Where there’s a Will: Buchert drives Libertyville’s 11-game win streak, spurred on by memory of loss that ‘really hurt’

Will Buchert can’t shake the memory of Libertyville’s loss to Barrington in the Class 4A sectional championship game last year.

The 6-foot senior point guard and his teammates want a different outcome this season, and the Wildcats’ 11-game winning streak shows they mean business.

“That loss really hurt, but it motivates us to go even farther this season,” Buchert said. “We have a lot of guys back from that team, so we want to use our experience to be even better this season.”

Libertyville continued its winning ways Tuesday with a 68-41 North Suburban Conference win at home against Zion-Benton.

Buchert, who averages 14.0 points for the Wildcats (14-3, 4-0), didn’t have one of his better shooting nights against the Zee-Bees (0-12, 0-5), scoring just five points. But he did make sure to get the ball to a player who was hot. Aidyn Boone, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, hit four 3-pointers and finished with 30 points.

“Will and Jack (Huber) always seem to get the ball to me in my right spots,” Boone said. “It helps that we’ve been playing together for a long time, and we know each other well. It’s fun playing with them.”

It also helps that guards like Buchert and the 6-foot-3 Huber have numerous options in Libertyville’s high-powered offense.

“We have a lot of guys who can score, so if we move the ball the right way and get it to the open guy, we usually have some success,” Buchert said. “It seems that just about each game someone will break out and have a big game, so it’s not just one person.

“I wasn’t shooting the ball that well, but I know I have teammates who can pick me or anyone else on this team up.”

Libertyville coach Brian Zyrkowski agreed, saying balance has been typical for the Wildcats.

“Normally when we have a big win, we have three or four guys in double figures, but once in a while we have someone like Aidyn get hot and go crazy,” he said. “We only had one other guy other than Aidyn score in double figures — and that was Henry (Eads), who played well with his 12 points — but that’s not the norm for us usually.”

Buchert has been doing a lot of the scoring recently. He was named the MVP of the Wheeling Hardwood Classic in late December. But he said Huber is the key to the Wildcats’ success.

“(Huber) does it all for us, including bringing the ball up the court when I don’t do it,” Buchert said. “We are comfortable playing together at the guard positions.”

Zyrkowski likes Huber’s all-around game as well.

“He might not score big totals all the time, but he does the little things on the court that don’t always show up in the box score, like rebounding and defense,” Zyrkowski said. “His height enables him to see over the defense and get the ball to the right people. Plus, he has a high basketball IQ.”

Buchert, Huber and the rest of the Wildcats will be put to the test Saturday, when they will travel to Lincolnshire to play Stevenson (13-2, 5-0) for a first-place showdown.

“Our goal is to win the conference, so we know Saturday is a big game in helping us reach that goal,” Buchert said. “Our other goal, of course, is to win the sectional this time and see how far we can go in the playoffs.”

Darren Day is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.