Game 1: Montini v. Morton

Saturday, March 2

12:00 noon

Montini (34-1)

Starters

Lea Kerstein, Guard, Fr.

Kelly Karlis, Forward, Jr.

Malayna Johnson, Center, Sr.

Sara Ross, Guard, Jr.

Kateri Stone, Guard, Jr.

Top Scorers

Kateri Stone, 11.7 PPG

Malayna Johnson, 8.4 PPG

Kelly Karlis, 7.8 PPG

Top Rebounders

Malayna Johnson, 7.3 RPG

Sara Ross, 4.9 RPG

Kelly Karlis, 4.3 RPG

How They Got Here

Montini overpowered opposing teams in their regional, pulling out an 85-20 win over Crane and a 65-23 win over Rosary.  They went on to top Westinghouse and Glenbard South in their sectional and took a commanding victory 72-41 lead over Phillips in their super-sectional.  A loss to Vernon Hills Friday sent Montini to today’s third-place game.

Key Threat

Malayna Johnson

Johnson didn’t put on a very good showing yesterday, but she has the athleticism and size to do so today.  Hopefully for Montini, she’ll figure it out and play to her full potential.  She can provide a post presence to break Morton’s defense.

X-Factor

Montini needs to relax and take everything slowly.  In Friday’s game against Vernon Hills, the team was shaky and obviously nervous.  If the team can relax, they can play their game and put Morton in an uncomfortable position.

Morton (30-4)

Starters

Kaitlyn Byrne, Guard, Jr.

Chandler Ryan, Guard, Fr.

Emily Schultz, Guard/Forward, Jr.

Abbie Cox, Guard, Jr.

Sarah Livingston, Forward, Sr.

Leading Scorers

Sarah Livingston, 12.6 PPG

Chandler Ryan, 11.2 PPG

Kaitlyn Byrne, 9.8 PPG

Leading Rebounds

Sarah Livingston, 7.8 RPG

Abbie Cox, 5.1 RPG

Kaitlyn Byrne, 4.6 RPG

How They Got Here

Morton pulled out wins against Washington and Normal University to win their regional.  They then pulled out a 44-33 win over Ottawa and a 49-41 win over Limestone to take the sectional title.  They then rolled past McNamara with a 66-40 victory to win their super-sectional.  A loss to Notre Dame Friday put them in today’s third-place game.

Key Threat

Sarah Livingston

None of the Morton players had very good games against Notre Dame, but Livingston led the team in scoring in every playoff game so far.  If she can keep her streak going, she’ll give Morton the offense they need to challenge Montini.

X-Factor

Morton needs to keep Montini from scoring early.  If Montini gets hot early, Morton will have major problems winning the game.  However, a slow start will make Montini even more frustrated and give Morton the advantage.

Photos by Mike Krebs/The Voice