Joliet Catholic girls fall in state title game

NORMAL – In Friday’s 34-26 victory over Burlington Central in the Class 3A semifinals at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena, Montini made 3-of-19 3-point shots.

But Saturday was a new day. As chilly as the Broncos were Friday, they were that hot in the championship game, crushing Joliet Catholic’s hopes for a first state championship in girls basketball, winning, 57-44.

To end the first half, Montini sophomore Lea Kerstein stopped her dribble, faked a pass, rearranged into shooting position and swished a 25-footer to beat the buzzer and give Montini a 28-23 lead.

The Broncos, JCA’s football nemesis in recent years and now winner of four girls basketball titles in the last five seasons, scored the first six points of the third quarter to lead 34-23.

There is no quit in the Angels, however. They slapped on full-court pressure and went on a 9-0 run to get within 34-32 late in the third quarter.

But then came an extended run of Montini daggers ignited by freshman Kaylee Bambule, daughter of longtime Romeoville coach Jeff Bambule. Her 3 from the left wing made it 37-32, Kelly Karlis hit one of her four 3s to close the scoring in the quarter, and Kateri Stone and Kerstein combined to record three more for a 49-32 lead with 4:53 left.

JCA (28-3) battled to within 51-41 with 2:50 to go but got no closer.

“When a team gets hot like that and can’t miss, it’s very frustrating trying to get rebound position and then watching the ball go through the basket,” Angels all-stater Jasmine Lumpkin said of the Broncos, who hit 11-of-20 from long range.

Karlis, Stone and Kerstein, who combined for 41 points, wore out the left corner and combined to go 10-for-17 on 3s. Karlis and Stone were a combined 1-for-9 Friday.

“Sometimes it kind of goes opposite of how it goes in warmups,” Karlis said. “We weren’t hot yesterday, we were today. Kaylee’s [Bambule’s] 3 was big. She’s a big-game player.”

“They were hitting everything,” said JCA senior guard Christine Ekhomu, who played her first season of high school ball at Montini. “Kelly (Karlis) and Kat (Stone) had great games. They hit their 3s.”

JCA opened in its trademark 1-3-1 defense.

“We started in our usual defense and wanted to see if they’d be hot or not,” Angels coach Ed Schodrof said. “We switched at times to a man and a diamond. But they moved the ball so well to spots. When we did get back in the game, they answered.”

JCA, which had been to the quarterfinals once previously but never in a Final Four, shot 56.5 percent in Friday’s 70-59 victory over three-time defending state champion Quincy Notre Dame. The Angels accomplished that with a barrage of baskets from inside.

In the title game, however, Montini fronted Lumpkin whenever she moved, and the strategy paid dividends. She had difficulty receiving the ball in the post and was bottled up when she did get it. She managed 12 points, 10 rebounds and four steals but got only seven shots.

“You have to credit Montini for their shooting, and their defense was very solid inside,” Schodrof said.

“They gave me trouble whenever I moved,” said Lumpkin, who was at Montini for her first two high school seasons. “They were focusing on taking me out of the game. I heard their coaches yelling where I was whenever I moved.”

Freshman Jnaya Walker hit a 3-pointer to give the Angels a 13-12 lead after one quarter, and that was the last time the Angels led. When they got back within 34-32 with the 9-0 run in the third quarter, things got interesting. But Montini never relinquished the shooting touch.

“The hotter team won,” Lumpkin responded when asked if the hotter team or better team won. “It could have gone the other way. We’ve gotten hot like that, too. [Saturday], they were ready.

“To come this far and lose hurts really bad. But you can’t take away any of the success we had.”

“I’m proud of our kids,” Schodrof said. “You look at the teams in 3A, to finish second is not bad. It was an exceptional season.”

Nicole Ekhomu led JCA, which shot a subpar .364 from the floor, with 14 points. Christine Ekhomu scored seven and Walker six.

Friday’s semifinal game

In the Angels’ semifinal win over Notre Dame, they went the first four minutes without scoring. They played the final 5:18 without Lumpkin, who fouled out at that point after getting her fourth foul with 6:37 remaining.

They were facing an opponent that had been in state championship games the last four years, including having won titles the last three years.

No matter. The Angles outscored the Lady Raiders 12-2 in the final three minutes and prevailed 70-59.

Youth? What youth?

With freshman forwards Walker and Ty Battle and and sophomores Nicole Ekhomu and Andriana Acosta on the floor with Christine Ekhomu, JCA took over down the stretch.

“I wasn’t shocked at how Ty and Jnaya handled the pressure,” Schodrof said after Friday’s game. “Not with their experience. They always have played at an upper level.”

Walker finished with 15 points. Battle had 13 points, seven boards and four steals, two at crunch time. Lumpkin closed with 15 points, six rebounds and three steals. Nicole Ekhomu chipped in 16 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Christine Ekhomu scored nine.

The Angels committed 23 turnovers and were outrebounded 38-29, but they delivered the knockout punch with consistent scoring from inside, even with Lumpkin out.

“I was nervous on the bench,” Lumpkin said. “I talked to the team and told them to come together and get it done. I think I was louder than the coaches when I was on the bench.”

“When Jasmine fouled out, I thought, ‘Uh-oh, there goes our offensive rebounding,’ “ Nicole Ekhomu said. “But [Acosta] came in and gave us the same energy.”

Acosta contributed six rebounds and scored a basket in her 10 minutes.