Kerstein’s 28 powers Montini past Lake Zurich
Montini junior point guard Nikki Kerstein put on a highlight-filled performance on Saturday afternoon.
After watching former Deerfield backcourt partner, junior guard Aubrey Galvan, score 32 points in the previous game against Batavia, Kerstein showed off her vast skills with her own stat-filled outing in the fourth game of the 34th annual Coach Derril Kipp’s Hoopfest at Montini.
Kerstein, who teamed up with Galvan the past two years at Deerfield, was all over the court against Lake Zurich. Kerstein scored 28 points to lead Montini to a 64-49 win.
Kerstein shot a sizzling 13-of-18 from the field, hitting two 3-pointers and dishing out three assists and collecting four steals.
“I think (Aubrey) played great the game before,” Kerstein said. “That was a really good game. In my game, I know today my coach was telling me she needed me to be a scorer. Obviously, I prefer being a pass-first point guard, but she said today I definitely need to score in this type of atmosphere and the team we were playing against.”
The Broncos (15-4) gained an early grip on the game, not letting the Bears (12-9) threaten them after building a 22-12 lead following 3-pointer by Kerstein. Montini junior guard Lily Spanos was a big factor in the victory, helping spread the floor with her perimeter shooting. She made five of her six 3-pointers to end with 15 points. Shea Carver added 11 points and Victoria Matulevicius pumped in 10 points and contributed seven assists for the Broncos.
The Bears picked up 11 points from Anna Gilbertson and Avery Cooper but turned the ball over 18 times.
“We knew coming into this game that (Montini) was a very good team,” Cooper said. “They are really fast, so they beat us running door the court a lot on fastbreaks. We struggled finding someone to stop (Nikki) on defense, even trying a couple of players on her.”
The Broncos overwhelmed the taller Bears with their blinding speed, pushing the pace throughout the game to pull out the quality victory.
Kerstein said she’s starting to find her rhythm with her new teammates.
“It was a little bit of a transition, but I feel now that the first half of the season is over that everybody knows their roles,” Kerstein said. “I definitely feel more comfortable in my position and role. This was a good win.”
Montini coach Shannon Spanos heaped praise on her entire team for a solid effort on offense and defense. The Broncos built a 60-42 lead following a runner in the lane by Kerstein in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.
“We knew that they were big and outmatched us with size,” Montini coach Shannon Spanos said. “We knew we had to play fast and get to the rim. That was our game plan. Our girls did a great job executing. I thought Lily hit some big shots. That was huge. We played well on defense. We battled inside every possession.”