McDonald's Shootout features championship-caliber field

No trophies or medals will be handed out Monday at Willowbrook High School.

But you can bet on a championship feel in that gym.

Reigning Class 3A state champion Montini will meet two-time defending 4A champion Bolingbrook in the marquee game of the 21st Annual McDonald's Shootout in Villa Park at 7 p.m. on Martin Luther King Day.

It is a rematch of last year's shootout matchup won by Bolingbrook, 51-43.

Asked if he wanted the opportunity to play Bolingbrook again, Montini coach Jason Nichols did't hesitate.

“The environment, the competition — this is why we do it,” Nichols said. “It's girls basketball at its best. I'm glad to be a part of it.”

Bolingbrook (12-2) hasn't lost to an Illinois team since falling to Whitney Young in the 2008 state championship game. Whitney Young is also the last Illinois team to beat the Raiders during the regular season — on Nov. 24, 2007. Since then Bolingbrook has beaten 48 straight Illinois opponents.

The Raiders, ranked No. 5 in the country in the latest ESPN poll, feature perhaps the state's two best players. Tennessee recruit and point guard Ariel Massengale is rated among the top five players in the country in the class of 2011 and Connecticut-bound forward Morgan Tuck is a top 15 recruit in the junior class.

Add in a supporting cast that includes Taylor Tuck, Kennedy Cattenhead and Waubonsie Valley transfer Keiera Ray, and it's easy to see why Bolingbrook is the most feared team in Illinois.

“They got two studs. To me Massengale is their best player,” Nichols said. “Losing her, it's kind of like taking the gasoline out of the engine. She is explosive, fast and strong. We're going up against the enterprise. We're just a small business trying to make it. But we're not afraid of them.”

No Illinois team played Bolingbrook closer than Montini last year during the regular season. In fact, the Broncos led that contest in the fourth quarter.

And Montini (21-0) has the talent to compete with the Raiders, led by Notre Dame-bound point guard Whitney Holloway, North Carolina recruit Whitney Adams and Wisconsin-Milwaukee commit Kiki Wilson. Montini, ranked 50th by ESPN nationally, has won 34 in a row since last year's Bolingbrook loss.

Nichols believes last year's close game could help his team confidence-wise. But it also could sharpen Bolingbrook's focus.

“They're one of the most motivated and focused teams I've seen. They want to beat your brains in,” Nichols said. “What happened last year, they don't want to happen again. It will be like a championship blow-by-blow match. At the end of the day it makes your team better.”

Wheaton North plays Proviso East:

Returning to the shootout for the second straight year is Wheaton North. The Falcons (10-5), led by Bradley-bound senior guard Fantasia Vine, will meet Proviso East (14-2) and Illinois recruit Ivory Crawford at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

“She's one of the better players I have seen the last few years,” Wheaton North coach Dave Eaton said of Crawford. “They're a talented offensive group. They cause a lot of matchup problems because they are extremely athletic.”

Wheaton North put on an impressive show in its shootout debut last year. The Falcons exploded for 31 points in the first quarter en route to a 69-47 win over St. Ignatius. Vine led the way with 22.

“Hopefully we can keep getting invited to come back as long as we keep playing well,” Eaton said. “As a head coach it's an event I always went to watch hoping we could get in it someday. It's good for our kids to get to see a higher level of competition.”

With Wheaton North and Proviso East both in the same 4A sectional, this game could loom large right before coaches seed the sectional.

“We were hoping to do a little bit better in our Christmas tournament, but we did play Hersey well and this is a big game,” Eaton said. “This is a nice opportunity for us to display where we want to go.”

Passing the point record torch:

Nevena Markovic and Julie Fonda shared a rare, special moment last Friday. Markovic's 38 points in a win over Riverside-Brookfield broke the Glenbard South school record of 37 previously set by Raiders coach Fonda in the 1995-96 season.

“It is a cool feeling,” Fonda said. “I feel lucky to be on my end of it.”

Markovic has had two games of 28 points and one of 29 prior to Friday. She kidded her coach that Fonda wouldn't let her go for the record.

With seven minutes left Friday, she had 30. Fonda asked Markovic if she wanted to go for 38.

“She nodded her head and her eyes got real wide,” Fonda said. “I told her ‘you got two minutes.' It was a fun thing to watch and let happen.

“I've watched her improve a lot these last three years. She's not only a tremendous player but also a fantastic kid. She's the kind of kid that you want to have success.”