Girls basketball: Montini defense stifles Grayslake Central, earns state trip

RIVER FOREST – Montini shook off a cold shooting night at the Class 3A Concordia University Supersectional against Grayslake Central by hitting the boards and playing terrific defense Monday.

Montini won 44-25 in River Forest despite going 1 for 15 from 3-point range.

Junior Shea Carver said the victory was all about teamwork.

“We all play for each other,” Carver said. “We knew we had to do every little thing we could tonight to get to state. We’ve been waiting for this moment for so long and it just feels unreal. We’ve worked so hard. We’ve put in the effort and we earned it.”

Montini (29-7) moved on to the state semifinals at CEFCU Arena at Illinois State University. The Lady Broncos will play Lincoln at 11:15 a.m. Friday.

Grayslake Central was solid on defense as well but had trouble against the Lady Broncos’ relentless defense.

“We had too many turnovers and they killed us on the offensive glass,” Grayslake Central coach Steve Ikenn said. “We played hard, we executed our game plan and we didn’t give up a lot of points. We held them to 44, but you’ve got to give them credit. They played very good defense.”

Carver was the glue that held Montini together through the first three quarters. She scored nine points and had nine rebounds, two steals and a block in the first 24 minutes as the Lady Broncos built a healthy lead.

“You can always count on Shea,” Montini coach Shannon Spanos said. “And she really stepped up tonight.

“We had to lock in on defense because offensively it just wasn’t our night. That’s the way it goes sometimes and when you’re missing shots, missing open layups, you have to dig your heels in on defense.”

Grayslake Central junior Madison Hoffmann scored a team-high 12 points and kept her team close in the first half.

Hoffmann’s jumper late in the half got the Rams to within five, but Montini turned up the heat in the third quarter.

Montini junior Nicolette Kerstein, who finished with six steals, led the charge as the Lady Broncos opened up a 30-21 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Kerstein (6 of 6 from the free-throw line in the final period) and senior teammate Victoria Matulevicius (game-high 15 points) helped Montini pull away down the stretch.

Freshman Peyton Hoffmann added six points for Grayslake Central, which will return its entire squad next season as it did not have a single senior on the roster this year.

“I told the girls that this is just the beginning,” said Ikenn, whose team finished 27-7. “We’ve just got to go back to the drawing board and figure out what we need to work on.”

Montini has three seniors — Matulevicius, Riley White and Alyssa Epps. Spanos was effusive in her praise for the three after Monday’s win.

“They’ve been here since their freshman year and they’re simply the best,” Spanos said. “It’s great to have that kind of leadership.

“This is exhilarating. It’s an awesome feeling and I’m so happy for all these girls. They had their eyes set on this goal since the beginning of the season and they achieved it.”

Carver, for one, can’t wait for the challenge at state.

“At halftime tonight we got our nerves – and all of our missed shots – out of the way,” she said.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20240226/girls-basketball/defense-keys-montinis-supersectional-win-over-grayslake-central/