Montini going to Shootout in unusual spot as underdog
In a heavyweight basketball matchup Montini will be playing with one arm tied behind its back.
The Broncos, No. 1 in Class 3A, will meet defending Class 4A champion and No. 1 Bolingbrook at 6 p.m. Monday in the feature game of the 20th annual McDonald's Shootout at Willowbrook High School.
Montini (20-1) will be without 6-foot-3 senior and Connecticut recruit Michala Johnson. Johnson, who injured her knee on Tuesday, was diagnosed with an injured meniscus.
Without his best player, Montini coach Jason Nichols has no problem portraying his team as a Rocky-like underdog.
"They're No. 1," Nichols said of Bolingbrook, "and supposed to beat us. Let's just go in and play as hard as we can. State tournament coming up soon, we got bigger fish to fry than Bolingbrook."
Bolingbrook is the big fish in these parts. The Raiders' only loss this season came to Long Beach Polytechnic (Calif.) at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix. Bolingbrook (12-1) has only lost once to an in-state team during the regular season the last three years, to Whitney Young on Nov. 24, 2007.
The Raiders' last loss on Illinois soil came to South Bend (Ind.) Washington at last year's shootout.
"We play one of the toughest schedules around," Raiders coach Anthony Smith said, "so we look at this as just another game. The stage should be big, should be a nice crowd and should be a good game. Our players get up for games when they hear about teams that might be better than them."
Bolingbrook has their own star returning from a major knee injury. Morgan Tuck, a 6-2 sophomore, tore her left ACL last summer. Smith called her "close" to being the Morgan Tuck of old. Running the Raiders show is junior point guard Ariel Massengale, rated No. 3 nationally by ESPNU Hoop Gurlz in the class of 2011. In fact the game will pit what could be the two top junior point guards in Illinois with Notre Dame recruit Whitney Holloway of Montini.
"We'll show up," Nichols quipped, "because we're only a mile away (from Villa Park). Maybe we'll switch things up, come out fullcourt man and trap a little more. We still have (sophomore post) Tianna (Brown). She needs to step up and be better than she has been. Nobody can replace Michala."
Following Montini-Bolingbrook on Monday, Hinsdale Central will play Marian Catholic. The two teams also met at last year's shootout, where Marian Catholic handed the Red Devils their first loss.
Toni Kokenis and the Red Devils (12-5) will have their hands full with a sweet-shooting Spartans team led by Illinois-Chicago recruit Emily Kobel.
"We're going to have to take care of the ball," Hinsdale Central coach Lindsey Montgomery said, "and know where their shooters are at all times. Marian has a lot of good strengths and good shooters. They've improved a lot."
Saturday's first game will pit Wheaton North (8-7) against St. Ignatius. The Falcons, featuring junior guard Fantasia Vine, are back in the shootout for the first time in 19 years.
"It was an honor," Falcons coach David Eaton said, "and we're really excited we got the call. I know the girls are excited about the opportunity to be in an event with some of the better teams in the state of Illinois."
Another game to watch pits Geneva (No. 2 in Daily Herald rankings) versus Hillcrest. Geneva comes in riding a 45-game regular-season winning streak. Hillcrest has won 17 straight since dropping its season opener to Homewood-Flossmoor.