Montini claims 3A state title behind Nikki Kerstein’s 21

NORMAL – This was a special group of seniors for Montini.

They leave as state champions.

Nikki Kerstein scored a game-high 21 points, including five in the final 1:17, as the banged-up Broncos outlasted St. Ignatius 50-44 in the Class 3A state championship game on Saturday evening at CEFCU Arena in Normal.

It’s Montini’s first state title (27-10) since capping an amazing five-year stretch with its fourth Class 3A state championship in 2014. The Broncos have been back to the title game twice since then, the other being in Class 4A in 2018. Last year, they placed third in 3A.

This year they completed their journey for their six seniors.

“We wanted that opportunity to come here again,” Kerstein said. “After last season, we worked really hard to get here and it truly is the best feeling in the world.”

Kerstein, who added five rebounds, five steals and two assists in the title game, transferred from Deerfield before her junior year. She immediately meshed with her teammates, as the other five seniors had been on the team since their freshman year.

“They were a close-knit group when I got here,” Kerstein said. “But I was able to fit right in. We really are all best friends.”

Those best friends will always remember this one, especially Natalie Gartlan, who went out with a right knee injury late in the first quarter after opening the game by hitting all three of her shots and scoring seven points. She returned in the second quarter, but her knee buckled with 6:08 left in the half. Having had a previous ACL issue her sophomore season, it’s feared she tore it again.

“It was really tough, honestly,” Gartlan said. “But looking at our team, we were on a high and I knew we could do it. My role was just a little different and I had to cheer.”

A jumper by Gartlan in the paint gave the Broncos an 11-9 lead with 2:14 left in the first quarter. They led 15-12 after a quarter and 25-18 at halftime.

Payton Farrell (12 points, 4 rebounds) and fellow senior Lily Spanos, played all 32 minutes and scored five straight points in the third quarter to give Montini its largest lead at 32-22. But back came the Wolfpack with an 8-0 run in just over a minute to make it 32-30.

Kerstein, who was 12 of 13 from the line, swished a trio of free throws with no time left in the third quarter for a 40-34 lead.

However, St. Ignatius (32-5), which was making its first state finals appearance, took its first lead since midway through the first quarter at 42-41 on a basket by senior Reganne Reardon with 3:07 to play.

Reardon finished with 20 points and nine boards. Isabella Keberlein had eight points and four rebounds and fellow junior Gabby Hinton added seven points for the Wolfpack.

The Broncos were limited to one point in the opening six minutes of the fourth quarter. But senior Audrey Kinney drove the right baseline and scored on a layup with 1:57 remaining to give Montini the lead for good at 43-42.

“I saw the lane open,” Kinney said. “I just knew I had to get it for the team.”

With the Broncos clinging to a 45-42 lead, sophomore Sophie Maquet stood in and took a big charge with 47 seconds to play. Kerstein and Farrell then combined to go 5 of 6 from the line in the last 44.5 seconds and Montini was once again a state champion.

Lauren Mellish is also a senior for the Broncos, who lost 57-48 to St. Ignatius in a GCAC game on January 14.

“We know St. Ignatius so well and knew it would be a tough game,” Montini coach Shannon Spanos said. “They battled, we battled. But this is who this team is. We stayed together and proved ourselves.

“These six seniors, it’s just a special group. They were my first class when I took over as coach. They stuck together and I’m so proud of them.”