Montini survives at St. Edward
Road games in the Suburban Christian Conference can be brutal, particularly for an opponent venturing into the pressurized bandbox at St. Edward.
“It’s just an unbelievable place to play,” fourth-year Montini coach Brian Opoka said of the cozy Elgin gymnasium. “You’ve got the stage at one end of the gym and there’s a wall on the other side. You’re separated from the fans on your bench, but their students are right on top of you on the other side.
“And going to the locker room at halftime is like going to the penalty box. The students are right there and they offer you assorted pleasantries. It’s the most difficult place to play in our conference.”
Competing in such a hostile environment only made Montini savor Saturday’s 69-61 win that much more. The victory completed a sweep of the 2-game SCC Gold Division season series for the Broncos (11-7, 5-3), who sent St. Edward (9-14, 2-6) to its third straight loss.
More significantly, Montini’s 11th victory of the season represented a benchmark of sorts. Opoka’s teams had won only 11 games in his previous three seasons combined..
Win No. 11 was hard-earned, evidenced by the eight band-aids applied to the cut over leading scorer Richard Bodee’s left eye, a gash the trainer told him might require five stitches.
“That’s basketball,” shrugged Bodee, who scored 18 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. “I was down on the floor going after the ball and I got hit, an elbow I think. Things happen. We did what it took. This was a big win.”
Bodee (6-foot-5) and 6-4 sophomore Matt Brachmann (14 points) were too much for St. Edward to handle in the paint. Their low-post effectiveness combined with the ballhandling and scoring of senior guard Tyshawn Johnson (16 points) gave Montini too much offensive firepower for St. Edward to overcome.
“We played zone to try to keep them outside, but they ran a good zone offense and got good inside shots,” St. Edward coach P.J. White said. “And when we did stop them inside they still hit their outside shots.”
Montini sank 22-of-37 field-goal attempts (59.5 percent). The Broncos led 13-8 after a quarter, 32-23 at halftime and 47-38 after three. They grew the lead to 58-42 with 5:01 remaining on a pair of bonus free throws by junior guard Logan Goss, but St. Edward made a last-ditch run.
Senior Zack McQueen scored 9 of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, including an inside bucket that pulled the Green Wave within 61-55 with 1:54 to play.
“We never think we’re out of a game,” McQueen said. “We just keep going, make plays and keep fighting until the end.”
However, McQueen fouled out on the next defensive sequence, joining fellow disqualified starters Troy Gudino and Adrian Ponce on the bench.
The Broncos subsequently hit their free throws to ice the win. In fact, they sank 16-of-24 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter and 24 of 34 for the game.
St. Edward senior Eddie O’Halloran scored 21 points, including a second-quarter sequence in which he sank 3 straight jump shots off screens to beat Montini’s box-and-1 defense designed to stop him.