Girls Basketball: Montini soph Taylor Charles showcases vast potential versus Stevenson

VILLA PARK – At 6-foot-2, Montini sophomore Taylor Charles is easy to spot on the court.

Her long arms and fluid game makes her a tantalizing player to watch for the next three years.

But Charles is also putting in the time on another aspect of her game — her communication skills.

After the Broncos lost a number of talented players from last season’s team that lost in a Class 4A sectional final, Charles is aiming to become a go-to player along with a vocal leader.

“This year I’m really focusing on being there for my team,” Charles said. “We lost a lot of seniors from last year, so this year it’s me stepping up even though I’m a sophomore that I’m doing what I can to help my team win.”

In her second game this season Thursday, Charles showed her immense potential with a team-high 16 points, 11 rebounds and five steals to lead Montini to a 59-41 victory over Stevenson at Willowbrook High School.

Charles shot 6-for-12 from the field, including drilling a 3-pointer to pace Montini’s attack. The Broncos also received 11 points from Sophie Sullivan, nine from Taris Thornton and seven from Angela Giordano.

“I talked a lot more this game, trying to step up and be that leader,” Charles said. “I’ve been working on my jumpshot and post moves…. My goal is to be a leader on my team and lead us to a state title.

“This is my first time being a real contributor on the team, so this season is way different than last season.”

Montini coach Jason Nichols, a tell-it-like-it-is type, admitted Charles is a player with a big upside.

“Taylor Charles has a good game. If she starts playing defense a lot harder, she could be an All-American, if she wants to,” Nichols said. “But that’s going to be her biggest thing. She has to play with a motor all the time. If she does, she’s going to be special.”

The Broncos (2-0) broke open a two-point game early in the second quarter with a stifling man-to-man pressure defense, contesting every shot and forcing 21 turnovers. The Patriots (1-1) shot 15-for-35 from the field, as they were led by sophomore guard Simone Sawyer’s game-high 21 points, which included four 3s.

“You continue to play that pace, and we are not ready to withstand that,” Stevenson coach Ashley Graham said. “That’s not ideally the pace we want to be at, but (Montini) makes you play that way and that’s a tribute to them. They are an extremely talented group of young girls.”