5 Takeaways: Montini vs. Normal Community

Montini doesn't play like it's nickname. A bronco is a 'wild' or 'half-tamed' horse but these Broncos are fully equipped to make another Redbird Arena run. That was evident after the Broncos withstood Normal Community's biggest blow early on en route to a 62-31 rout over the Lady Iron. This was the second game of a home-and-home after the Broncos rallied late to beat Normal Community in Lombard last season. Here are five takeaways from Saturday's game, which was littered with college prospects. <h2><strong>Game Thread</strong></h2> https://x.com/Sports_Aaron/status/1091799626326392833 <h2><strong>1. Montini dissects the zone</strong></h2> From the opening tip to the closing horn, the Broncos moved the ball with ease and passed up good shots for great shots. Their ball movement netted 19 assists on 24 baskets. The Broncos were 24-for-48 from the floor and 13-for-27 from 3-point range. <strong>Tatiana Thomas (2022)</strong> had good size at 5-foot-11 to work the free throw line in the middle of the zone. She dished out five assists, four of which came in the first half. The perimeter passing across the court was solid as well. <strong>Sophie Sullivan (2022)</strong> and <strong>Zoe Zacker (2019)</strong> accounted for eight assists in the game, five were in the second quarter. In the brief moments in the third quarter that Normal Community switched to a fullcourt press, Montini's press breaker handled it with ease. <h2><strong>2. Normal Community can build on its first quarter</strong></h2> Normal Community's first quarter was a strong showing. The Lady Iron went 5-for-8 from the field in the first quarter with Illinois State recruit <strong>Maya Wong (2020)</strong> scoring eight of her team-high 11 points in the period. Evansville recruit <strong>Abby Feit (2019)</strong> scored five of her eight points in the first. The hi-low action working Feit and <strong>Mallory Oloffson (2021)</strong> created space for the guards on the perimeter, particularly Wong. A key point was Oloffson looked more aggressive than I've seen this season, demanding the ball in the high post and trying to move it. From that, she can set Feit up moving towards the basket or kick out to sharpshooters like Wong or Alabama-Birmingham recruit <strong>Kylee Schneringer (2020)</strong>. <h2><strong>3. Montini made more adjustments</strong></h2> Recognizing what the Lady Iron were doing, Montini began working harder on the defensive end. The guards at the top of the 2-3 zone would collapse down to deny the entry pass into the high post and picked up the ball pressure extending deeper to the guards. This took Normal Community out of its offense, created six steals in the final three quarters (three in the second quarter). <h2><strong>4. Trust in your stars</strong></h2> The Lady Iron pushed Montini to the brink last year, blowing an 18-point lead to eventually lose. The talent isn't in question but getting them looks for a full 32 minutes is. The second half has been the achilles heel in contests I've seen this season. The division-I trio accounted for 77 percent of Normal Community's points (24 of 31). In the first half, the trio shot a combined 6-for-16 but their shot attempts were sliced in half in the second half to just 2-for-8 shooting. One element is to get better movement, off the ball and moving the ball to shift the zone. Allow guards <strong>Karleigh Creasey (2022)</strong>, <strong>Katie Broad (2019)</strong> and <strong>Madison Feeney (2021)</strong> to handle possession while working screens off the ball. They've proven capable to impact the offensive flow for the better. <h2><strong>5. Broncos rotation losses little steam</strong></h2> As Montini extended into its bench, it was clear that they weren't losing much in talent. It helps that three freshmen start and there's experience with upperclassmen stepping in. Most notably, the energy level never drops off, which is exactly the way it should be when going into one's bench. Southern Illinois recruit <strong>Sydney Prochaska (2020)</strong> struggled with her shot early on but made both shots and had two assists in the fourth quarter. <strong>Alena Anderson (2020)</strong> was perfect from the field, going 3-for-3 all on 3-point attempts. Forward <strong>Taris Thornton (2021)</strong> provided good minutes in the post defensively. <h2><strong>Lines of the night</strong></h2> <em>Montini</em> <strong>Tatiana Thomas (2022, F, 5-11)</strong> - 5 points (2-3/0-0/1-3); 10 rebounds, 5 assists <strong>Sophie Sullivan (2022, G, 5-7)</strong> - 15 points (6-12/3-8/0-0); 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 rebounds <strong>Angelina Giordano (2022, G, 5-6)</strong> - 11 points (4-7/3-5/0-0); 2 assists, 2 rebounds <strong>Francesca Kokkines (2019, G, 5-10)</strong> - 6 points (3-7/0-0/0-0); 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals <em>Normal Community</em> <strong>Maya Wong (2020, G, 5-8)</strong> - 11 points (4-7/3-4/0-0); 3 rebounds, 1 steal <strong>Abby Feit (2019, F, 6-1)</strong> - 8 points (3-10/0-0/2-3); 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block <strong>Kylee Schneringer (2020, G, 5-11)</strong> - 5 points (2-6/1-4/0-0); 2 blocks, 1 assist, 1 rebound