Nolan, Rolling Meadows steadily defeat Romeoville
Rolling Meadows junior forward Katherine Nolan accomplished a feat no other Mustang did in Monday's 41-32 victory over Romeoville at the Montini Christmas tournament.
She scored in every quarter.
And there was a point to that.
"We made a point to continually get her the ball," said Mustangs coach Ryan Kirkorsky. "They key for us right now is that Katherine is playing great. She is real confident."
Confidence is also a part of her classmate Kyra Spiwak's game, too.
The veteran guard scored a game-high 16 points (all coming in the final three quarters) as the No. 11 seeded Mustangs improved to 10-4 and will face No. 10 Geneva in a rematch of the 2014 Class state semifinal (Meadows won 51-43).
The Mustangs led 9-7 after one quarter on Monday but outscored the Spartans 16-7 in the second quarter.
"I thought we valued the ball and were getting it into the post more," Spiwak (3 assists, 2 steals) said of the second-quarter surge in which she scored 9 of her points including a 3-pointer.
Nolan scored 6 of the Mustangs' 7 points in the third quarter and added another key bucket in the fourth.
"Katherine was having a great game," Spiwak added. "And she was finishing and sealing off her defender."
Kelsey Nallon hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first half for her 6 points while Morgan Campagna added 4 points with 8 rebounds and 4 steals. Hannah Mickey had 3 offensive rebounds.
Melissa Spiwak tossed a nice assist for a fourth-quarter fastbreak layup by her sister Kyra.
"It was a team win," said Nolan, who was 5-of-6 from the field with 5 rebounds and 2 steals. "We took open shots and just played well as a team."
Alexis Marin and Diamond Dorch led Romeoville (8-6) with 7 points apiece.
"They're (Rolling Meadows) a physical team," said Romeoville coach Julio Carrasco. "They took us out of our offense. That's basketball. We weren't tough enough."
The Mustangs know they have a good test today with Geneva.
"It will be a tough game," said Kyra Spiwak. "This is definitely a prestigious tournament and we are excited to be invited."
Prospect 56, Dundee-Crown 47: Prospect (8-7) notched its first win at the Dundee-Crown Charger Classic as seniors Angelina Villasin Roman (14 points) and Angela Roman (12) led the way.
Brenda Kendziera and Nikki Matters each chipped in 8 points while Emily Frasco added 7 with a 3-pointer as the Knights rallied from a 21-18 halftime deficit.
Prospect resumes play in the 16-team tourney at 12:30 p.m. today against Burlington Central.
Burlington Central 49, Barrington 35: Junior Alex Van Ryne led the Fillies (4-8) while teammates Megan Talbot, Kelly Katis and Abigail Elo each chipped in 6 points at the Dundee-Crown Charger Classic.
Elo had two 3-pointers while teammate Tori Meyer had one.
Barrington resumes play against tourney host Dundee-Crown at 9:30 a.m. today.