Montini wins in Bambule's return
Since Dec. 27 the Montini girls basketball team has been without one of its key pieces. Guard Kaylee Bambule went down with a bone bruise to her knee in a holiday tournament game against Huntley, and in the six games she was absent, the Broncos went 3-3.
In her return to the court Monday night at the 25th annual McDonald's Shootout, the sophomore gave Montini 8 points and 5 assists in 17 minutes off the bench. Montini defeated Brooks 74-55.
It wasn't a superstar performance by any means - five of her teammates poured in 9 or more points - but the offensive balance certainly seemed to indicate how important her presence is to The Associated Press' No. 1 team in Class 3A.
"She changes everything for us. She spaces the floor, she's tough and she knows how to play the game," Montini head coach Jason Nichols said. "Is she our whole team? Absolutely not. But she's a big part of what we do."
Brooks jumped out to an early 16-12 lead by applying pressure and attacking the offensive glass, but Montini began to settle in during the second quarter. The Broncos finished the second quarter on a 17-2 run and took a 36-23 lead to the half.
With the Brooks (12-5) roster sporting just one player taller than 6 feet, Montini made a point of establishing a presence in the post. The Montini guards moved the ball sharply around the perimeter and found opportunities to get the bigs quality looks on the interior.
Senior forward Rainey Kuykendall and freshman center Lindsey Jarosinski were the benefactors.
"Good post-entry passes make it a lot easier. We don't have to think about making moves with our back to the basket," Kuykendall said after a 16-point, 11-rebound performance aided by 17 assists on 28 made field goals for Montini (19-4).
In addition to Kuykendall's double-double, Jarosinski made the most of her 13 minutes of action off the bench by scoring 14 points and collecting 9 rebounds.
"That type of post play is huge," Nichols said. "If you don't have a post presence, teams can defend you completely different."
Brooks forward and St. John's commitment Akina Wellere led all scorers with 23 points. For the Broncos, Lea Kernstein hit four 3-pointers on her way to 15 points while Kelsey Bogdan chipped in 11 points.