IC Catholic returns to state without 'awe factor'
To IC Catholic Prep, its second trip to the Class 2A semifinals in as many seasons means it's twice as likely to be ready to play Friday night.
"The thing that it eliminates is the unknown," Knights coach Aubree Schuett said. "There's not that awe factor that there was last year."
The Knights placed fourth in 2014. They relish the chance to improve on that in 2015.
"I like our chances. I definitely know that whatever happens we're going to compete our tails off," Schuett said.
The Knights (20-11) meet Breese Central (30-3) at 8:15 p.m. Friday in the semifinals at Redbird Arena in Normal. Bishop McNamara (27-4) and Bloomington Central Catholic (23-7) meet in the 6:30 p.m. semifinal, with the third-place and championship games the same times Saturday. All games will be televised on Comcast SportsNet.
Schuett said she thinks her Knights match up well with Breese Central.
"I know that they've got some good guards," Schuett said. "They've got a nice post player inside. I would compare them to a (Metro Suburban Conference West Division rival) Glenbard South. It's pretty much what you see when you get to this point in the season."
The Cougars are led by 6-foot-2 junior center Kendra Wilken, a Class 2A first-team all-state selection. Wilken averages 19.9 points a game, the only Breese Central player in double figures, and more than 11 rebounds a game.
IC Catholic counters with honorable mention all-state selection Anjella Farmer, a 6-foot junior averaging 11.5 points a game, and 5-10 freshman guard Claire Gibler, who scores 12.3 points a game. But it's 5-7 guard Erin Maloney who leads the Knights in rebounding. She had 8 in one quarter in the sectional final.
The Knights won't make any adjustments for the Cougars, if any.
"It's just about doing what you do but doing it the best you can," Schuett said.
The Knights have been doing a lot of things very well in the playoffs. They didn't have a close game until Monday's supersectional victory against Seton Academy. After rolling to big scores in the regional and sectional, the Knights relied on their defense in the supersectional.
"I was so impressed with our resiliency on defense and their ability to defend for four quarters," the coach said.