Morton College's women's basketball team is playing in the NJCAA national tournament this week after celebrating its regional championship. Photo courtesy of Morton College
Area Sports Roundup | Nazareth grads Martinucci, Evans have unfinished business at NJCAA National Tourney
By Jeff Vorva
Staff writer
The Martinucci family carries a lot of weight in the Berwyn-Cicero area.
Tony Martinucci has coached boys basketball at Morton High School for 24 years, racking up five regional titles and a trio of conference crowns during his tenure.
His daughter, Jovanna, is hoping to do something even more spectacular: Win a national championship.
Jovann Martinucci played on Nazareth’s Class 3A girls basketball state runner-up team in 2018 and Morton College’s National Junior College Athletic Association Division II runner-up team in 2021-22. She is aiming to break through and help the Panthers win it all this year.
Morton (31-0) drew the top seed at the 16-team NJCAA National Tournament that begins Tuesday, March 21 and is scheduled to run through Saturday, March 25 in Port Huron, Michigan. The Panthers first-round opponent will be United Tribes.
Martinucci, who played at Queen of Peace before transferring to Nazareth, is a lifelong Berwyn resident.
“It’s been fun knowing this is the community I grew up in,” Martinucci stated in a news release. “We’ve never really been known for women’s basketball. Now that it’s happening, it’s really exciting.”
Heading into the national tournament, the Panthers were No. 1 in the nation in 3-pointers made with 420; second in both defensive scoring average at 43.9 points per game; and assists with 22.7 per game; No. 3 in scoring average at 90.9 points per game and eighth in steals with 16.2 per game.
Morton’s Mia Simpson was ranked first in the nation with a 73.9 field goal percentage and Claire Hyde was first in 3-pointers made with 126. Simpson was second in the nation with 128 steals.
Martinucci was fourth in the country with a 4.6 assist-to-turnover ratio, while Jalyssa Carrasco and Kaylen Evans, the latter who is a Nazareth graduate, were tied for fourth in the nation in 3-pointers made with 98.
National Tournament director Tony Tompkins said during the NJCAA’s Selection Show that Morton earned the top spot for their overall body of work.
“They’re very, very talented,” Tompkins said.
Trolls shock Cougars
A streak that started before the pandemic finally came to an end.
Saint Xavier’s men’s volleyball team had its 34-match winning streak in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference broken by neighboring Trinity Christian, which pulled off a 17-25, 25-18, 15-25, 26-24, 15-13 upset over the Cougars in Palos Heights.
Trinity, which improved to 15-7 overall and 6-4 in the league with the win, was led by former Richards’ star Alex Costa’s 18 kills and six aces. Chris Dargan added 12 kills and five blocks for the trolls.
Saint Xavier, ranked 11th in the nation in the most recent NAIA coach’s poll, fell to 15-4 overall and 8-1 in the CCAC. The Cougars’ last conference loss had been on Feb. 18, 2020, to Cardinal Stritch.
Oskar Krzyzak led the Cougars with 25 kills, the fourth most kills in a match in Cougars’ history.
Halim competes in West Asia Baseball Cup
Oak Lawn and Moraine Valley Community College alum Yunis Halim competed for Team Palestine at the West Asia Baseball Cup in January.
Halim was named as the best pitcher in the tournament and went 9-for-9 at the place.
Halim played with the Cyclones from 2015-2017 and went on to pitch for Chicago State.
Hall of famer
Evergreen Park softball coach Michelle Vucsko was inducted to the Lewis University Athletic Hall of Fame.
The Marist graduate hit .356 in four seasons with the Flyers, with 22 homers and 157 RBI in 209 games.
