Montini stymies Harvest Christian to win tournament title
The highly-anticipated marquee match up and title game of the Bill Knox Thanksgiving Invite on Saturday at Harvest Christian between Montini, the third place finisher in girls basketball's Class 4A tournament last year, and the host Lions, the fourth place finishers in Class 1A last year, quickly turned into a one-sided affair.
The visiting Broncos jumped out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back en route to a 67-27 win. Montini breezed to a 5-0 record in the tournament while Harvest finished 4-1.
"It's always great to get off to a good start," Montini coach Jason Nichols said.
"That's a credit to the girls. They come ready to play every day. It was good to get back into the basketball flow this week. The 5 games in 6 days was a lot, but it was a chance to get our legs back. A lot of people will look at the scores and say we just blew everybody out here, but some teams like Marian Central and Harvest really pushed us and played us hard."
There were just too many mismatches for Harvest to overcome. Not only did the Lions have to contend with Montini's 6-foot-5 Lindsey Jarosinski and 6-foot-3 Aaliyah Patty in the middle, but the Broncos also feature a talented back court tandem of Illysse Pitts and Sam Mitchell,
Patty led all scorers with 16 points to go with 12 rebounds. She scored the first 7 points of the game with a 3-pointer, an inside basket, and 2 free throws. Pitts added 11 points and Mitchell finished with 12. Patty and Pitts were named to the all tournament team.
"They just have so many weapons," Harvest coach Jeff Boldog said. "You can't take them all away and you can't just focus on one single player."
The Montini defense also shut down the highly touted Harvest backcourt duo of All-Stater Alyssa Iverson and All-Area Elena Porrata. After combining for 39 points in a win on Friday Iverson and Porrata were held to just a combined 9 points by the Broncos.
The Broncos outrebounded Harvest 43-23. With Montini having the big advantage inside the Lions' best hope was to put up big numbers from the perimeter. However, Harvest shot just 11 of 44 (25 percent) from the field, including 4 of 22 from the arc.
"That's mostly on me," Boldog said. "They do a good job of playing a pressure 2-3 zone. We just haven't had much time to work on playing against that kind of defense. The next time we face a defense like that we have to be more prepared to do a better job of attacking it."
Maddy Martin had 9 points to lead Harvest in scoring.
Burlington Central 50, Belvidere North 33: It's no secret that the success of Burlington Central's girls basketball team this season will lie in large part to the consistent scoring of sophomore Kathryn Schmidt.
But the Rockets proved in Saturday's 50-33 win over Belvidere North at the BC Thanksgiving tournament that they can win games without Schmidt carrying the load down the stretch.
Holding a tenuous 38-32 lead with just under five minutes to play, Schmidt scored on a layup to make it a 40-32 game. She didn't score again, though, as her teammates shouldered the load the rest of the way, scoring the final 10 points of BC's fourth win without a loss.
The senior-less Rockets will play McHenry, also undefeated, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday for the tournament championship. Central is going for its fifth straight tournament title.
"It's really awesome," said the 6-foot Schmidt of her teammates' performance Saturday. "We're a lot more comfortable with each other this year and a lot of girls are stepping up and playing their roles. It's nice that we have some experience now."
Central never trailed in the game, breaking out to an 8-0 lead as Schmidt and freshman guard Elana Wells scored 4 points each.
Belvidere North (2-3) got as close as 20-15 with 4:48 left in the first half before the Rockets went on a 10-0 run to end the half with a 30-15 lead. That run was fueled by a team effort as well - Schmidt didn't score any of the 10 points as Wells, sophomore Lily Moretti, sophomore Reili Gardner and sophomore Alex Lichner all contributed points.
The Rockets led 38-28 early in the fourth quarter but the Blue Thunder got to within 38-32 when junior Brianna Lake hit a 3-pointer, was fouled and made the free throw with 5:21 to play. Schmidt's basket with 4:58 left made it 40-32, then Gardner hit 4 of 4 from the free throw line, sophomore Maddie Menke scored 4 points and Lichner hit 2 free throws with 14 seconds left as BC. playing without sophomore Zoey Kohllhoff (soccer), finished the game with a 12-1 run.
"I thought we looked tired today and Zoey always gives us a lot of energy," said Rockets coach Mark Smith. "The best part of the game, I thought, was the last five minutes. Very proud of Reili Gardner today. She's so important to the team. She's all over the floor and guards the other team's best player."
