Scouting Zion-Benton vs Barrington
Mundelein sectional championship
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Who: No. 5 seed Zion-Benton (24-6) vs. No. 6 Barrington (21-11).
How they advanced: Barrington defeated No. 3 Stevenson 60-48 to win the Grant regional and No. 2 Fremd 38-33 in the sectional semifinal on Tuesday; Zion-Benton defeated No. 4 Hersey 57-32 to win the Zion Benton regional and No. 1 Libertyville 43-35 in the sectional semifinal on Monday.
At stake: Winner advances to Monday’s 7:30 p.m. Barrington supersectional to face the winner of the Jacobs sectional between Cary-Grove and Geneva.
Zion-Benton update: After leading the Zee-Bees to an 18-9 record in her first season in Zion, Coach Tanya Johnson’s club has set a school record with 24 wins this campaign. Johnson recorded her 600th career victory with a 69-44 win over Rockford Auburn in the quarterfinals of the Mundelein Holiday Classic where the Zee-Bees wound up second to Libertyville. However, after three losses to Libertyville during the regular season, the Zee-Bees gave top seeded Libertyville its first loss of the season in Monday’s sectional semifinal. After opening her career at Elmwood Park, Johnson recorded most of her wins at Marillac and Loyola, where she compiled a 555-156 mark over a span of 24 years. She led the Ramblers to state championships in 1997 and 1998 and has had only one losing season as a coach (2001-02 with Loyola). Johnson is not the only coach on her bench with back-to-back state titles. Assistant Frank Mattucci won state crowns at Stevenson in 1995 and 1996. The Zee-Bees have been balanced on offense with junior Octavia Crump (12 ppg) and senior Juanita Robinson (11) leading the way. The 6-foot Crump led Zion with 16 points and 8 rebounds against Libertyville while senior point guard Helena Rodriguez had 8 points and 3 assists. Her sister, freshman Sam Rodriguez, added 6 points. Morgan Garrett collected 6 points, 4 blocks and 6 rebounds while Robinson chipped in 5 points and 5 assists. The Zee Bees’ defense gave up 32 points to Mid-Suburban East champ Hersey and 35 to North Suburban Conference champ Libertyville.
From the Zee-Bees coach: “Frank (Mattucci) has really been tremendous on the defensive side,” said Tanya Johnson. “We have been seeing those results from the girls buying into the game plan and we hope to keep seeing that. The last few weeks a really good chemistry has evolved. And that has been bringing about positive results.”
Barrington update: Like Zion-Benton was able to pull off against Libertyville, Barrington turned the tables on Fremd in Tuesday’s semifinal. After two losses to the Vikings in the regular season, Barrington was able to take round three with stingy defense (3-2 zone defense) that resulted in a 38-33 win. The Fillies limited Fremd to 6 points in the first half and 13 through three quarters. MSL West Player of the Year Abby Kirchoff (5-foot-11 senior) did not score a basket but made 11 of 12 free throws, including 9 clutch freebies in the final 1:49. She joins Shelby Whigham (5-11 senior), Sarah Mass (5-8 senior), Brooke Chandor (5-11 senior) and Nicole Collins (5-6 junior) in the starting lineup. Whigham and Mass have been starters since their freshmen years. However, Whigham missed half of her freshman campaign with a knee injury and then her entire sophomore season with another ACL injury to her opposite knee. Chandor, who injured her shoulder in each of the Fillies’ regional games had no problems in the sectional semifinal and scored 10 points with 2 rebounds. Her back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter helped the Fillies pull away to a 21-8 lead over Fremd. Mass isn’t the only one in her family to compete for a sectional crown. Her mother Linda coached Hersey’s girls basketball team to a sectional title in 1994. Kiersten Tinkoff (5-10 senior) Lizzie Deuel (5-7 senior) and Sam Maasarani (5-6 senior) have been top players off the bench.
From the Fillies coach: “Zion-Benton has a nice, strong team,” said coach Babbi Barreiro, who has 316 wins in 18 years directing the Fillies. “They have some weapons we are going to have to contend with. We must make sure we continue to work together.”
Postseason history: Barrington is making its 12th sectional appearance and ninth under Barreiro, who won the school’s only sectional crown in 2000 before losing to eventual state champion Buffalo Grove in the Schaumburg supersectional. The Fillies also played in a sectional last season, falling 49-37 to Hersey in the championship game at Libertyville High School.
Zion-Benton is appearing in its sixth sectional and first since 2007. The Zee-Bees are looking for their first sectional crown.