IC withstands Montini comeback
A technical foul and missed free throws sank a furious Montini comeback Saturday evening in Lombard.
With undefeated Immaculate Conception nursing a 44-42 lead, the Knights had a basket waved off and were whistled for an offensive foul. Seconds after the call, another whistle sounded, this time for a technical foul on Montini.
Instead of having the ball with a chance to tie, the Knights’ John Cheng sank a free throw, killing the momentum and helping IC to a 58-53 victory in Suburban Catholic Gold action.
The technical foul, according to Montini coach Brian Opoka, was on a charge that Matt Brachmann took.
“He made a mistake,” Opoka said. “He’ll learn from that and get better. I was proud of him for taking that charge. He kind of got up, fired up, and he’s a high-energy sophomore. I compliment him on taking that charge. But the officials felt what he did was taunting. But we’re going to look at the film and see what happened.”
“It was a big momentum boost. We got the ball back and had them on their heels, and then we just got called on that technical foul.”
“It swung the momentum a little,” Immaculate Conception coach Darren Howard said. “It caught them off guard. They thought it was on us, and I wasn’t quite sure, frankly, because I didn’t see what happened away from the ball. It was big when John made the second free throw, and we got our composure back. We made some big baskets down the stretch as well.”
The contest was a physical affair, with both teams heading to the foul line numerous times. The Knights shot 63 percent, while Montini clocked in at 53 percent. In the end free throws put a stranglehold on the game for the visitors and out of reach for the host.
“We work on it every day,” Opoka said. “It was a problem for us tonight.”
The Knights (7-0, 2-0) jumped out to an 8-6 lead in a sloppy first quarter featuring the ball changing hands often. The second quarter followed with a combined 35-point outburst and Immaculate Conception taking a 28-21 lead into halftime.
The Knights amped up the pressure in the third period, leading by as much as 12 points midway through the period. Montini (2-1, 1-1) cut into the lead as the period ended, getting a huge 3-point shot from Logan Goss, cutting the lead to 6. But Cheng finished a layup off of a missed shot with 0.3 seconds remaining, giving the Knights an 8-point lead heading into the final period.
It was in the fourth that it became frenzied.
Montini went on an 8-2 run, paced by a Ben Brady 3-pointer, and a quick lay-up from senior Rich Bodee. Goss added a free throw, and TyShawn Johnson nailed an open look, trimming the lead to 44-42. But the technical foul call followed, dampening the Broncos’ hopes of a comeback.
After Chang’s free throw, the Knights did just enough to keep the Broncos at arms’ length. It was clutch free-throw shooting that sealed it, as IC shot 70 percent from the line on its final 10 free throws.
“We haven’t been shooting free throws well,” Howard said. “We really concentrated on that this week. I think we were just shooting over 50 percent, so we knew it was something you have to do in the SCC to win because it’s such a physical conference.”
Montini, meanwhile, knows that as the season wears on, it will only get better.
“They’re a good team,” Opoka said. “Our kids battled and you see guys limping out of the locker room. They left their heart and soul out on the floor. We stormed back and when we get our legs under us, we’re going to be just fine.”