Ceiling is high for Nazareth with retooled roster

Nazareth found itself in an unfamiliar position after it lost in the IHSA Class 4A state finals last season to Loyola. The Roadrunners were a quarter away from winning three straight state championships but ultimately fell short.

Unlike previous years — when they returned the majority of their starting lineup — the Roadrunners graduated four starters from that team. They entered this season with a much younger team that’s still trying to find the right chemistry on the court with each other. The team’s arrow is pointing up after Wednesday’s dominant 65-34 win over Riverside Brookfield (2-6).

“We’re young, but our ceiling is so incredibly high,” coach Ed Stritzel said. “We have multiple kids that could score. We’re going to be really dangerous by the time March comes.”

At 6-1, junior forward Stella Sakalas has the coordination to handle the ball and go coast-to-coast, the strength to score in the post and can knock down threes consistently. Her versatility was on display during her 20-point, 13-rebound performance. She credited her time playing AAU basketball for her diverse skills.

There aren’t many forwards like Sakalas in the area. She’s comfortable making plays for her teammates and finishing through contact in the paint. Her multifaceted game is a massive boost to the Roadrunners’ attack.

“AAU can get so much faster [than high school],” Sakalas said. “It’s fun incorporating an AAU style into the high school game; getting out and taking [the ball] and getting by everyone. That’s something we really emphasize in practice. And we’ve all started playing that way on the team much more. [Everyone] is just taking the ball and getting to the basket.”

Getting Sakalas to deliver consistently is necessary for Nazareth (8-1) to be successful, and so far this season, she has delivered emphatically. Still, the Roadrunners also need their younger players to step up and become more comfortable in their more prominent roles.

One player who has stepped up is senior guard Allia von Schlegell. The Valparaiso commit is quick with the ball in her hands. She can blow by her defender without a ball screen. Her ability to get to the paint creates easy scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates.

Von Schlegell, who scored eight points, is one of the players who had to wait her turn last season. But now she’s making the most of her starting opportunity. Her success comes from her comfort with her teammates; von Schlegell transferred to Nazareth last season and was acclimating to her team and the Roadrunners’ system.

“Last year, I was getting to know [Nazareth] and how we played,” she said. “But I felt ready coming into the starting role and knew what to focus on. Last year, I understood the players I would be playing with better.”

In addition to von Schlegell and Sakalas, Nazareth also received contributions from sophomore guard Sophia Towne (nine points), and junior guard Lyla Shelton (10 points).

One benefit of playing in the state championship in five of the last six years is that the program knows what it takes to return. And thanks to a loaded schedule, the young Roadrunners will be battle-tested come March. The experience will be beneficial for this year and next, considering they will lose only two seniors to graduation.

“Everybody out there wants to be in that state championship and play in that game, but not everyone’s willing to put in the work to get there,” Sakalas said. “We have a team that is capable of doing that.”