Boys Basketball: Montini’s underdog run ends as Lutheran pulls away in second half

JOHNSBURG — Before the start of the second quarter of Wednesday night’s Class 2A Johnsburg Sectional semifinal between top-seeded Rockford Lutheran and seventh-seeded Montini, Lutheran senior guard Blake Broege was recognized at midcourt for having scored his 1,000th career point in the first quarter.

His teammates ended up having a grand time, too.

The Crusaders — behind senior guard Walt Hill Jr.’s game-high 30 points — defeated the upstart Broncos 65-46 to advance to the sectional championship versus fourth-seeded Aurora Christian (22-12) at 7 p.m. Friday.

Montini entered the game with a 7-22 mark after topping its first three playoff foes by a combined seven points.

“We had a rough year,” said Montini coach Adam DeMong, whose second-leading scorer, 6-foot-4 junior Tyler Pavlik, sat out the game with a stress fracture in his foot. “But we never quit. Our seniors decided about two weeks ago, ‘We’re going to do it, going to put it together in the playoffs.’

“And the team did just that by doing the little things, like hustle plays and offensive rebounds at key moments.”

Rockford Lutheran (25-9) catapulted to an 11-2 lead, capped by a steal-and-thunderous-dunk sequence from 6-5 junior Vontez Dent (18 points, 12 rebounds) at the 5:36 mark of the first quarter.

Lutheran coach Tom Guse’s club led 24-12 after eight minutes.

Montini struck for the first five points of the second frame on a basket by sophomore guard Jack Barrett and a trey by junior guard Danny Petersen (seven points). Petersen hit another 3-pointer two minutes later, and Montini trailed 29-25.

Broncos senior guard Joe Spaccapaniccia (five points) drained a triple — the final three points of the first half — and the Broncos trailed 34-28 at the break.

“We cared so much,” Montini senior guard Christian Clarke (eight points) said of what lifted the team in its memorable “second” season. “We kept fighting.

“Our last three games, before tonight, together they formed the highlight of our season, without a doubt.”

Lutheran tallied the first six points of the third quarter and the first 10 points of the final quarter, the latter run giving the Crusaders a 56-38 advantage with 3:41 left.

“Their ball movement and shiftiness impressed me,” Clarke said.

Hill used bursts in the lane to amass most of his 30 points. He scored 10 in the first quarter, three in the second, nine in the third and eight in the fourth.

“Lutheran is a very good team because it can score easily,” DeMong said.

Broege poured in all 10 of his points in the first half and played a steady floor game, as well as feisty defense, for the victors.

Eight Montini players netted at least two points in the first half, paced by Petersen’s six. Junior guard Maddox Shepherd finished with a team-high 10, and senior guard Sam Ruddy and sophomore guard Max Bell tossed in five points apiece.

Broncos senior forward John Disimone came down with a team-best five rebounds, one more than junior forward Nicholas Lombardi’s total.

Rockford Lutheran senior forward Kyng Hughes scored six points — all in the final stanza — and grabbed 12 rebounds.