Things coming together in big way for tiny Harvest Christian

Things could have gone either way for the Harvest Christian girls basketball team this season.

We've all seen it go the wrong way - new coach, talented transfer. Will it all mesh?

In the Lions' case the answer is an emphatic yes.

A program that first played in the IHSA state tournament series in 2012 has suddenly become state ranked and stands poised to win the school's first regional championship in girls basketball next month when it is the top seed in its own Class 1A regional that begins Feb. 9.

But before this 19-5 season could happen, the chemistry had to be developed and there wasn't all that long to get it done at the tiny school (enrollment 124) on Elgin's west side.

The Lions had the makings of a decent team coming back, with senior scoring machine Kylee Knox and developing 6-foot-1 junior Rachel Oostdyk coming back from a team that went 15-11 last season under coach Kelly Friestad.

Friestad stepped down after the season and Rich DeTamble, her assistant last year, stepped in as the new coach.

Then, just before the start of classes in August, came the transfer. Paulina Castro, who played for Class 3A state champion Montini the past two years, enrolled at Harvest and received an IHSA transfer waiver due to a family illness, which made her eligible to play right away.

Suddenly a potential Class 1A power was born.

"Paulina, as an athlete, is one of the most unselfish kids you could ask for," says DeTamble of Castro, who leads the team with a 20.7 points per game scoring average and an area high 79 3-pointers to go with 3.7 assists and 3.4 steals per game. She also is a 94 percent free throw shooter.

"The other kids bonded with her immediately. Kylee Knox, who was fifth in the state in scoring last year, had to accept a new role and she has. Her and Paulina go out to eat together, they go shopping together. They've become great friends."

Knox hasn't exactly had a chopped liver season. The 5-foot-8 lefty averages 16.2 points per game and has 44 3-pointers as well as grabbing 4.7 steals per game and averaging 2.8 assists.

"It's really nice how well we've all bonded," said Knox, citing several team bonding activities during the summer as a key to coming closer. "We've all become friends. Most of us played other sports with each other too. Our motto is one team, one goal."

To Castro, the transition of coming from one of the state's best programs to a Class 1A school known for its volleyball success but certainly not basketball was made easier by the warm welcome she got at Harvest Christian's campus.

"It's been a 360 turn but with everyone being so supportive it wasn't that hard to adjust. It wasn't as hard as it could have been," said the 5-7 Castro, who plays for Mac Irvin's Fire AAU team and has several mid-major Division I schools showing interest in her including Northern Iowa, Indiana State, Miami (Ohio) and Central Michigan.

"A lot of things have changed but it's been a very good change. There's nothing negative. Everyone has been so supportive here and that's made it a lot easier. It's a different environment. Montini has a reputation of high standards and high expectations but here, the smallness of the school brings us together more. I miss the school and I miss the people but it was a good change and I love this school and this basketball program. I appreciate the decision I made and my parents made."

Knox says Castro added the ingredient the Lions, ranked No. 10 in Class 1A this week, needed to take the next step. With senior Morgan Lockwood, the team's leading rebounder, Oostdyk, senior Alex Rayappa and junior Raena Mulroney returning along with six freshmen on the varsity roster, early practices showed the Lions what they were capable of.

"Our team dynamic really settled in right away," said Knox, who lives in Bartlett. "We've got five solid starters and a solid bench so we can rotate really well. In past years we really had no subs."

DeTamble has a dual challenge - as a coach and as a father.

"The greatest challenge is making the kids believe," he said. "We've tried to schedule 3A and 4A teams. We played Champaign Central, Freeport, Harlan, Rockford East and DeKalb. They know they have to earn every inch."

DeTamble's fatherly challenge comes in the fact he doesn't get to see his daughter Aly play much. She's a senior starter on Burlington Central's state-ranked Class 3A team and Rich has only been able to see a handful of games so far.

"I wish Aly and the BC program super success," Rich DeTamble said, "but it does hurt some when she's playing on my game nights."

That, of course, is tempered some by having the season the Lions are, one they hope continues deep into the postseason.

"Defense is our main key," said Knox, the program's all-time leading scorer who has 1,445 career points after scoring 15 in a 53-52 loss to potential sectional opponent Newark Thursday night and is being courted by several schools including Cornerstone in Michigan, North Dakota State, Grace in Indiana, Covenant Christian and Trinity International.

"If our defense is on, normally our offense will go."

Castro agrees that defense is the Lions' strength.

"Defense and rebounding are our main focus," she said. "If we play together and we play inside-outside, we'll be a hard team to beat. We've showed moments of that and it's exciting to see how far we can go."

Big challenge for Rockets: Burlington Central, ranked No. 10 in Class 3A this week, takes another step up on the competition meter Saturday when the Rockets (19-3) travel to Lombard to take on two-time defending Class 3A state champ Montini, the state's top-ranked 3A team again this season. Montini beat BC 34-26 in last year's state semifinals at Redbird Arena and coach Jason Nichols' 22-4 Broncos haven't missed a beat this season.

"We've seen them a few times and Jason runs a great program," said Rockets' coach Mark Smith, whose team will host Montini next year. "They basically put pressure on you. They penetrate, they hit 3s and they play well together. Just like always their strength is their pressure so there should be no surprises. It should be a fun game in a great atmosphere and the girls are looking forward to it."

Montini's losses this season have been to Bloom, Benet, Marian Catholic and New Trier, the latter three all state-ranked Class 4A teams.

Class 1-2A seeds: Harvest Christian is the No. 1 seed in its own Class 1A regional, while Hinckley-Big Rock is the No. 2 seed followed by Kirkland Hiawatha, Mooseheart and Elgin Academy. Harvest will also host a sectional, which will include regional winners from Luther North, Christian Liberty and Morgan Park Academy. Luther North, Alden-Hebron and Morgan Park Academy are the top seeds in those regionals. In Class 2A, Westminster Christian earned the No. 4 seed in the Walther Christian regional behind IC Catholic Prep, Walther Christian and Chicago Douglass. Willows Academy and Chicago Academy are the 5-6 seeds. The official pairings will be released by the IHSA on Friday. Seedings for Class 3A and Class 4A are next week.

jradtke@dailyherald.com