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Sophomore guard Laila Williams is a pretty good basketball player for Homewood-Flossmoor.

But if you really want to get Williams going, ask her about how good she was when she started out in the sport at only 3 years old. She laughs when talking about her prowess at that early age.

“I played in a bitty-ball league against boys,” Williams said. “I got some buckets, and I have to say I was the GOAT.”

All these years later, Williams is still getting her fair share of buckets.

The 5-foot-6 Williams scored 12 of her 14 points in the first half Tuesday night, helping the host Vikings earn a 60-57 win over Lincoln-Way East in a SouthWest Suburban Conference season opener in Flossmoor.

Just like last season, H-F (4-2, 1-0) appears to be balanced as Toniya Brady and Aunyai Deere added 13 points apiece.

Brady hit a half-court buzzer-beater to end the first quarter, while Williams hit a buzzer-beating shot inches from beyond the arc to end the first half. Those points proved to be valuable as the Griffins (3-2, 0-1) cut a 20-point deficit down to three points.

“I never hit a half-court shot in a game — this was the first one,” Brady said. “I’ve hit them in practice. I saw the clock and I put it up. It felt good to get that.”

“Everybody knew that was going in,” Williams said.

Speaking of 3-pointers, Lincoln-Way East (3-2, 0-1) made seven of its 11 shots from beyond the arc in the second half to spark the comeback. Kaitlyn Dykstra led the Griffins with 19 points off the bench, while Emerson Nilsson had 15 points and seven rebounds. Ellie Guyette scored 11 points.

Williams, meanwhile, received her first Division I offer before the season from Utah State.

“It was pretty big getting that phone call,” she said. “But I’m just going to continue working on my game.”

H-F coach Anthony Smith believes there may be more phone calls in the future for Williams.

“She’s a kid who should have a lot more coming to her as long as she continues to improve and defend do the little things,” Smith said. “She has a nice touch. And she can shoot that 3-ball, which schools love.

“But they want to see her defend and be that tough guard and those are things she will continue to work on. She’s going to be a pretty good player.”

To that end, Williams also chipped in with four rebounds and two steals for H-F.

“She’s a shooter — she’s good,” Brady said of Williams. “She does a lot for us on defense and offense. She can drive and get steals.”

For the second season in a row, the Vikings came out of the gate facing some of the state’s best teams. They lost 63-49 to defending Class 4A state champion Kenwood and 72-55 to Benet at a tournament hosted by Naperville Central.

H-F hopes to learn from those losses.

“We did lose, but that has given us more motivation,” Williams said.

“We have to play harder and stronger to win against teams like that,” Brady said.

Smith also saw some good things against Kenwood and Benet.

“At times, we can execute and know what we’re doing to get it done,” he said. “But we get a little tired and we have to work on being able to play through that.

“Knowing that, my job is to go out and fix it.”

Once they get things fixed, the Vikings could be dangerous.

“I think we’ve had more ups than downs,” Williams said. “Obviously, we have to play better as a team. I feel like we can go far and definitely get to state.

“As long as we continue working and growing and play hard in games, we can go far.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

Ten young people from Utah are suing the state over the harms caused by fossil fuel development.

The youth plaintiffs — ages 13 to 22 — filed a lawsuit against the Utah Board of Oil, Gas, and Mining, the Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining and the division’s director on Monday.

They argue that new permits for fossil fuel development, including coal, oil and gas, “violate their constitutional rights to life, health, and safety,” according to a news release from Our Children’s Trust, a nonprofit law firm. The plaintiffs want the court to declare the permits unconstitutional, use its authority to review or revoke existing permits and make sure future permits account for public health risks.

“I worry every day about my health, my future, and what kind of world I’ll live in if the state keeps approving these fossil fuel permits,” said Natalie Roberts, one of the youth plaintiffs, in a statement. “We’re fighting for our lives and asking the court to protect us before it’s too late.”

The lawsuit builds on a previous case which many of the same youth brought forward in 2022. A district court dismissed the case later that year, but the Utah Supreme Court agreed to hear the young plaintiff’s appeal in 2023. Earlier this year, the Utah Supreme Court upheld the previous decision to dismiss the lawsuit but ordered the lower court to change its ruling to dismissal without prejudice, opening a door for the young people to sue again.

State officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit.

That previous case targeted Utah’s broader energy policy, while this new lawsuit narrows in on fossil fuel permitting, according to the news release.

“The state cannot continue issuing fossil fuel permits that put children’s lives and health in jeopardy,” said Andrew Welle, lead attorney to the plaintiffs. “This case is about holding Utah accountable to its constitutional obligations to protect youth from serious harm caused by air pollution, climate impacts, and unsafe fossil fuel development.”

Poor air quality and “climate-related harms,” such as wildfires and extreme heat, have caused respiratory issues and mental health challenges for the young plaintiffs, according to the news release.

“Some days I can’t even go outside because the air is so polluted,” Roberts said. “I get headaches, feel dizzy when it’s too hot, and sometimes I can’t even see down my own street because of smoke from wildfires.”

Similar cases have been filed in other states. A Montana judge in 2023 sided with a group of teens who argued their state violated its constitutional commitment “to maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment” by prioritizing fossil fuel development.

The decision directed Montana state agencies and regulators to consider climate impacts when issuing permits for development. The Montana Supreme Court upheld that ruling late last year.

Melania Trump on Monday unveiled the holiday decorations for her family’s first Christmas back at the White House and her theme is “Home Is Where the Heart Is.” Several dozen volunteer decorators from across the country helped deck the halls of the Executive Mansion with 75 wreaths, 51 Christmas trees, more than 700 feet (213 meters) of garland, more than 2,000 strands of lights, over 25,000 feet (7,620 meters) of ribbon, over 2,800 gold stars, more than 10,000 butterflies and 120 pounds (54 kilograms) of gingerbread. The official White House Christmas tree, which is always on display in the Blue Room, is doing double duty by also honoring Gold Star families, those that lost a member during active-duty military service.