By Xavier Sanchez
Correspondent
Nazareth head coach Ed Stritzel has built his Roadrunners into a powerhouse program with a defense-first philosophy that is carrying the reigning Class 3A state champions through another deep postseason run.
Four nights after Nazareth held Kenwood to a season-low 37 points in the Class 4A Mother McAuley Sectional championship game, the Roadrunners defeated Homewood-Flossmoor, 48-32, to win the Hinsdale Central Supersectional and punch their ticket to the state semifinals. The latter win was their 21st consecutive and sent them to the Illinois Final Four for the fifth time in the past six postseasons.
The Roadrunners are scheduled to play Waubonsie Valley at 2 p.m. Friday, March 1 at CEFCU Arena on the Illinois State University campus in Normal.
“We are the definition of a team,” Stritzel said after Nazareth beat Kenwood, 50-37, for the Mother McAuley Sectional title on Feb. 22. “The girls don’t care who is scoring. It is all about defense with us.”
The Broncos, who entered the game 25-8 and were coming off a win over Young in the sectional semifinals, jumped out to a 13-7 lead after one quarter. But the Roadrunners outscored them 43-24 over the remaining 24 minutes.
Kenwood scored only three points in the fourth quarter.
“We have really been starting with this mindset from years back,” said Nazareth sophomore guard Stella Sakalas. “Defense is definitely our calling card.”
The win marked the Roadrunners fifth sectional title. They are seeking their fifth trip to the state finals in the past six postseasons.
Roadrunners senior Amalia Dray scored 11 of her 12 points in the second quarter, including a game-tying three with under five minutes to play in the first half. Nazareth took over and held a 27-24 lead at halftime.
Several Roadrunners credited the strength of schedule that prepared them for high-leverage, competitive games.
“We have been through the wars,” Dray said. “We are experienced enough to let our experience pull us through, which allowed us to grab on to the win.”
Sakalas was red-hot coming out of halftime, scoring nine of the Roadrunners’ 13 third-quarter points, including seven straight at one point. She finished with a game-high 15 points.
“Stella did get hot in the third quarter,” said Nazareth’s Olivia Austin. “That was pivotal. It was close the entire game but Stella came out firing, which helped us a lot.”
Austin scored 14 points and Danielle Scully had nine.
Our team’s comraderie really pushed us in the end,” Austin said. “There was some points where we were down, but we stayed resilient and we played as if it was our last game.”
This win pushed the Roadrunners’ win-streak to 20 games and gave them their third straight 30-win season. Their last loss was a 65-62 overtime loss to IMG Academy (Florida) on Dec. 29.
Nazareth won the 3A state championship in 2023 and its players recognize what is needed to stay competitive and have continued success.
“The way we play together and how offense stems from defense and keeps it going on the offensive end,” Sakalas said. “We can always trust our defense. We just need to put the ball in the basket.
“We play like a family. And anyone who watches can see that.”