Schmidt, who is drawing major interest from Ball State and UW-Milwaukee, led the Rockets, who were 14 of 44 shooting, with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Wells added 10 points, 6 assists and 2 steals and Menke scored 10 points.
"We're so much more confident than last year," Smith said. "We've got one junior (Mackenzie West, 6 points) out there and the rest are freshmen and sophomores. Belvidere North played hard and went to the boards hard but we stuck with it."
- John Radtke
West Aurora 52, Naperville North 49: After getting a first look at Naperville North standout Greta Kampschroeder, West Aurora coach Connie Siljendahl began predicting great things for the freshman.
But two games into the new season, she's also starting to think the future may be quite bright for her Blackhawks.
Kampschroeder scored a game-high 21 points in her high school debut Saturday morning at the Warhawk Thanksgiving tourney at Waubonsie Valley, but it was West Aurora that prevailed 52-49 to open the season with back-to-back thrilling wins.
Naperville North (0-1) had taken a 46-44 lead after senior guard Lauren Platou split a pair of free throws with six minutes left to play, but the Huskies' offense then went into an extended dry spell that lasted more than 5½ minutes and allowed the Blackhawks to pull out the win.
"Yes, it's nice (to be 2-0) but it kind of hurts my heart. It's stressful," said Blackhawks guard Essence Rayford, who led her team with 16 points. "We just stay calm. That was all we really had to do and to count on each other."
Naperville North led 12-8 after one quarter as Kampschroeder tallied 9 points on four field goals before picking up her second foul in the final second of the quarter. The rookie sat the second quarter and West Aurora claimed a 26-24 lead at the half behind 10 points from Keva Tomas and 9 from Rayford.
The second half went back and forth, but the Huskies were eventually done in by that long drought in the fourth quarter and by some rough free-throw shooting.
With Platou and Kampschroeder each knocking down a trio of 3s, the Huskies almost had enough to sneak out a win. The 6-foot newcomer surely impressed Siljendahl.
"That freshman from Naperville North, she's awesome," said the West Aurora coach, whose team had opened with a 2-point win over Oswego East. "She's going to do great things, that's for sure."
- Stan Goff
Jacobs 37, Streamwood 35: After losses to powerhouses Homewood-Flossmoor and Rockford Boylan to begin the season, Jacobs' girls basketball team was looking for a win any way it could get one.
The Golden Eagles got the job done.
Jacobs claimed its first win of the season eking out a 37-35 victory over Streamwood in action at the Dundee-Crown Thanksgiving Tournament Saturday in Carpentersville.
"We had two tough losses to start the season so this was a very good win for us," said Jacobs coach Joe Benoit. "We played with confidence and made plays down the stretch. I really liked our balanced scoring and that we had contributions from so many people. This group is a pleasure to work with. It was good to see their hard work pay off with a win."
With the score tied at 35, Kerri Healy and Courtney Pahl each made 1-of-2 free throws to give the Eagles a narrow 2-point lead.
After Healy's free throw, Streamwood coach George Rosner called a timeout with 17 seconds left to set up a last-second effort. Mandy Mien's long 3-pointer fell short and the Sabres dropped their third straight to start the season.
"We had the play we wanted set up but we had some mix ups and it didn't work out the way we wanted," said Rosner. "We had some opportunities to score but just couldn't get the job done. We have three tough losses to begin the season and could easily be 3-0. We just need to keep playing hard and stay positive."
On a 3-pointer by Andrea Bracey, Streamwood held a 16-13 lead with 3:18 left in the first half. Those would be the last points the Sabres would score in the half.
Jacobs went on a 3-point barrage to end the half making 4-of-4 from beyond the arc during a 12-0 run. Pahl connected on a pair of 3s and Liz Schwartz and Courtney Durben each collected trifectas as the Golden Eagles opened up a 25-16 lead at halftime. The Sabres dominated the third quarter outscoring Jacobs 12-3 to tie the game 28-28 heading into the fourth quarter. Mien and Rebecca Roncone each scored 5 points in the third quarter.
"We made some adjustments at halftime and played a very good third quarter," said Rosner. "Our defense was much better. We guarded the 3-pointer much better."
Jacobs, which made 6-of-15 from 3-point range for 40 percent, was led by Schwartz with 11 points. Pahl and Healy netted 9 apiece and Durben added 8.
"We really needed this win for our confidence," said Healy, the lone senior on the team and a 4-year starter. "I try to be a leader on the team and the younger players work so hard. We have a good group and good team chemistry."
