Holloway, Montini cool off Lake Park 54-47
As rosy as Jason Nichols' cheeks were, a white beard could have passed him for Santa Claus.
He was anything but jolly.
"We came out looking like we were still celebrating Christmas - with too much egg nog," Montini's girls basketball coach said.
The Broncos spotted Lake Park an 11-point lead after a quarter, then roared back for a 54-47 win at the Suburban Holiday Showcase on Friday in Lombard. Montini (14-1) plays Loyola at 3:30 p.m. today in Wilmette for the tournament championship.
Lake Park (10-3) couldn't have scripted a better start Friday. The Lancers' matchup zone baffled Montini early, and at the other end Samantha Arnold knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 11 points for a 17-6 lead after a quarter.
"The girls came out with great intensity and great focus, and Sam was hot from the outside," Lake Park coach Chris Frueling said. "In looking at Montini's style of defense we wanted to give Sam some outside looks."
"You let Arnold sit there and shoot, she'll kill you," Nichols said.
Montini came back to tie it at 22-22 on a Whitney Holloway free throw with a minute left in the second quarter, but Arnold's fourth 3-pointer gave Lake Park a 25-22 lead at half.
Montini's relentless ball pressure and Holloway's jet-like quickness at both ends took its toll on Lake Park in the third quarter. Down 30-24, Holloway found Whitney Adams in the open court for a layup and made her own basket in transition to make it a two-point game. The 5-foot-4 guard then dropped a beauty of a runner up over the 6-4 Arnold in the lane to tie it at 30. Jenna Aloia scored to stem the tide momentarily, but Holloway banked in a jumper to tie it again at 32.
Holloway had 21 points, 8 assists, 5 steals and 5 rebounds for the game, 16 points in the second half.
"She's pretty special," Nichols said, "but we need to have some other girls make some plays for us besides Whitney Holloway."
With Holloway on the bench, Montini took the lead for good in the final minute of the third. Tianna Brown converted a three-point play, Chrissy Fletcher scored inside and Alison Seberger nailed a 3-pointer as time expired to make it 40-32. Montini's defense forced seven turnovers in the third quarter and limited Arnold to two shot attempts.
"The defensive intensity started to pick up in the second half," Holloway said. "We really wanted to stop Sam Arnold and limit her scoring. Our pressure defense translates into offense."
Seberger had 12 points on four 3-pointers, three of them on Holloway drive-and-kicks into the Lake Park zone. Fletcher added 6 points and 7 rebounds.
Arnold finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds and Devin Johnston 9 points and 7 boards for Lake Park.
"Some of our small mistakes let them score in transition and they finished some of their easy shots," Arnold said. "We just couldn't finish and they did. But this definitely gives us more want in our game, giving a team like Montini a good fight."