By Bobby Narang
Montini Catholic head coach Shannon Spanos finally will get an opportunity to make her own mark in the high school playoffs.
After taking over the varsity girls basketball program following the surprising departure of long-time coach Jason Nichols in May 2020, Spanos dealt with a shortened first campaign due to the coronavirus pandemic which included no tournaments, nor playoffs.
Considering Nichols, who left to take the head women’s coaching job at Morton College, built a legacy around winning championships and helping Montini become a powerhouse in the State, Spanos and the Broncos are seeking to continue that tradition during the playoffs.
So far, the Broncos are building toward a run in the upcoming playoffs and have earned several key victories, including against Loyola December 16.
January 6, the Broncos erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Mother McAuley. The Broncos (11-6, 3-0 GCAC Red) scored the final 16 points to pull out a key comeback victory.
“That win showed so much about our team and our no-quit attitude,” Spanos said. “Montini plays an extremely tough schedule that will continue to prepare us for the tournament. Our losses are against (Fremd by two points in overtime) ( Barrington by one point) Nazareth, Willowbrook, Lyons and Waukesha West in Wisconsin. All of them are great teams that are ranked in the State. We’re young, starting two seniors, a junior and two sophomores and a freshman off the bench. We’ll continue to work hard to get ready for the tourney.”
Montini junior guard Shannon Blacher is one of the leaders on the team. She leads a balanced attack, averaging 14 points per game, with sophomore guard Victoria Matulevicius (13 points), senior guard Samantha Mogilinski (eight points), senior guard Sawyer White (eight points) and sophomore forward Alyssa Epps (six points) showing the Broncos’ balanced scoring. Meanwhile, Montini is averaging 66% from the free-throw line and 31% on three-pointers.
“Shannon Blacher is one of the fastest and quickest players you will ever watch with the ball,” Spanos said. “Her explosiveness to get to the rim is impressive. On the defensive side Shannon’s length, quick feet and quick hands have turned her into a lock down defender. Sawyer White stepped up for our team in a big way on against Mother McAuley. She leads our team in rebounds, assists, and steals for the season. Her defensive mindset adds so much to our team.”
• Meanwhile, St. Francis is seeking to rebound from a recent spate of losses, mostly due to losing several players.
St. Francis head coach Jeff Gerdeman wants his team’s last two games to be a preview of things to come. The Spartans (11-6, 6-1 Metro Suburban Blue) defeated Rosary and Glenbard South to snap a four-game losing streak.
“These past two games, we have gotten our juice back, especially on the defensive end,” he said. “Our defensive efforts, in turn, have helped us jump start our offense. We’re also getting balanced contributions from both starters as well as girls coming off the bench. We were building momentum prior to Christmas with a 9-2 record, but had half of our team out during the tough Montini Christmas tournament. After four straight losses, we appear to righted the ship, including knocking off previously unbeaten Rosary in convincing fashion.”
Senior captain Katie Anne De Craene is averaging 11 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game. Sophomore point guard Dolly Smith is second on the team in scoring (eight points) followed by senior Lauren Bruce (six points) and junior Katherine Lilly (six points, five rebounds).
But Gerdemen added the Spartans have been relying on several players this season.
“Senior Sara Dziengel has stepped into the starting lineup in place of sophomore Natalie Doyle who is out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury,” he said. “Senior Tristan Grosam, junior LeAnn Ringsrud, and sophomore Halle Rubino continue to provide quality minutes off the bench.”