Carmel junior guard Anna Chilcutt knows the right mix of ingredients to make her teammates happy.

Not only hitting 3-pointers but also baking desserts, Chilcutt has become a sweet contributor for the Corsairs.

“I make banana bread bars,” she said. “My teammates love them. I bring them every single time to games. I bring 24 of them.”

Chilcutt has even started a cookie company.

“I like creativity,” she said. “I had a bunch of orders in December and make a good amount of money.”

Senior guard Josie Hartman and junior guard Grace Booher are among Chilcutt’s loyal fans.

“Her banana bars are the best I’ve ever had,” Hartman said.

Booher agreed.

“I love trying everything Anna makes,” Booher said. “The banana bread bars are definitely the team’s favorite.”

Chilcutt also likes to shoot the ball.

“I shot 300 to 400 3-pointers a day since last season and occasionally 200 on game days, starting at 5:30 in the morning before I would go to school,” she said.

The 5-foot-6 Chilcutt, who is averaging 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 deflection, is shooting 32% on 3-point attempts this season. But she has carved out a role in the Corsairs’ rotation with more than sharpshooting, according to coach Ben Berg. Even with four returning starters and the addition of freshman phenom Liv Johnson, East Suburban Catholic Conference leader Carmel (12-4, 4-0) has welcomed Chilcutt’s contributions.

“Anna has greatly improved in a lot of different areas,” Berg said. “She put in a lot of hard work in the offseason. She’s playing great defense, rebounding and shooting the ball really well.

“Anna wanted to make herself into a much better player and earned more playing time.”

Carmel’s Anna Chilcutt drives against Marian Catholic during an East Suburban Catholic Conference game in Mundelein on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (Brian O’Mahoney / News-Sun)

Chilcutt said she was particularly motivated after Carmel’s loss to Libertyville in a Class 4A regional final last season.

“My sophomore year wasn’t what I fully expected,” she said. “I wanted more out of it. It was also going to be a transition year for the team. I wanted to play more and get more points — just get more out of the season.

“I remember only playing three or four minutes against Libertyville and thinking to myself, ‘This is not happening next year.’ I wanted to change it and do whatever I could to get on the court more.”

Berg said the previous record for most shots attempted during the offseason was 60,000 by former guard Ashley Schlabowske. Without realizing it, Chilcutt blew past that total, finishing with just over 100,000 shots.

“Shooting and going to the gym became a routine for me,” Chilcutt said. “My mom knew I was there all the time. I would count them and put them on a spreadsheet. I did all kinds of shots, but I would make 75 to 100 threes before I left on most workouts. I became disciplined and would log in my shots.”

Carmel’s Anna Chilcutt (15) huddles with teammates during an East Suburban Catholic Conference game against Marian Catholic in Mundelein on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (Brian O’Mahoney / News-Sun)

Booher witnessed several of Chilcutt’s shooting sessions.

“Anna worked super hard in the offseason to improve her game,” Booher said. “No one on the team has put in more extra work than Anna. Attempting 100,000 shots is an amazing example of her dedication to improving and helping the team.”

Hartman said she has noticed a difference in Chilcutt this season.

“You can really tell how much she’s put in just by her confidence shooting the ball,” Hartman said. “Attempting 100,000 shots is insane, and you can tell how much it’s paid off. Very few people have the drive and dedication she has. … I love seeing her make all these shots after all the work she’s put into it.”

Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/06/basketball-carmel-anna-chilcutt/