averaging 13.3 points and 10.6 rebounds.

“Helen was a good JV player,” Dennis said. “She worked hard, was coachable and didn’t come off the floor much. She was always one of their high scorers and a leading rebounder.

“Helen has always worked hard, but she really seemed to be a difference-maker starting during open gyms in the fall and then during tryouts. She was confident and the best player on the floor during tryouts.”

But Macey faces another test of her love for basketball. Her breakout season hit a major roadblock during a game at North Chicago on Friday, when she suffered a right knee injury that Dennis called “grotesque.”

Macey said the best-case scenario is that’s she’s out for four to six weeks. She has an MRI scheduled for this week.

“It was very early in the game,” she said. “I was going up to get a rebound and came down and dislocated my knee. I think a girl’s leg was in between mine. The doctor sounded really hopeful that there wasn’t any tissue damage.”

Macey said she was overwhelmed with emotions in the ambulance and had two thoughts running through her mind.

“I wanted to see my sister because she makes everything right,” she said. “It was scary and sad because my season might be over and I might miss my AAU season. When I first got into the ambulance, I broke down. It was horrible.”

Dennis said she expects Macey to make a triumphant return to the court.

“Helen works so hard and is such a great person, you can’t help but root for her,” Dennis said. “We have been watching her since she came to camp as a sixth grader. We knew she would be a good player but not as dominant as she has been. 

“I’m so happy her hard work has paid off. She made a huge impact on our team this year.”

No matter the final diagnosis, Macey said she is satisfied that she finally proved she could play a big role for the Bulldogs, who have lost three in a row since her injury.

“I went from talking to my mom and almost not playing and deciding to give it a few more games early in my career to pushing myself 110% in every practice and playing AAU for the first time this year, which helped me fall in love with the sport again,” Macey said.

“Basketball is a way to forget about everything for me, to leave it at the door, and your teammates are always there for you. It’s an amazing bond.”

Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.