Girls basketball: Nikki Kerstein’s 28 powers Montini past Lake Zurich

LOMBARD – Montini junior point guard Nikki Kerstein put on a highlight-filled performance Jan. 13.

After watching former Deerfield backcourt partner Aubrey Galvan, a junior guard, score 32 points in the previous game for Loyola against Batavia, Kerstein showed off her skills with a stat-filled outing in the fourth game of the 34th annual Coach Derril Kipp’s Hoopfest at Montini.

Kerstein, who had teamed up with Galvan the past two seasons at Deerfield, was all over the court against Lake Zurich. Kerstein scored 28 points to lead Montini to a 64-49 win over Lake Zurich.

Kerstein shot a sizzling 13-of-18 from the field. She hit two 3-pointers, dished out three assists and collected four steals.

“I think [Aubrey] played great the game before,” Kerstein said. “That was a really good game. In my game, I know today my coach was telling me she needed me to be a scorer. Obviously I prefer being a pass-first point guard, but she said today I definitely need to score in this type of atmosphere and the team we were playing against.”

Montini (15-4) gained an early grip on the game, not letting Lake Zurich (12-9) threaten after building a 22-12 lead on a 3-pointer by Kerstein. Montini junior guard Lily Spanos also was a big factor in the victory, helping spread the floor with her perimeter shooting. She made five 3-pointers to end with 15 points. Shea Carver added 11 points and Victoria Matulevicius pumped in 10 points and contributed seven assists for the Broncos.

Lake Zurich got 11 points each from Anna Gilbertson and Avery Cooper but turned the ball over 18 times.

“We knew coming into this game that Montini was a very good team,” Cooper said. “They are really fast, so they beat us running down the court a lot on fast breaks. We struggled finding someone to stop [Kerstein] on defense, even trying a couple of players on her.”

The Broncos overwhelmed the taller Bears with their speed, pushing the pace throughout the game.

Kerstein said she’s starting to find her rhythm with her new teammates.

“It was a little bit of a transition, but I feel now that the first half of the season is over that everybody knows their roles,” Kerstein said. “I definitely feel more comfortable in my position and role. This was a good win.”

Montini coach Shannon Spanos heaped praise on her entire team for a solid effort on offense and defense. The Broncos built a 60-42 lead after a runner in the lane by Kerstein in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

“We knew that they were big and outmatched us with size,” Spanos said. “We knew we had to play fast and get to the rim. That was our game plan. Our girls did a great job executing. I thought Lily hit some big shots. That was huge. We played well on defense. We battled inside every possession.”