Girls basketball: Hope Sebek, Downers Grove North spring upset, end Nazareth’s 34-game winning streak

PALATINE – Downers Grove North senior Hope Sebek didn’t know what to expect after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL in March.

But as she endured months of grueling rehabilitation, the 5-foot-7 guard didn’t lack for motivation.

“I didn’t even know if I was going to come back or not,” Sebek said. “But little by little and taking it day by day, I think was the most important part.

“I saw that benefitted me because I went through a lot of lows and obviously it brought me to highs. I knew my senior season was a big deal for me, so coming back stronger than ever was an important part.”

Sebek is indeed stronger than ever and she’s already had memorable moments, none better than her performance Saturday morning at the Chicagoland Invitational Showcase at Fremd.

Sebek scored a game-high 19 points as the Trojans upset Nazareth 38-28. The stunning result snapped Nazareth’s 34-game winning streak and rates as one of the biggest wins in Downers North’s history.

“It’s up there,” Downers North coach Stephan Bolt said. “Early morning games, you never know, but our kids were ready.

“I think defensively we were awesome. They started make some shots in the second half, but I think defensively the girls really bought in.”

Nazareth (4-1), which won the Class 3A state championship last season and will compete in the Class 4A playoffs this season, had a significant size advantage but it didn’t matter. The Trojans (7-1) were outrebounded 18-4 on the offensive glass, but the Roadrunners shot 11 for 56, including 4 for 25 from 3-point range.

“Coach Bolt is a really good coach,” Nazareth coach Eddie Stritzel said. “He gums everything up.

“He makes you jack it up from the outside and if you’re not shooting well, it’s going to be a struggle. They’ve got really tough kids.”

Sebek is one of them. The Trojans never trailed after freshman Campbell Thulin’s 3-pointer broke a 4-4 tie, and Sebek tallied nine points in the second quarter to give North a 21-9 halftime cushion.

“She’s a great athlete, but she’s a tough-minded kid that wanted to get back on the floor for her senior year,” Bolt said of Sebek. “She just got cleared a week before the season.”

Sebek returned to action just eight months after her surgery. The rehab strengthened her physically and mentally and she didn’t go through it alone, which was also true for Saturday’s action.

“I had a lot of people on my side, so that was very helpful,” Sebek said. “I couldn’t do it without my team. “We practice plays a lot because we were sure what they were going to do. We didn’t think too much about it.”

Sebek wasn’t thinking when she got the ball near midcourt with time running out at the end of the third quarter. She launched a 25-footer which beat the buzzer and also turned the tide back in favor of the Trojans.

Nazareth had been on an 8-0 run and had held the Trojans scoreless for 4:25 until Sebek’s 3 gave North a 30-17 lead.

“I can’t even describe how I was feeling,” Sebek said. “I just kind of chucked it up there and hoped for the best.

“I kind of saw it was going in. It was the best surprise.”

Nazareth held all of Downers North’s other players in check, including senior forward Kaitlyn Parker, who finished with seven points. So Sebek’s production was vital.

“That gave us a little cushion, honestly, a little momentum going into the fourth,” Bolt said of the buzzer-beater. “When Parker gets more attention, some other kids can benefit from that.

“Hope does a great job and I’m just proud of the whole group.”

Nazareth was playing without senior guard Amalia Dray, a Boston College soccer recruit who was playing in a club soccer tournament, but Stritzel said that isn’t an excuse. Freshman Sophia Towne scored all of her team-high eight points in the second half, but the Roadrunners could get no closer than seven points.

“They were the better team today,” Stritzel said. “Every loose ball it seemed like we were almost going to get it. You’ve got to win those 50-50 balls and Downers North got them all.”