IHSA Class 4A State Finals Preview

Benet Academy makes its return to ISU after missing out on the State tournament the previous two seasons after taking home the title in both 2015 and 2016. Mother McAuley hasn’t been to State since 1997 and Rockton (Hononegah) are making their first appearance in the tournament. Maine West is the favorite, making its second appearance in as many years after settling for a third-place finish last season. The Warriors boast a 33-0 record with only a small handful of games being relatively close. Saint Louis University commit Rachel Kent and Junior Angela Dugalic, who will choose between several high Power 5 schools, are seasoned veterans and look to lead the team to the title this year.   Schedule and Information At Redbird Arena, Normal Ill. Friday’s semifinals Benet Academy vs. Mother McAuley, 5:30 p.m. Maine West vs. Hononegah, 7:15 p.m.   Championship Saturday Third-place game, 5:30 p.m. Championship game, (approximately) 7:15 p.m.   <pre>Tickets: $10 general admission TV: <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/content/ihsa">NBC Sports Chicago</a> Stream: <a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/tournament/illinois-winter-championships/girls-basketball-il">NFHS Network </a> Broadcast team: Dave Bernhard, Patricia Babcock-McGraw, Kate Constable</pre>   Teams Benet Academy (28-5) Projected starters 3 Brooke Schramek (2020, F, 6-1) – 9.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, shooting 51.1/30.2/68.6 21 Clara Prasse (2019, G, 5-8) – 6.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.6 apg, shooting 43.9/42.6/72.6 23 Lauren Stack (2019, F, 6-2) – 5.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1 apg, shooting 41.5/27.7/71.7 31 Ashley Konkle (2019, C, 6-2) – 7.1.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, shooting 50/16.7/64.9 35 Kendall Holmes (2020, G, 5-11) – 11.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, .97 apg, shooting 48.6/40.5/80.1   Joe Kilbride is 151-20 (.883) in his 5th season as the Redwings coach. This is the program’s fourth state finals appearance and their third in the past five years, with State Championships in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Benet quite possibly had the toughest schedule in the state this year and defeated Simeon, Whitney Young, and Montini in seven days to win their Sectional. The Redwings are loaded with Division 1 talent, including three starters committed to schools at the highest level. Brooke Schramek (2020) is committed to Wisconsin, Ashley Konkle (2019) to Western Michigan, and Lauren Stack (2019) to American University. Key to watch: Containing Mother McAuley Guard Jenna Badali. Badali erupted for 34 points in her teams’ Super-Sectional victory over Rock Island and could see a number of defenders throughout the game. Benet PG Clara Prasse may get the nod to start the game, but look for Coach Kilbride to mix things up to not let Badali get comfortable.   Mother McAuley (33-2) Projected starters 5 Nikki Murphy (2019, G, 5-6) – 2.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.1 apg, shooting 37.5/19.4/47.4 10 Jenna Badali (2020, G, 5-6) – 15.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, shooting 41.8/34.5/75.7 15 Grace Hynes (2019, F, 5-9) – 13.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, shooting 44.9/33.3/80.0 33 Lauren Ramsey (2019, F, 5-10) – 9.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, shooting 40.1/30.0/68.8 44 Hannah Swiatek (2019, G, 5-7) – 4.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, shooting 37.4/25.5/50.0   Ashley Luke Clanton is in her seventh season coaching McAuley, who is making their first trip to the state tournament since 1997. McAuley is undefeated this season against teams not named Montini, who they lost two games to by a combined 12 points. The Mighty Macs defeated Benet in their first match up back in early December 60-40. Key to watch: Jenna Badali and Grace Hynes combine to average nearly 30 PPG for a McAuley team that doesn’t play a very deep rotation. In the Super-Sectional against Rock Island, the two combined for 54 of the teams 66 points, with Badali scoring 34 and Hynes adding 20. The two have been rock-solid all year, but they are going to need a helping hand or two against a very talented and deep Benet team.   Maine West (33-0) Projected starters 15 Rachel Kent (2019, F, 5-11) – 14.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, shooting 49.1/41.2/75.2 23 Dylan Van Fleet (2020, G, 5-8) – 11.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, shooting 43.1/16.9/65.6 24 Vanessa Reyes (2019, F, 5-9) – 6.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.4 apg, shooting 35.9/43.5/68.4 30 Lena Albo (2020, G, 5-8) – 4.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, shooting 34.4/23.7/5-9 32 Angela Dugalic (2020, F, 6-4) – 13.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, shooting 44.6/22.4/70.9   Kim deMarigny is in her third year coaching the Warriors and boasts an impressive 94-5 (.949) record. Maine West look to improve on last years 3rd place finish at State after a loss to eventual Champion Geneva. Their undefeated record has them coming in at the 9th best team in the nation according to Max Preps. Key to watch: For Maine West to claim a State Title this year, they need to play their own game and not let the stress of a perfect season get to them. They have the talent and depth to beat anybody, they just need to come out like the previous 33 games this season and take care of business.   Hononegah (32-4) Projected starters 1 Julia Burns (2020, G, 5-6) – 5.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 6.6 apg, shooting 36.9/25.9/77.1 12 Hannah Malcomson (2019, G, 5-7) – 9.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.9 apg, shooting 41.3/28.6/85.0 22 Cali Schmitz (2019, F, 6-0) – 8.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, shooting 41.6/25.5/69.0 23 Jordan King (2019, G, 5-11) – 21.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, shooting 43.5/31.3/67.2 24 Alison Murdoch (2021, F, 6-0) – 6.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .94 apg, shooting 57.1/40.7/71.4   Randy Weibel is in his 20th season coaching the Lady Indians (496-151, .766) who are making their first trip to the State Tournament. Hononegah is led by Marquette-bound Jordan King, who is widely considered as one of the best players in the state. Hononegah fell to Maine West earlier this year 62-39. Keys to watch: Jordan King is as talented as they come, but she is going to need help against the number nine team in the country, according to maxpreps.com. Upperclassmen leaders like Hannah Malcomson and Julia Burns will have their handful with the Maine West back court, but getting stops on defense and creating turnovers could lead to a Hononegah upset.   Predictions Benet Academy vs. Mother McAuley McAuley beat Benet by 20 points the first time these teams played this season, and I don’t expect that to be the case here. Benet has beat some of the top teams in the state to get here and is as deep and talented as anyone. If they can limit Badali and Hynes, they will advance to the championship game. For McAuley, they will need to pressure the Benet ball-handlers and score points in transition to offset Benet’s size in the half-court offense. Prediction: Benet 60, McAuley 55   Maine West vs. Hononegah Other than a tough Sectional Championship game against Evanston Twp. (In Evanston), Main West has rolled through the postseason rather easily. Their talent, size, and great coaching has made them a Top 10 team in the country, and they’ve played like it all year. For Hononegah to have success in this match-up, they will need their key players to stay out of foul trouble and find success beyond the arc. Prediction: Maine West 66, Hononegah 50