Valparaiso recruit Allia von Schlegell, sizzling-shooting Nazareth blow out Montini at Coach Kipp Hoopsfest

LISLE – Allia von Schlegell considers herself a streaky shooter, but her Nazareth teammate Stella Sakalas would beg to differ.

“I’d argue that Allia is not streaky. She’s just a great shooter,” Sakalas said. “Every time I play with her, she makes shots. I feel good when she takes shots.”

Hard to argue that point, based off Monday’s sample.

von Schlegell, a senior guard and Valparaiso recruit, made six of her seven 3-point attempts and scored a game-high 24 points.

Nazareth as a team shot a scorching 61% from the floor, and the 3-point line, in blowing out Montini 67-33 at the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest at Benet.

Sakalas added 19 points, five rebounds and five assists, Sophia Towne 11 points and 10 assists and Lyla Shelton nine points for Nazareth (19-2), which led 25-5 after a quarter and 42-13 at halftime, then opened the third quarter on a 14-0 run to lead by as many as 45 points.

Unheard of for Montini (14-8), which was led by Missouri recruit Nikki Kerstein’s 12 points – seven in the fourth quarter – to be on the business end of that kind of beating.

“They controlled the tempo of that game, and they shot lights out,” Montini coach Shannon Spanos said. “Credit to them, they’re a very good shooting team. I felt our kids lacked a little communication on defense, but that’s a very good team.”

Nazareth indeed shot 11-for-18 from the 3-point line, and von Schlegell was the ringleader.

She made her first three shots, nine of 10 total for the game, and the floodgates for her – and the Roadrunners as a whole – opened up early.

“I work on my shooting a lot, I definitely feel like it’s a big part of my game, especially because of my height, that is my disadvantage,” von Schlegell said. “I have to try other ways to score outside of driving, because all the girls are taller than me. I’d say my shooting is something I’ve improved on.”

Von Schlegell transferred from St. Viator last year, and played a little on Nazareth’s Class 4A runner-up team.

She’s come on running the show for this Roadrunners vintage this year, and was the MVP of the Christmas tournament at Sandburg.

“She knew last year would be a learning curve – she’s a senior, but she’s kind of inexperienced – but boy is she talented," Nazareth coach Eddie Stritzel said. “She’s quick as lightning, it’s hard to press her, and she can stroke it.”

Nazareth has a wealth of girls who can, and the perfect girl in the middle of it all in the 6-foot-1 junior Sakalas.

Sakalas herself can shoot it – she shot 9-for-11 Monday, mostly on jumpers in the lane – but she’s also a skilled passer and kept the ball moving around Montini’s zone.

“My teammates do such a good job of getting the ball in; it’s so hard to guard when the ball goes in and out,” Sakalas said. “We do a great job of getting the ball into the post and an even better job of going out. And we have such good shooters. Anybody on the team can drill it.”

Indeed, Towne, a sophomore, hit three 3-pointers Monday and Shelton, a junior, hit two.

“Certain games teams scout Stella wel,l and they’re probably looking for her to take over and they’re not looking for the shooters,” von Schlegell said. “Sophia, Lyla, me, we all got shots up because they were collapsing on Stella and she did a good job of kicking out.”

Nazareth, with four new starters this year, has lost just one game since the first week of the season, to No. 1-ranked Benet, and gets a rematch with the Redwings Jan. 29 in Lisle.

“We’re 19-2, and we’re so under the radar. Nobody knows about us,” Stritzel said. “We’re a unique team. We’re young, and the first half of the season was getting them game experience. But I’m a firm believer that if you’re good, you’ll figure it out. That’s where we’re at.

“We’re a tough matchup because we can score in different positions. I’ve been at them pretty hard that our defense isn’t as good as last year, but they’re starting to get it on both sides.

“We’re a dangerous team, and our future is really bright.”

Spanos likewise believes her group is in a good place, but needs to learn from Monday’s result. Montini shot 30% itself and was outrebounded 26-15.

“We have to flush that game, it wasn’t our best effort, but that game needs to burn a little,” Spanos said. “The way that team plays together, we should take a piece of that.”