Surprise, surprise: Glenbard South is back in state semifinals
Nobody is more surprised that Glenbard South is making a second straight trip to the Class 3A girls basketball semifinals this weekend than the Raiders themselves.
"I'm so proud of them," said coach Morgan Kasperek, echoing comments by senior all-state center Maggie Bair after Monday's supersectional win. "I did miss the first month of season, but I wouldn't have told you on Day 1 that we were coming back downstate."
The Raiders (26-7) graduated three multiyear starters from last year's third-place team, so the doubts were valid. Yet, Glenbard South will play Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin at 1 p.m. Friday in the state semifinals at Redbird Arena in Normal. The game will be televised on NBC Sports Chicago.
Need another reason the Raiders didn't expect to win the five playoff games necessary to earn a trip downstate?
"My offensive game (stinks), so if you guys have any help, let me know," said Kasperek, who delivered twin boys the first day of the season. "Offensively, we're really patient and we try and take the right shot. But scoring 36 and 34 points in the last couple of games here, our offense is hitting a wall."
It's a testament to the Raiders' defense, patience on offense and Bair's abilities that the Raiders are back. Bair, a Drake University recruit, again averaged a double-double in points and rebounds this season.
Bair is joined in the starting lineup by junior Rocky LaPonte and sophomores Lauren Cohen, Iman Sellers and Alex Wilharm. Cohen, the point guard, was the fifth starter last year.
"So this is a young team, and offensively we get nervous in games a little bit and I think we let our nerves get the best of us," Kasperek said. "We're missing some wide-open layups and some 3-pointers that we can normally put down."
This will be a matchup of teams with contrasting styles of play.
"We want to slow you down," said Kasperek, 97-27 in four seasons at Glenbard South. "We want you to play at our pace. We expect everyone to guard their player and help the next and then recover."
The Raiders have held opponents to 30 or fewer points in 22 games this season. Only South Elgin touched 50 points against them.
Conversely, the Cyclones haven't scored fewer than 40 points in a game this season. They have hit 70 points in a game seven times with a high of 92.
"Offensively, if we're clicking, we're making you play defense for 35-40 seconds before we even take a shot, and then real simple offensive stuff," Kasperek said.
The Cyclones are 29-6, a school record for wins and have won eight straight. They didn't get past the regional a year ago.
If there's one place the Raiders have a clear advantage is that they played at Redbird Arena last year. The Cyclones lack that experience, and that concerns coach Steve Klunick.
"They will be awestruck," Klunick said of his players' first time playing on the college floor at Illinois State University. "Every coach worries about their team and how they're going to react. If they don't I think they're lying to you. It's natural to have nerves, and we talked about that, how you deal with nerves. Every experience for us has been new."
Sacred Heart-Griffin is led by guard Payton Vorreyer, who averages 15 points a game, and point guard Sophie Lowis at 10.1.
"She's a leader that everybody wants on their team," Klunick said of Vorreyer, a four-year starter.
Vorreyer also is the Cyclones' leading rebounder.