Girls Basketball: Manteno remains unbeaten after sinking Herscher with late surge

HERSCHER — Coming into Thursday night, three teams in the Illinois Central Eight conference had one or fewer conference losses. Two of those teams met in Manteno.

The ICE-leading Panthers, who were 5-0 in conference play and 14-0 overall, hosted a Herscher team that was tied for second with Coal City at 4-1 in conference play.

Manteno held a five-point lead at halftime before Herscher cut it to three midway through the third. But that’s when the Panthers got hot, scoring the final 13 points of the third quarter and first three points of the fourth to take a commanding 45-28 lead.

They held on to win 51-36 and move to 15-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play. The Tigers fell to 10-7 (4-2).

Manteno scored the first eight points of the game before Herscher started clawing back. After a sluggish second quarter for the Panthers, Manteno head coach Bethany Stritar said that the team was able to recover and really crank up the defensive pressure in the third, which helped produce some easy scores.

“We finished a lot better and got some more steals, and got some transition points out of that,” she said. “We kind of got slower in the second quarter, not anticipating as much. I thought maybe we were a little tired, but we had a rest at half and came out and got aggressive. Our defense really does a lot for our offense.”

Herscher had managed to build up some momentum in the second quarter, outscoring Manteno 13-11 in the period after Anistin Hackley scored two of her team-high 13 points at the halftime buzzer.

Head coach Tim McElroy said that things felt good heading into the half, but that Manteno run just started piling up.

Following Hackley’s buzzer-beater in the second, Manteno’s Lila Prindeville got one of her own to end the third. Her heave from a few steps inside half court made the score 42-26 heading into the fourth, putting Herscher in a deep hole.

Despite the tough loss, he said he was happy with how the team competed in a matchup between two of the top teams in the ICE.

“I think it looked like the two best teams in the conference, and I think we belonged,” he said. “They are really good, and I definitely believe there was a chance. It was a great game until the late third quarter when it got out of hand with big plays from their side and our girls going down.

“It looked like the two best teams in the conference and I was really proud of our girls for looking the part.”

Another key factor in Manteno’s win was dominance on the glass. The Panthers grabbed 24 offensive rebounds as a team.

Maddie Gesky, who also led the team with 13 points, had 20 rebounds in the game, 12 of which were offensive rebounds. Emily Horath had eight offensive rebounds out of her 11 boards.

Gesky’s rebounding impact was something that Stritar said was a focus heading into the game.

“We talked about not just going over people’s backs, but moving to a position, running around and getting in the right spot,” Stritar said. “She was reading the ball really well tonight. Her height and her tenacity, the way she gets after it, helps give us multiple shots.”

The Panthers had four players score in double figures Thursday. Behind Gesky’s 13 points and Prindeville’s 12, Horath Alyssa Singleton had 10 points apiece.

Stritar said that the Panthers’ balanced scoring attack has been great throughout the season, giving them multiple ways of hurting their opponents.

“It’s fantastic for our team, because if we’re getting shots on the inside, shots from the outside, attacking the rim, we’ve got anyone that can step up and score,” she said. “If somebody is having an off night, we have another person to go to. It’s making us really hard to guard.”

For Herscher, Manteno’s defense, rebounding and balanced scoring were tough enough to overcome at full strength. Then the Tigers unfortunately lost a couple key pieces to injury throughout the game, which certainly did not help matters.

Other players had to step up for the Tigers, with sophomore Leia Haubner in particular making an impact off the bench. She finished with six points, tied for the second-most on the team, and grabbed three steals.

As the lone sophomore on the varsity roster, Haubner has been splitting time between varsity and JV, with her varsity role growing throughout the season. If the Tigers remain shorthanded going forward, McElroy said her role will get even bigger.

“Players coming off the bench like Leia Haubner brought a ton of energy and scoring,” he said. “She’s had a really progressive role where every game she’s played a little more… Seeing that we had two starters go down with what looked like ankle injuries, and I’m thinking about them more than anything, we’re going to need her more than ever.”

STAT BOOK

Manteno was led by Gesky, who posted a big double-double with 13 points and 20 rebounds, 12 of which were offensive rebounds. Prindeville had 12 points while Singleton and Horath had 10 points apiece. Horath also grabbed 13 rebounds.

For Herscher, Hackley led the way with 13 points. Haubner and RyLyn Adams both scored six points while Audrey Hoffman added five points.

UP NEXT

Manteno has a tough conference test on the road against Coal City Monday, the same day Herscher will look to get back on track at home against ICE foe Peotone. Both games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

https://daily-journal.com/sports/girls-basketball-manteno-remains-unbeaten-after-sinking-herscher-with-late-surge/article_ce8fbff6-cf11-11ef-a2ae-6fe16934e111.html