Coach says Montini girls basketball team has 'Good stuff'
"Good stuff" is how Montini girls basketball coach Jason Nichols summed up his team's debut.
At the top of the list was defense and depth. The Broncos flashed plenty of both in their 60-20 rout of Sandburg in a nonconference season opener Tuesday night in Lombard.
As Montini 6-foot-3 sophomore center Michala Johnson poured in a game-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, the home team gave Sandburg fits defensively.
The Broncos harassed the visitors into 30 turnovers in holding them to single-digit points in each quarter.
"I like our defensive intensity," Nichols said. "I think we can really get after it, and I think the difference is the pressure that we can put on the ball with (freshman guards) Whitney (Holloway) and Kiki (Wilson). We did not play them together tonight, but we will be playing them together a lot more in the future."
Seven times a Montini player made a steal and turned it into a layup.
The Broncos jumped ahead 8-0, then scored the first 18 points of the second quarter to take a 28-7 advantage.
Montini led 30-11 at the half and 46-14 after three quarters.
Joining returning starters Johnson, senior guard Cootie Leeberg and junior forward Chrissy Fletcher in Montini's starting lineup were two new faces: Holloway and junior forward Sharon Lenert.
"I was nervous at first, but then I got used to it and I was like, 'OK,' " said Holloway, who led the Broncos in steals with 5.
It was a big night for Lenert, who returned to action after missing last season with an ACL injury to her left knee.
"It was awesome," Lenert said of returning. "There's no greater feeling than being back on that court. Everyone was like, 'Sharon, calm down.' I'm like, 'I'm not nervous. I'm just ready.' I've been waiting for this for a very long time."
Holloway scored 6 points and Lenert tallied 5 as she hit 1 of her team's four 3-pointers.
Leeberg connected on a pair of 3-pointers on the way to 10 points. Fletcher chipped in 8 points.
The Broncos shot 41 percent from the field, while limiting Sandburg to 14 percent.
Eastern Illinois-bound senior guard Madeline Kish topped the Eagles in scoring with 6.