2 Comments
Local News
Crime images spark outrage in Gage Park
Spread the loveRobbed at gunpoint in his own garage By Tim Hadac Home-security camera images of a 48-year-old Gage Park man being robbed at gunpoint in his own garage outraged a number of Southwest Siders this week. Images showed the man driving his car down the alley in the 5500 block of South Richmond at…
Here’s the skinny: Trimmed-down Lawrence helps Oak Lawn top Evergreen
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Oak Lawn senior basketball player Davion Lawrence is 45 pounds lighter than he was last season, but insists his eating habits are the same. He has, however, changed up his training habits. Heading into football last fall, Lawrence and a few fellow seniors wanted to get in the…
College Report: McAuley grad Swiatek plays hero for St. Francis
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Hannah Swiatek comes off the bench for the University of St. Francis and is averaging 3.1 points per game. But when called on for the biggest shot of her college career, the 5-foot-8 junior guard from Oak Lawn delivered. Swiatek scored the winning basket in a wild 99-97…
Evans, Adams lead Argo past Shepard on Alumni Night
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Corrspondent Argo’s Davonte Evans and Will Adams both knew it was just a matter of time before the Argonauts would find a way to beat Shepard. That time came in the third quarter of a South Suburban Red matchup, when Argo outscored Shepard en rout to a 61-52 on Jan.…
Cruz booted from SD 229 school board in Oak Lawn
Spread the loveBy Dermot Connolly There is a vacancy on the Oak Lawn Community High School District 229 School Board, after members voted 6-1 last week to remove Robert Cruz for allegedly violating his oath of office, school board policy and state statutes. Cruz, a property developer, was elected to the District 229 board in…
Tax exemptions will be automatic, Kaegi says
Spread the loveFrom staff reports In response to the ongoing pandemic, the Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s office will continue the automatic renewal of the Senior Freeze, Veterans with Disabilities and Persons with Disabilities Exemptions. The Homeowner and Senior Exemptions will continue to auto-renew every year. If a homeowner received any of these five exemptions…
Oak Lawn officials rip governor, legislators over crime
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Two Oak Lawn officials are calling for Gov. J.B. Pritzker and local legislators to re-evaluate a police reform law that they say has resulted in a rise in crime. Trustee Alex Olejniczak (2nd) served as mayor pro-tem during the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting Tuesday night in place of Mayor Terry Vorderer,…
Neighbors
Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions
By JERRY NOWICKI HANNAH MEISEL & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House moved quickly Wednesday to push through a change to state election laws that partially limits ballot access and adds three nonbinding referendums to the 2024 general election ballot. It’s a move that caused minority party…
After 3 years, state poised to enforce law aiming to end lending discrimination
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In 1977, then-President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law that sought to wipe away the last vestiges of racial discrimination and redlining in America’s home mortgage industry. The idea was simple. By requiring lenders – primarily banks – to make…
Capitol News Illinois partners with ‘Illinois Lawmakers’ program to bring it back to air
Capitol News Illinois announced today it will produce the long-running “Illinois Lawmakers” program this spring, in partnership with longtime host and producer Jak Tichenor. “This new partnership is absolutely critical to providing Illinois residents with reliable, independent, in-depth, up to date coverage from the Illinois Capitol after many newspapers and broadcasters shuttered their Statehouse bureaus over…
Election officials to weigh whether Darren Bailey and GOP operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated
By ANDREW ADAMS & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A year and a half after Republican Darren Bailey lost his campaign to challenge Gov. JB Pritzker, state election officials are weighing whether he illegally colluded with conservative radio show host and political operative Dan Proft in the 2022 campaign. The State Board…
Immigrant advocates tout new report showing benefits of state-funded health plans
By PETER HANCOCK and JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Immigrant rights advocates on Friday continued to push for one of their top budget priorities: full funding for state-run health care programs that benefit noncitizens, regardless of their immigration status. Those programs offer health coverage for low-income individuals who would otherwise qualify for…
As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois. The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to…
Capitol Briefs: State unveils report on racial disparities among homeless populations
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Tackling homelessness requires addressing racial injustice, according to a new report commissioned by the state’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. The report found that Black people are eight times more likely to experience homelessness than white people. Remedying this disparity, according to the report, would require “long-term…
Flooding is Illinois’ Most Threatening Natural Disaster. Are We Prepared?
by Meredith Newman, Illinois Answers Project April 16, 2024 This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project. The electricity in Mary Buchanan’s home in West Garfield Park was not working – again. The outage lasted four days, starting just after a crew dug up her front lawn to install a check valve in…
Bears pitch $3.2B stadium plan, but Pritzker still ‘skeptical’ despite team’s $2B pledge
By DILPREET RAJU & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Chicago Bears laid out a $3.2 billion plan for a new domed stadium on Chicago’s lakefront on Wednesday afternoon, painting pictures of future Super Bowls and other major public events while pinning their hopes on yet-to-be-had conversations with the governor and lawmakers. The Bears…
Regulators weigh future of gas industry in Illinois, while clamping down on Chicago utility
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Natural gas is fueling a fight between consumer advocates, a powerful utility company and the state. Amid competing advertising campaigns, accusations of mismanagement and state decarbonization efforts, the Illinois Commerce Commission is starting a process that will shape how the state regulates the increasingly controversial industry. …
[…] Source […]
[…] Source […]