Montini's Johnson out for season with another ACL injury
Michala Johnson's season - and her Montini career - is over after another ACL injury.
The Broncos senior and Connecticut recruit has a torn ACL in her right knee and minor damage to her meniscus, MRI results revealed. Johnson missed all but one game of her junior year with a torn ACL in her left knee.
For a girl dealing with a second major injury in two years, Johnson showed a remarkably upbeat attitude Monday.
"I'm still going to have a smile on my face," Johnson said. "It's not the end of my life or the end of our season. I'll be ready for next year. Just gotta keep working hard."
Johnson went down minutes into Montini's game with Guerin last Tuesday, injuring it on a routine spin move to the basket. The original thought was that Johnson had injured her meniscus and could be back as soon as two weeks. The MRI results confirmed a worst-case scenario. Johnson is expected to have surgery in February and should be back on the court by July or August.
"I was pretty upset at first," Johnson said. "I asked 'Why did this have to happen to me or why did it have to happen again.' But now I know I won't just have one good knee. I'll have two."
Johnson had enjoyed a strong return this season, averaging close to 18 points and 11 rebounds for the top-ranked Broncos (20-2). In their first game since learning the news, the Broncos lost to Class 4A's No. 1 Bolingbrook 51-43 at the McDonald's Shootout.
"I feel more terrible for her. The team will move on," Montini coach Jason Nichols said. "The reality is with her we are a leading team to win the state title. Without her we're still in the hunt."
Without Johnson last season Montini advanced to the Class 3A supersectional before losing to Marshall. If the Broncos are to go further, they will have to do so without their best player. Montini advanced to the Class 3A semifinals Johnson's sophomore year, her last injury-free season at Montini.
"Once we all heard it," Montini senior Alison Seberger said, "we were heartbroken. It's hard to hear when your best player was out all last season and comes back and gets to play only 19 games of her senior season.
"Personally, since I've known Michala since the sixth grade, I'm trying to win this state championship for her. I'm sure the rest of the team feels the same way."