Update: Evergreen's Megan Beckow is Patch's MVP This Week

She scored 17 points, had five steals and four rebounds in a 67-23 girls basketball victory over Nobles Street-Muchin in the Class 3A DeLaSalle Regional.

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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Girls Basketball: Swanson Hits 1,000 as Oak Forest Rolls Past Evergreen Park

Oak Forest 55, Evergreen Park 8: The Bengals hammer a depleted Mustangs team at home, while holding the Mustangs to just one field goal in the game.

The Skinny: With four starters looking on from the bench for various reasons, the Evergreen Park Mustangs couldn't get anything going against the Oak Forest Bengals in Oak Forest on Friday night. The Bengals' suffocating half-court defense held the Mustangs to just one field goal in a 55-8 victory, while the Bengals' offense ruled the boards and low-post scoring in the win. The Bengals led 25-1 at halftime and never looked back. Patch’s MVP: Oak Forest's Katie Swanson (16 points). Swanson led the Bengals in scoring for the game and hit her 1,000th varsity career point on a sweet scoop layup in the third quarter in the paint. Key Stats: Evergreen Park hit only one shot from the floor during the game, which came late in the fourth quarter …

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Athlete of the Week: Evergreen Park Volleyball's Megan Beckow HItting Her Stride

The Mustangs are looking to develop junior outside hitter Megan Beckow as a major offensive weapon this season.

It can be argued that outside hitter is the most important position in volleyball.  And that's why the involvement and progress of junior Megan Beckow is a vital part of Evergreen Park's success. "Megan (Beckow) is a player that we’re trying to develop to be a key offensive player, so we’re working on it," Mustangs coach Carrie Berry said.  In a match against Oak Forest last week, Beckow didn't have many opportunities, but she recorded two kills and an ace for three of Evergreen Park's first five points in Game 1.  And her performance made an imression, say nothing of earning her the nod as Patch Athlete of the Week for Evergreen Park. As the season moves on and the offense gels together, look for Beckow to put up big statistics.  Watch: …

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Evergreen Park Volleyball Camp Prepares Berry, Rule to Lead Mustangs

Two-week summer camp was especially critical for a younger team to build momentum for upcoming high school season.

Carrie Berry watched from the sideline as Evergreen Park’s varsity and sophomore volleyball teams went through a series of drills together. After two weeks of training, the Mustangs annual summer volleyball camp was coming to a close. But it was far from just another preseason training camp for Berry, who is entering her 12th season as Evergreen Park’s head coach. Things were different from when she first led the varsity team. “Back in the old days, I used to be able to use camp almost as an incentive to try out, but now my numbers hurt me a little bit,” Berry said. “I used to have a ton of club players and kids that were playing year-round and that’s not happening now.” The slow change in the quantity and type of players has forced Berry …

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Sports Photo Gallery: Evergreen Park Volleyball Closes Camp With Confidence

Volleyball players from kindergarten through high school recently concluded training in Evergreen Park's two-week camp.

After two weeks of bumps, sets and spikes, Evergreen Park High School concluded its volleyball camp for youngsters looking to improve their skills. Players from elementary school through high school all participated in various drills, lessons and games that were led by varsity coach Carrie Berry. Berry said the annual camp provides the Mustang coaching staff an opportunity to see what talent is coming up from the middle schools and what the varsity team needs to work on in preparation for the upcoming season. Check out the action.

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Local Sports Notebook

Evergreen Park Eager for Softball Showdown with Oak Forest

The Mustangs advanced to the Oak Forest Sectional championship game in the IHSA Class 3A state playoffs, thanks in large part to Michelle Putlak's pitching.

