Downers Grove North came into the Class 4A Hinsdale Central Sectional final with 30 wins and hadn’t lost since the day after Christmas.
But apart from hitting 10 of 12 free throws, the Trojans couldn’t put anything together offensively against Nazareth.
That put them in an ever-growing club.
Nazareth held Downers North to 26% shooting and forced 22 turnovers en route to a dominant 53-26 win on Feb. 26.
It was the 22nd straight victory for the Roadrunners (32-3), who won their fourth sectional in five seasons.and sixth since 2018.
BYU recruit Stella Sakalas led Nazareth with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, plus five assists and two steals. Freshman Mia Gage had 12 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Also hitting double figures were Lyla Shelton with 11 points and Sophia Towne with 10.
“I’m just so proud of my team and how we worked together,” said Sakalas, who was 5-for-6 both from the field and from the line. “We’ve been preparing for a long time and we’re just thinking about winning seven (postseason) games one (at a) time.
“It’s a team win. We play unselfish basketball.”
Adysen Fanta scored 11 points for Downers North, but no one else had more than three.
“The staple of our game is our defense, because we figure defense turns into offense,” Sakalas said. “So if we work hard, we get stops, we get steals. That’ll translate into the offense and that will get us going.”
It helps that Gage plays with a confidence beyond her years.
“She has no fear, which is exactly when you want,” Sakalas said. “She’s getting that ball and she’s going.”
“She’s just so long,” Nazareth coach Eddie Stritzel said of Gage. “Molly (Moore) and Sophia put so much pressure on the ball, it allows Stella and Mia to do their thing at the wing area and play those angles.
“Mia’s going to be a real special player for us down the road.”
Gage gives credit to her older teammates for helping her make the transition from junior high.
“It’s been so fun,” she said. “I have an amazing team surrounding me and helping me through everything.”
In two sectional wins against St. Ignatius and Downers North, the Roadrunners forced 45 turnovers.
“It just shows how athletic our defense is,” Stritzel said. “Our discipline there, too. You could be athletic and not be disciplined and fill gaps. Our kids give it everything they have.”
Nazareth dropped two of three on a trip to Florida in December, and hasn’t lost since. “The competition level in Florida, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Stritzel said.
“… We were lucky to go 1-2. We came back and as great as the teams are in Illinois — we were playing all prep schools out there. I thought that gave us a little confidence that we could play (well against local teams).”