Meadows seniors complete another unbeaten East run
The most prolific senior class in Rolling Meadows girls basketball history went out in style on senior night.
“We just told the kids this night was about them,” said Mustangs coach Ryan Kirkorsky. “We wanted them to have fun and play the right way.”
The Mustangs were right on their game.
Led by Jackie Kemph’s game-high 28 points and 25 points from senior Alexis Glasgow, the Mustangs led start to finish in a 73-47 triumph over visiting Hersey (22-4, 6-4) to complete their second straight undefeated Mid-Suburban East campaign.
“It’s crazy how fast these four years have gone,” said Mustangs senior Jenny Vliet (10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists) who was honored before the game with Ashley Montanez (8 rebounds, 7 assists), Jackie Kemph, Glasgow, Allie Kemph, Sami Kay (3 assists), Elizabeth Vasilogambros (5 points), Katie Shewmon (5 rebounds) and managers Emily Gruettner, Nikko Koutas and Cal Skwerski.
“This year our goal was to be Mid-Suburban champions so hopefully it will be a good game on Wednesday.”
The Mustangs (22-3, 10-0) will play at Fremd (22-3, 10-0) on Wednesday for the crown.
But first, the state’s No. 3 ranked team in Class 4A has a tune-up with the No. 3 team in Class 3A, Quincy Notre Dame.
The Mustangs leave at 9 a.m. Saturday to play in a 9 p.m. game today.
“We have to get up early but it’s fun,” said Jackie Kemph, who was fun to watch as usual, weaving through the defense for her twisting layups and 6 assists. “We look forward to the bus ride because we are a close team and we enjoy it.”
The Mustangs enjoyed a lead as big as 14 points midway through the third quarter when Hersey was able to reduce it to 45-38 on a 14-footer by senior Renee Poulos with 3:35 left.
But the Mustangs stepped on the pedal again, extending the lead to 54-39 by the time the period was over.
The 9-0 run was highlighted by Glasgow’s 3-pointer, and three big drives to the basket by Jackie Kemph.
“I thought some of Jackie’s finishes at the basket were awesome as usual,” Kirkorsky said of the senior standout who is 8 points away from 2,000 for her career. “But I was more impressed by her passing.”
Kemph flipped a nice entry lob into Vliet, who made the layup to start the second quarter for a 25-9 advantage.
Later in the period, Glasgow made 4 straight free throws to give the hosts their biggest lead of the half at 35-14.
Glasgow made 10 of 12 free throws in the game.
“It’s pretty awesome to win three division titles in a row,” said Glasgow, who is 68 points away from 1,500 for her career. “Going undefeated in our junior and senior years shows how hard we worked. Overall, it was a fun night for the seniors.”
Hersey senior Morgan Harris led the Huskies with 19 points, including a game-high five 3-pointers. Poulos added 8 points and freshman Claire Gritt 7.
“At the end of the season, you want to be playing against the best teams,” said Hersey coach Mary Fendley. “Obviously, they’re a great team. And they have a great group of players. A lot of things had to happen for us to win but I thought we competed to the end. We had chances. But you don’t get many many against them.”
The Mustangs have a chance to end Quincy Notre Dame’s homecourt winning streak that has spanned several years. The Mustangs fell in OT to the Raiders last year in the same shootout.
“It’s a long weekend but we loved the experience last year,” Kirkorsky said. “It’s a big event in Quincy and our kids love playing in that kind of pressure situation.
“I’ve been able to catch them on film and they’re great. They’re really fans and they have a lot of weapons.”
That sounds like a team that just went undefeated in the MSL East, led by an outstanding senior group.
“They’re a special group of young women,” Kirkorsky said of his seniors. “They’re exceptional students, great people and awesome basketball players.”