Evergreen Park softball pitcher Michelle Putlak has taken her game to new heights for the playoffs. On Thursday, the junior won her third straight playoff game as the Mustangs defeated Joliet Catholic Academy 3-1 in the semifinals of the Oak Forest Sectional. “I’ve never been to the playoffs before, so this is a new thing,” Putlak said. “But it feels really good to be doing well and I’m glad that we have a good stride going right now.” Putlak helped her own cause with a two-run double in the fourth inning, and Megan Beckow added an insurance run with an RBI double in the fifth. The Mustangs led 3-1 entering the seventh, and Putlak closed out the game from there. “I just went in there and I prayed. I’m not going to lie—I prayed.” Putlak …

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Local Sports Notebook

Frustrating Week for Evergreen Park Softball

The Mustangs lost a couple of heartbreakers but also showed a lot of heart.

The Evergreen Park softball team entered the weekend having endured a tough week on the field. The Mustangs lost 6-3 to Oak Lawn on Tuesday, as the Lady Spartans scored three runs in the sixth inning to break open a 3-3 tie. Megan Beckow was 2-for-3 for the Mustangs, while Erin Crane was 1-for-3 with a triple. The Mustangs lost 1-0 in a hard-fought game with Reavis on a cold and windy Thursday. Michelle Putlak led the Mustangs, pitching a complete game while allowing only three hits. The Rams scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh on a walk. “It was freezing out and the kids played with a lot of heart,” Evergreen coach John O’Connor said in an email. “Nina Orlowski made some great defensive plays for us at shortstop.” Coming …

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Analysis: First, Third Quarters Key for Evergreen Park

Fast starts in each half pave way for Mustangs in their 61-29 girls regional basketball victory over Chicago Perspectives on Monday night.

Evergreen Park wasted little time utilizing its home-court advantage against Chicago Perspectives in the opening game of the Evergreen Park Regional.  Guard Emma Point scored eight of the first 13 Mustangs’ points and finished with a game-high 21 in Monday night's 61-29 victory over the Warriors. “She (Emma) came out with a hot hand and kept it for most of the game,” Evergreen Park coach Dave O’Rourke said.  The Warriors were able to slow down the Mustangs with aggressive zone pressure defense after an early timeout. They held the Mustangs scoreless for nearly eight full minutes, frustrating the guards at the top of the key and the forwards down on the blocks by contesting every single pass and play.  “We got a little relaxed, a little …

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Girls Basketball: Evergreen Park Right on Point

Evergreen Park 61, Chicago Perspectives 29. Mustangs win regional opener thanks to 21 points from guard Emma Point.

The Hot Read: Evergreen Park jumped to a 13-0 lead on Chicago Perspectives in an opening-round regional game on Monday night only to see that lead trimmed to 18-12 by the end of the second quarter. A pair of three-pointers by the Mustangs near the end of the first half and a dominant 20-point third quarter run helped right the ship in Evergreen Park's 61-29 win over the Warriors. Patch’s MVP: Mustangs guard Emma Point led the way with 21 points and five rebounds. She scored eight of the first 13 Mustang points and contributed seven more in the third quarter. Twelve of her 21 points came on 3-point shots. Key Stats: The Warriors committed more turnovers (16) than they scored points (14) in the first half. And they coughed up the ball nine …

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Analysis: Evergreen's Outside Shooting the Difference in Defensive Struggle

Points came at a premium, but the Mustangs' girls basketball team, led by Courtney Karstand, found a way to make its field goals count.

Evergreen Park and host Reavis played a very tough, very scrappy defensive game Thursday night, leading to few points and plenty of turnovers. The Mustangs earned a 35-25 victory to improve to 8-15 overall and 4-7 in Southwest Suburban Red action. The Mustangs’ man-to-man offense caused plenty of problems for the Rams. Reavis forward Amanda Raschke was the only player to have more than one field goal for her team. By the same token, the Rams’ 2-3 zone defense kept the Mustangs near the perimeter on offense for most of the game. Problem was, the Rams’ defense didn’t stop the Mustangs from hitting five three-pointers in the game. Guards Courtney Karstand and Emma Point hit two three-pointers in the first two minutes to establish a 7-0 lead …

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