Sectional Semifinal: Montini vs St. Ignatius
Jacob Wohlwend
In the first Semifinal of the Darien (Hinsdale South) Sectional on Tuesday, the 4<sup>th</sup> seeded St. Ignatius Wolfpack (23-8) take on the top-seeded Montini Lady Broncos (29-4) for the right to play in the Sectional Championship on Thursday. This game is a rematch of a December 21<sup>st</sup> contest in which Montini edged St. Ignatius 44-42.
This game features a terrific combination of veteran stars and underclassmen with unlimited potential, and Tuesday night is a chance for them all to showcase their skills.
For the Wolfpack, Seniors <strong>Molly Gannon</strong> and <strong>Nicolette McDonald</strong> will need to set the tone on both ends to keep up with Montini’s skilled guards and physical post players. Gannon, a 5’6’’ PG, is as skilled as it gets offensively and is lethal anywhere beyond the 3-point line, but keeping Montini’s PG, <strong>Sophie Sullivan</strong>, could be the difference maker.
Down low, McDonald possesses the skills to score in the post and match any opponent’s physicality but securing defensive rebounds and denying any chance of second-chance points from Montini will be key.
The Lady Broncos have been consistently great all year, but what has really impressed is the development of the underclassmen throughout the season. A perfect example of this is Freshman PG Sophie Sullivan. The 5’7’’ Guard came into high school as a very skilled ball handler and superb defender, but her ability to score and shoot the ball has really shown up in the second half of the season.
While Sullivan has shown great maturity for a Freshman and undoubtably played in big games before, I always look for the upperclassmen leadership in the postseason, and you find that for Montini in <strong>Zoe Zacker</strong> and<strong> Frankie Kokkines</strong>. The 5’10’’ Senior Guards have been rock-solid all year for the Lady Broncos and I look for them to continue to be on Tuesday. Zacker is a reliable defender and knock-down shooter from deep, while Kokkines can score at every level and led Montini with 14 points in their Regional Championship victory.
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading
Already a subscriber?
Log in
