Morgan Tuck, Bolingbrook
File photo by Mitchell Reibel
Fifty-two wins in the last two seasons. Zero losses in that same time against teams from Illinois. Six consecutive appearances in the final four of the state tournament. In the last five years, the Raiders have won two state titles, been runner-up twice and have a combined 141-12 record. Their only loss in 28 games this season was to nationally-ranked Long Beach (Calif.) Polytechnic in the Nike Tournament of Champions.
The Raiders are ranked No. 7 in MaxPreps’ Xcellent 25.
And this is still a rising team with better things still to come. Bolingbrook‘s best player, 6-foot-2 forward Morgan Tuck, the 2009 Player of the Year in Illinois, is just a sophomore. Point guard Ariel Massengale, a starter on the USA U16 national team, is a junior. Tuck’s sister, Taylor, is a junior. Cabriana Capers, the team’s third-leading rebounder, is a sophomore.
Friday night (6:30) at Redbird Arena in Normal, the Raiders will begin their quest for a two-peat Class 4A championship when they play Hersey (Arlington Heights, Ill.), the surprise team of the tournament field, in the semifinals. A win would send Bolingbrook into Saturday‘s 8:15 p.m. title game against Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.) or old friend Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.), the last in-state team to defeat Bolingbrook two years ago in the 4A championship game.
With a win Friday, the Raiders would be the first basketball team in Illinois to play in a championship game five consecutive years.
Monday, the Raiders survived a scare in the supersectionals, overcoming a poor shooting night to defeat Edwardsville (Edwardsville, Ill.), 36-27. Bolingbrook normally averages 60 points per game and has scored as many as 101 in the state tournament.
“Another big step toward our goal. We’ll take any ugly win over a pretty loss any day,” Morgan Tuck, who scored 11 points, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Tuck, certainly the most-recruited sophomore in Illinois, somehow came back quickly from a torn ACL injury last June to lead the Raiders with 18.1 points per game and play in all 28 games. She was headed for a spot on the USA U16 team last June when she tore the ACL during the trials camp.
Massengale did make the team and had a game-high six assists in the USA’s 103-52 win over Canada in the FIBA Americas U16 championship game. Massengale’s 24 assists in five games led all players from all FIBA Americas teams.
Massengale averaged 13.4 points a game for Bolingbrook and has a team-high 133 assists.
Despite Bolingbrook’s domination, the Raiders’ march toward a third state title in five years won’t come easily. Hersey (27-7) defeated unbeaten Geneva (Geneva, Ill.) in the supersectionals to advance to the semifinals. Young (27-2), the Chicago Public League champion and ranked No. 9 nationally, has won 21 straight against Illinois teams, its last in-state loss coming to Bolingbrook in last year’s 4A title game. The Dolphins’ only losses were to Long Beach Poly and nationally-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Calif. Kiana Johnson, a junior, has averaged 11.2 points.
And don’t forget Fenwick (31-3), led by Duke recruit Tricia Liston. She averages 28.6 points per game and has been the high scorer in 29 of the Friars’ 34 games. They are in the state semifinals for the first time since 2007, Liston’s freshman year, when they defeated Bolingbrook for the AA title.
Young will play Fenwick at 8 p.m. Friday.
Around Chicagoland: City halts sophomore teams
* A financial crisis in Chicago, which resulted in the loss of hundreds of jobs in Chicago Public Schools over the last year, is causing the loss of sophomore teams in spring sports. Practices for spring sports began this week, but city schools were directed by CPS Sports Director Calvin Davis to not conduct practices for sophomore teams. Sophomores not already on varsity teams will be funneled onto varsity and freshman programs, said CPS spokesman Frank Shuftan. CPS is facing a deficit of up to $900 million for the 2010-11 school year, after a budgeting deficit of nearly $500 million in 2009-10.
* Naperville Central’s relay team of Mark Menis, Keith Piper, Matt O’Brien and Danny Tucker won the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays at the Boys Swimming & Diving State Finals, leading the Redhawks to their first state swim title since 2002. Central edged Naperville rival Neuqua Valley by three points and defending state champ New Trier by five points. Matt Elliot of Peoria Richwoods broke the state record in the 100 breaststroke with a time of :54.74.
* Montini won its third consecutive state dual championship in wrestling, defeating Crystal Lake Central 47-19 in the Class 2A title match. Montini has won 86 straight duals against Illinois competition. “We knew we could beat every team here,“ Colton Rasche, a Naval Academy recruit and individual state champ at 130 pounds, told the Chicago Tribune. Minooka won its first state title in Class 3A and PORTA won 1A, knocking off three-time defending champion Wilmington in the semifinals.
Three big performances
* Finally, Ryan Powers of Nazareth Academy (LaGrange Park, Ill.) hit the free throws to end a game that almost wouldn’t end. Powers hit two free throws with 12 seconds left in the eighth overtime, carrying the Roadrunners to a 59-55 win over North Lawndale College Prep (Chicago, Ill.) in the Class 3A regionals. Powers had missed two free throws with less than a second left in the second OT. The game tied a state playoff record and was one overtime period short of the all-time record (Dwight and Reddick played nine OTs in a regular-season game in 1964 won by Dwight, 76-72).
* Freshman forward Micah Jones of Cowden-Herrick-Beecher City had a triple-double (19 rebounds, 13 points, 11 blocked shots) in the Class 1A girls basketball final, but Ridgewood came from behind to score a 54-44 win after Jones fouled out with 5:32 left. Jones had 32 rebounds in the semifinals and final, setting a Class 1A tournament record. “She is an incredible for a freshman,” Ridgewood coach Bryan Brooks said.
* Bloomington Central Catholic’s Allie Norton scored a game-high 27 points in the Class 2A girls championship game, leading Central Catholic to its first-ever state title.
On Deck
* Montini (Lombard, Ill.) will chase after its first state championship in girls basketball this weekend, as Marquette recruit Courtney Thomas and Notre Dame recruit Whitney Holloway lead the Broncos (31-2) into the Class 3A semifinals Friday against Springfield (Springfield, Ill.) (31-2) at Normal. Montini’s Michala Johnson, a UConn recruit, is out of action because of a torn ACL. Oswego (Oswego, Ill.) (29-2) will meet Hillcrest (Country Club Hills, Ill.) (27-3) in the other semifinal, with the 3A title game to be played at 2 p.m. Saturday.
* Illinois recruit Jereme Richmond, who scored a game-high 30 points in Waukegan’s 90-60 Class 4A regional win over Rolling Meadows on Tuesday, will lead the Bulldogs (22-4) into a regional final Friday night against Buffalo Grove (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) (17-10). Other regional finals Friday include defending 4A champion Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) (18-6) hosting Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) (18-9).
Paul Bowker, a sports journalist for 25 years who has worked at newspapers nationwide, covers the Chicago area for MaxPreps. He may be reached at
