Game 35
(12/22/09)
Lombard Montini (Class 3A #1) vs. Freeport (Class 3A #5) (Girl's Basketball)
Sterling Shootout
Montini Catholic was one of the main reasons I decided to take this Tuesday off from work and broadcast the games at the Sterling Shootout. A roster that features four division-one players, including (6'3" Sr.) Michala Johnson that will be playing at UCONN, this was a team I wanted to catch before they made a run to Redbird Arena in the Class 3A postseason.
Joining Johnson as D-1 talent are; Allison Seberger (Illinois State), Courtney Thomas (Marquettee), and Whitney Holloway (Notre Dame). Not too shabby. The Broncos come into this matchup with a (9-1) record, their only loss to Moline a few days earlier by five points. Freeport, the fifth ranked team in Class 3A by the AP has fallen on hard times. The preseason polls are basically, "what have you done for me lately" rankings, not taking into effect what teams have coming back. The Pretzels lost four of their five starters from last year's squad and are also under the guidance of first-year coach Jennifer Slaght.
Between games, I went down and spoke with Montini coach Jason Nichols. He informed me that his starting (6'2" Guard) Allison Seberger left Sterling about an hour prior to this game with the flu. His starters would be; Holloway, Johnson, Thomas, Whitney Adams, and Mallory Sosnovich.
Then proceeded to the scorers table to get the Freeport starters and pronunciations. The Sterling P.A. announcer asked me for the Montini starters and pronunciations, then the Freeport scorekeeper also asked for starters. One of them asked me a question about Montini, can't recall what it was, but I said I was just broadcasting the game and wasn't from Montini. They assumed I was with the team, LOL. Funny thing is, this was the first instance of someone at the shootout thinking I was from Montini. The later time came when talking with a Sterling school employee at the concession stand later in the day.
Montini jumped on the Pretzels from the start, scoring at will. The Broncos took a 28-6 lead after the first quarter. Michala Johnson was unstoppable inside the paint, scoring eight points, while the Notre Dame-bound junior point guard Whitney Holloway added 8 first quarter points for Montini. At halftime, Montini held a 48-16 lead over the Pretzels, who took 2nd place in Class 3A the previous two seasons. Caitlin Greene, the lone starter from last year's team, had 10 first half points for the Pretzels.
Cruise control was set for the second half, with many different players getting in on both sides. Montini didn't lose much off the bench. They have some underclassmen that provided very good minutes. One to look out for is Diamond Thompson (6'4" Freshman). She will be fun to follow the next three years. Nakia Edom, another freshman saw action in the second half, as did Tianna Brown, a 6'0" sophomore.
Montini would prevail, 67-34. Michala Johnson scored 14 points for the Broncos, all in the first half. Whitney Adams added 13 points, and Whitney Holloway pitched in 12 points. Caitlin Greene ended up with 15 points for the Pretzels. Despite the lop-sided score, the turnover margin was almost even. I had Freeport with 13 turnovers, and Montini with 10.
The Quest File Notes
Game 35
Date: 12/22/09
Result: Montini cruises to 67-34 win over Freeport
Miles: 0
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