Life is a bit of a whirlwind right now for Manteno two-sport standout Maddie Gesky.
How does she stay on course? By staying consistent.
“It’s a lot,” the junior said of toggling between volleyball and basketball pretty much year-round. “I would say (it’s) getting in a routine and sticking to my routine.
“I get up at the same time every day and I do the same things in the morning to get ready. And then when I get to school I really put my phone away and I get all my work done as much as I can in school to limit the amount of homework I have.”
Then it’s off to practice, sometimes both sports in the same day. And on Saturdays, Gesky is off watching her brother Josh in his final season of playing football at Illinois.
Somehow it all gets done, and at a high level. Gesky and senior forward Emily Horath make up a proven post duo for the Panthers, who pulled away to beat the host Bobcats 50-30 at the Beecher Fall Classic on Nov. 21.
Both finished with double-doubles: Horath with 13 points, 13 rebounds and four steals, and Gesky with 10 points and 16 rebounds. Guard Lila Prindeville also hit double figures with 10 points.
“Me and Emily, we use each other well,” Gesky said. “If one of us is having an off day, the other one’s usually there to pick up the slack.
“And sometimes we like to play tips, sometimes just the backboard and us. But we have a lot of fun. And I love playing with Emily.”
And Manteno coach Bethany Stritar loves having Gesky back as the top player from last year’s Illinois Central Eight champs.
“Her shot’s coming along,” Stritar said. “It looks a lot better, her outside shooting. But she’s still the dominant rebounder that we need and a good defender around the basket.”
Feeding Gesky and Horath is always going to be job one for the Panthers.
“We had trouble finishing (against Beecher),” Stritar said. “But we’re getting the shots we want. Now we’ve just got to put them in the basket.”
Manteno went 2-1 in pool play in the Fall Classic, beating Bradley-Bourbonnais 53-47 and losing 70-45 to TF North, Gesky had 15 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks vs. TF North and contributed 13 points and eight rebounds against Bradley, Horath had 14 points, nine rebounds and five steals vs. Bradley to go along with nine points and eight rebounds in the Bradley win.
After the Beecher win, Stritar said, “What I have learned is we have some things we still need to work on. We’re still kind of rusty coming back from a great season last year. But that doesn’t matter anymore. We’re a new team and we’ve got to put some pieces together.”
Beecher went 1-2 in pool play, edging Bradley 40-37 and losing 61-30 to TF North. Sophomore guard Gianna Bonomo led the Bobcats against Manteno, scoring 13.
With two seniors, no juniors and a bunch of sophomores, Beecher is a young team. One player was hurt and another out of town, so the Bobcats dressed just eight against Manteno. Then, during the game, Makenna Mead was slowed by an ankle injury.
“That kind of changed what we had to do,” Beecher coach Adam Keen said. “We try to be aggressive on defense, and with limited numbers you start getting worn down.”
All things considered, Keen is encouraged about what’s to come.
“I feel like we’re a lot farther along than I thought we’d be at this point,” he said.