Libertyville’s Maddy Kopala is best known as a soccer player. The Purdue Fort Wayne commit is showing more.

Libertyville junior Maddy Kopala’s soccer skills have benefited her throughout her first varsity season of basketball.

But late in the first quarter of a Class 4A Rolling Meadows Regional semifinal against Waukegan on Monday, Kopala made a slight misstep after catching a nearly full-court outlet pass from teammate Emily Fisher and missed a wide-open layup.

“We’ve been focusing on jump-stopping. Because of soccer, a lot of times I fly in when I make layups,” Kopala said. “So I just felt bad because Emily threw a really good pass to me.”

One possession later, though, the 5-foot-10 forward came through, drilling a 3-pointer from the corner off another pass from the Maryland-bound Fisher.

“I knew I had to make it up, so I sprinted down the court after that miss and knew Emily would get it to me,” Kopala said. “I didn’t think about it. I just let it fly.”

After Kopala swished the open 3-point shot, Fisher smiled.

“It happens, so I was like ‘whatever,’” Fisher said of Kopala’s missed layup. “I was happy she knocked down the three.”

Libertyville’s Rachel Rule, right, drives to the basket against Waukegan’s Briana Tatum, left, and Hadassah Brown during a Class 4A Rolling Meadows Regional semifinal on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. (H. Rick Bamman / News-Sun)

That was one of many highlights for the second-seeded Wildcats, who scored the first 26 points in a 74-21 win against the 15th-seeded Bulldogs.

Rachel Rule scored 15 points to pace Libertyville (28-4), which will play seventh-seeded Rolling Meadows in the regional final on Friday. Fisher and Kopala each scored 11 points, and Sophia Swanson added nine points. The Bulldogs (10-20) were led by Hadassah Brown, who had seven points.

The Wildcats have ambitions to follow in the footsteps of North Suburban Conference rival Stevenson, which won the 4A state championship last season, and Kopala is a player to watch, according to Libertyville assistant Amy Holtsford. Kopala has verbally committed to play soccer at Purdue Fort Wayne.

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“We know that Maddy is a soccer phenom, so we were excited to have her on the team,” said Holtsford, who filled in Monday because coach Greg Pedersen was unable to attend the game for personal reasons. “She doesn’t quit. She’s one of our toughest kids.”

Libertyville’s Emily Fisher (3) brings the ball up the court during a Class 4A Rolling Meadows Regional semifinal against Waukegan on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. (H. Rick Bamman / News-Sun)

Holtsford said the coaching staff realized Kopala’s development would be important to help take some pressure off the do-it-all Fisher. Kopala provides solid interior defense, can crash the boards and hit 3-pointers.

“Everybody knows about Emily, so just to have another player like Maddy that the other team has to guard is very important,” Holtsford said. “Teams will pay if they double-team Emily because Maddy can see what the defenses give her. She can drive or hit the midrange shot. She’s done a great job adapting to playing with a Division I player like Emily.”

Kopala, a future Division I soccer player, said she’s happy with her quick improvement in basketball.

“At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t a starter but knew my job,” she said. “I started to get comfortable with my teammates after knowing all of their tendencies. Soccer really helped me with my defense. I would rely on my defensive ability to flow into my offensive ability.

“Basketball has also helped me in soccer, just staying low and getting in that same defensive stance I need in soccer and to continue moving my feet. Vision is a big thing as a center back, where you have to view your midfielders and forwards. A lot of quickness and a lot of acceleration in basketball flows back into soccer.”

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