Montini tops Geneva for sectional crown
Montini's ability to make teams look uncomfortable worried Geneva coach Sarah Meadows heading into Thursday night's Class 4A Schaumburg sectional championship game, and for an 8-minute stretch the Broncos did just that.
Top seed Montini held No. 2 Geneva to 3 points in the second quarter, forcing the Vikings into 7 turnovers and limiting them to 1 field goal as they built a double-digit halftime lead on the way to a 64-47 victory.
The Vikings finally found their footing in the second half, shooting 52 percent, but Montini's 19-1 run spanning the second and third quarters was too much to overcome.
Montini (31-2), in its first season moving up from Class 3A, will play Trinity at 7 p.m. Monday in the Class 4A Hoffman Estates supersectional.
"We've always played top teams even when we were in 3A but being in 4A is more exciting," said Montini junior Kaylee Bambule, who sank five 3-pointers and led all scorers with 17 points. "We're playing bigger teams, better teams and it gives everyone the message that we're a good team and we're tough."
Claudia Kunzer, another junior guard, scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half and also had 5 steals. Geneva turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 22 times against Montini's constant pressure.
"We came out and executed perfectly I believe," Kunzer said. "My shot was open so I took it. When we all work together like we did today we'll get everything we want."
Geneva (25-5) got off to a good start. Taylor Williams banked in a 15-foot jumper for a 4-0 lead, and Grace Loberg scored 6 points to end the first quarter up 11-10.
Williams knocked down another jumper to start the second quarter, but it would be over 9 minutes until the Vikings hit another field goal. Montini turned the 13-10 deficit into a 29-14 lead, a surge that included three 3-pointers from Bambule.
Two of those 3s came to close the first half, as a 19-14 game quickly became 25-14.
"I was so mad at her early in the game because she missed some opportunities to pull the trigger," Montini coach Jason Nichols said. "I was screaming at her 'Shoot the ball.' And then she was bang, bang, bang."
Loberg finally ended Geneva's drought with a 3-point play with 5:39 remaining in the third. Stephanie Hart and Brie Borkowicz swished 3s in the quarter, keeping the Vikings within 39-27 going to the fourth.
Margaret Whitley, Geneva's second-leading scorer, didn't have a point in the first three quarters. She connected on consecutive 3s to open the fourth.
Senior Ashley Shogen later knocked down another 3, but Montini always had the answer and never let its lead dwindle below 10.
Kunzer did much of the damage, scoring 11 points in the quarter, while Tiara Wallace, Bambule and Lindsey Jarosinski also made shots.
"Geneva came out with a lot of intensity and we just had to match that," Bambule said. "We just started playing Bronco basketball. We play hard, play with intensity, talk, have fun, we shoot the ball and get the ball to the post."
Loberg led Geneva with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals, playing the entire game until the benches emptied in the final minute while Montini rotated the 6-5 Jarosinski and 6-2 Aailyah Patty (9 points). Loberg didn't pick up a foul; the Montini duo had 7 as Loberg continually went up strong inside.
"It was fun to play against people my own height," Loberg said. "It just stinks how it ended. The second quarter was the turning point for us because they got their offense going and we couldn't get anything going. We couldn't catch up to them after that."
Hart added 10 points and Whitley 8, two of four Geneva sophomores who along with Loberg form a talented returning nucleus.
"To the kids who are returning you have to remember this feeling," Meadows said. "We've got to do better every single year.
"We're a Sweet 16 team. We've had a nice season. You hate to lose but you are going to lose unless you are the state champ. It was a good year for us."