Bracey paced the Sabres with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Mien tallied 11 points with 4 assists.
- Dave Hess
Neuqua Valley 52, St. Edward 43: As St. Edward's girls basketball team chipped away at Neuqua Valley's 16-point halftime lead, Wildcats junior Sofia Medina sat on the sidelines awaiting a chance to take back momentum.
"It was kind of hard to see on the bench," Medina said.
When Medina got her chance in the fourth quarter, she took it and ran with it. Medina had 9 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals and made 5 trips to the free-throw line. Neuqua Valley picked up a 52-43 win over St. Edward in the Brenda Whitesell Invitational at Hinsdale South.
It was just the spark the Wildcats (2-1) needed. After seeing their 16-point lead turn into a 1-point deficit, the Wildcats needed to regain their mojo.
They did that with stout defense. Neuqua Valley forced 9 turnovers in the fourth quarter and limited the Green Wave (0-2) to just 3 points in the final period.
It was a welcome sight for Neuqua Valley coach Mike Williams, who's been playing a bit of musical chairs in finding his optimal lineup.
The game plan for the Wildcats was simple: force turnovers. It was fairly successful; they caused 29 turnovers.
For the Green Wave's Yssa Sto. Domingo this game is a moral victory. "This isn't a loss in my book," the senior point guard said. "It's more of a learning experience. We have nine great seniors that are going to show leadership and portray that out on the court."
The biggest lesson being that no deficit is too big. The Green Wave scored 16 straight points to open the third quarter and tie the game at 35 on a three-point play from Madison Knott. St. Edward outscored Neuqua Valley 21-4 in the third quarter.
"I think the third quarter is the way were capable of playing," St. Edward coach Michelle Dawson said. "For whatever reason we struggled with their height and quickness in the first half. That's not the style of game we want to play.
"Third quarter I was very proud of them. We finally got into a bit of rhythm and got some momentum our way."
- Andy Martinez
Wheaton Warrenville South 52, St. Charles East 30: Despite being just three games into the season, Wheaton Warrenville South's girls basketball team had plenty of reasons to celebrate Saturday afternoon.
Improving their record to 3-0 with a convincing 52-30 victory over St. Charles East (1-2) in the third round of the Schaumburg Lady Saxons Thanksgiving Classic, the Tigers also received an historic performance from senior forward Jayla Johnson.
Johnson, a 2-time all-DuPage Valley Conference selection, reached the 1,000-point mark for her career during a team-leading 14-point, 5-rebound effort.
Utilizing a full-court pressure defense, the Tigers completely disrupted the Saints' offensive plans throughout the opening half.
While 5 different players - Kylie Ruggles, MacKenzie Stebbins, Kennedy Youngblood, Ellery Fahey and Johnson got into the scorebook for the Tigers in the first quarter, the Saints managed just a lone free throw by Sara Rosenfeldt and trailed 13-1.
Forcing 15 first-half turnovers, the Tigers led 28-7 at the intermission.
Weinzirl led the Saints with 12 points - all on 3-pointers - while Ashley DiOrio finished with 7 points and Rosenfeldt added 6 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals.
"We were missing our starting point guard (Lexi Kiefer) today so it was kind of like a double whammy," said Saints coach Aubree Schuett.
"The good that comes from it is that it's really early in the season. We'll get it figured out. This is not going to be a long-term problem."
- Craig Brueske
Ottawa 43, Rosary 28: Ottawa defeated Rosary 43-28 Saturday in the championship game of the IMSA tournament. The Royals (3-1) trailed 15-12 at halftime. They were led by Jenna Hernandez with 10 points and Zoe Ketterman with 6.
Geneva 59, Downers Grove North 39: At the Rachel Bach Thanksgiving Tournament, the Vikings improved to 3-0 behind Maddy Yelle's game-high 14 points, Brie Borkowicz with 8 points and 7 each from Madison Mallory, Stephanie Hart, Margaret Whitley and Lindsay Blackmore.
South Elgin 41, Crystal Lake South 40: Casey Brennan led the Storm (1-2) with 16 points; Maddie Bush had 19 and Emily Sulikowski 16 for the Gators (1-2).
Rockford Boylan 64, Dundee-Crown 49: Kennedy White topped the Chargers with 19 points, Payton Schmidt scored 8 and freshman Gianine Boado added 7.
Batavia 45, Plainfield North 31: Hailey Orman paced Batavia with 23 points including seven 3-pointers. Ava Sergio scored 10 points and Erin Golden added 8.