This Montini group had its own challenges
At first blush the two just don't seem to match.
Montini and adversity?
With four Division I players on their roster? With only two wins by less than 11 points?
A talent-saturated team like that speaking of adversity sounds like Kim Kardashian crying about a bad hair day.
But just listing Montini's D1 credentials is a Kardashian-shallow synopsis of this group.
These kids have been through so much.
How many teams lose their best player to an ACL tear two years in a row?
Montini has with Michala Johnson - and barely skipped a beat. Without the Connecticut recruit on the floor Montini has won 42 games in two seasons. Not once have they mentioned Michala's absence as an excuse.
Just a short weekend after Johnson's second knee injury left half the team in tears, Montini gave Bolingbrook its closest game at the year at the McDonald's Shootout before losing by 8.
You try finding a more impressive defeat.
Since then, Montini hasn't lost. The Broncos have rebuilt their M.O. around point guard Whitney Holloway and a slew of 3-point shooting.
It all would have been worthless with a loss Monday. At least to the girls and their coach.
In a sense the "four D1 kids" reputation is an albatross hanging around this team. Win, and it's expected. They're supposed to. Lose, and it's "they couldn't do it without Michala."
Not fair, but it is what is is.
The pain of being one score away from making state last year has lingered. Montini coach Jason Nichols reminded the girls of the Marshall loss every day in practice. It's a long road back to where it all ended.
On Monday the girls did what they couldn't do last year. They finished.
The 7 first-half points wasn't a think of beauty, but the end product was a Picasso. Mallory Sosnovich hitting a clutch 3-pointer and free throws. Courtney Thomas delivering perhaps her finest performance of the year. In a down game, Holloway doing just enough.
It all made Nichols raise two fists in triumph with 17 seconds left. Moments later, Mr. Never Satisfied even cracked a smile.
Part happiness, and a lot of relief.
"Ever since we found out Michala was going to be gone we knew we could still do it," senior Alison Seberger said. "Losing our best player is hard but we believed in each other. We're the same team as last year. We didn't doubt that we couldn't get where we got."
Montini is going to state, an accomplishment the likes of the Indianapolis Colts going to the Super Bowl without Peyton Manning or the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals without LeBron.
Montini did it, erasing last year's loss and overcoming this season's even bigger loss.
Well done girls.
jwelge@dailyherald.com