Focused Montini overcomes Antioch
It was Antioch's misfortune to run into Montini when the Broncos are playing their best basketball of the season.
The Broncos were focused and determined from the start of Monday's Class 3A Hoffman Estates girls supersectional, earning their sixth straight trip to the state semifinals in Normal with a 61-44 victory.
"I think our team lives for the playoffs. We love it," said Montini senior Kelsey Bogdan, a four-year varsity player who has two state championships. "You see how bad everyone wants to win, and even when things aren't going our way, we can get back into games because of how bad everyone wants to win."
Antioch tied the game for the last time when center Carly McCameron was first to score in the second quarter. But 6-foot-5 Montini freshman Lindsey Jarosinski followed with a basket to start a 13-3 Montini run over the next three minutes to make the score 30-20.
"They came down, make a shot, we'd come down, miss one," Antioch coach Tim Borries said. "They had a couple of good possessions and they scored and we didn't score, and against Montini, you've got to match them. You've got to match them bucket for bucket, maybe get two or three buckets, get a 6-point lead on them and hope your defense holds up. Playing a team like this it's hard to play catch-up."
The Sequoits were getting in foul trouble too, forcing two starters to the bench.
"If you'd asked me going into the game the one thing we couldn't do, we said no 3s, no drives, no fouls," Borries said. "And that's the three things we needed to do.
"The first quarter was great. We matched intensity, we didn't let them drive as much, we didn't let them shoot the 3 as much. Then we started picking up fouls and then we just got out of our game plan."
The problem was the Montini guards like to drive the lane when they're not shooting 3-pointers.
"I thought a big thing was getting (McCameron) in foul trouble. I thought our guards did a good job of attacking her," Montini coach Jason Nichols said.
Montini led 35-28 at halftime, and then the Broncos tightened up their defense.
"We gave up 28 points in the first half and said that was ridiculous. We said that at halftime and then gave up 16 points in the second half," Nichols said.
The Sequoits (30-4) made a few runs at Montini, pulling within 5 points midway through the third quarter on Ashley Reiser's basket.
"I felt like they were right on our backs," said Montini senior Rainey Kuykendall.
"They worried me the whole time," Nichols added.
The fourth quarter, however, was all Montini. Kuykendall, who scored all 10 of her points in the second half, put the lead in double digits for good with a basket with 6:45 to play, and the Sequoits were out of runs.
"We hit some big shots, we had some girls hit free throws, we got timely rebounding. All the things that you have to do to win the game," Nichols said.
Sophomore Kaylee Bambule led Montini with 15 points. Sophomore Ashley Reiser paced Antioch with 15, and twin sister Amy had 10 before fouling out.
It was the 30th win of the season for the Broncos, against just five losses.
"Yeah, it's very meaningful, because it got us to state," Nichols said. "That means a lot. This isn't old hat. This is fun."
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