Nazareth peaking at the right time, advance to IHSA Class 4A state championship

NORMAL, Ill. — Friday’s IHSA Class 4A semifinal game was the Stella Sakalas show.

The Nazareth senior forward was dominant from tip-off, scoring the first basket of the game and leaving her imprint on the game throughout in the Roadrunners’ 54-36 win over Belleville East to advance to the 4A state championship.

This will be Nazareth’s fourth straight appearance in the championship game. Coach Ed Stritzel said he had a discussion with Sakalas this morning about ending her Nazareth career at her best. Nazareth (34-3) exploited the Lancer’s lack of size by finding Sakalas in the post or running her off screens for a mid-range jumper. Sakalas scored 30 points on 13-for-17 shooting with five rebounds.

Whether it was her nifty drives to the basket, or knocking down jumpers from the elbow, Sakalas got whatever she wanted against the Lancers. At 6-0, Sakalas has the handle to blow past opposing forward and the height advantage to score over guards in the paint.

“I knew she'd step up and just have a monster game for us,” Stritzel said. “We wanted to get her some quicker shots.”

Nazareth wanted to score quickly to avoid having long, drawn-out possessions, which benefited the Lancers. That Sakalas was able to score so efficiently speaks to both her scoring prowess and her team's ability to find her in the right spots.

“I felt very comfortable out of the court, and even more comfortable with this set of girls,” Sakalas said. “So I think our ability to rebound and push the ball up the court really helped us today.”

Nazareth led by as many as 22 points and spent only 20 seconds without the lead. They scored 38 points in the paint. They held a 33-21 halftime lead but opened up the game in the third quarter, when the Roadrunners allowed just three points.

The Roadrunners’ zone defense is tough for opposing teams to score against. Nazareth is disciplined but opportunistic. The Roadrunners are so secure in the defensive scheme that they know the exact moment to pounce and jump the passing lanes. With their size and athleticism on the floor with Sakalas, junior forward Sam Austin and freshman forward Mia Gage, the Roadrunners can hound opposing teams. Nazareth turned 19 Lancer turnovers into 15 points.

“We knew which way they [liked to] pass,” said junior point guard Sophia Towne, who scored three points and dished out five assists. “So we [tried] to cut [off] those gaps.”

Gage scored 13 points and recorded three steals and two monster blocks. Austin scored five points, grabbed five rebounds and recorded four assists.

Friday’s win was a dominant wire-to-wire win by the Roadrunners. They played better as the game went on and once they seized control, they left little doubt that they were the best team on the floor on Friday.

“Once the game gets close, we just kind of lock into a ‘We're not losing mentality,’ and we just up the pace on defense because that's what sets up our offense,” Towne said.

With its appearance in the championship game clinched, Nazareth is playing its best basketball of the season. Sakalas, in particular, is finding her rhythm at the most pivotal time of the season.

“Our saying is, ‘Peak in March,’ and it's finally March,” Sakalas said. “We did all the work to get here and to be here, so I think just ending [the season] on a high note. We know what it's like to not end it on a high note [at CEFCU Arena].”