Nazareth coach Eddie Stritzel joked that he hopes to have time in Florida next week to work on his tan.

It’s mostly a business trip with some big-time basketball.

Stritzel’s Roadrunners are heading to Tampa for the holidays for the second time in three seasons.

Nazareth is one of eight teams participating in the ENG Classic at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational Dec. 27-30.

“We went two years ago, they didn’t know how good Nazareth was and we talked them into putting us with a lot of the prep schools,” Stritzel said. “We showed well two years ago, they called us back. We’re in the top bracket with the national powers. Excited about it. It will be a great experience.”

Nazareth opens against Grandview Prep, Florida’s defending Class 1A state champions. Should the Roadrunners win, they’d likely play Sidwell Friends out of Washington, D.C. Each team is guaranteed three games.

“Two years ago, our team was senior dominant and I thought we needed a new challenge. This trip really got their focus back,” Stritzel said. “This is a little different. We’re talented, but we’re young. Two of our top six are freshmen, and three of our top eight. It will be really eye-opening for them. I feel as much competition as we can get will only help us.”

Freshman Mia Gage is starting for Nazareth at small forward, with 6-foot-1 freshman Hillary Whorlow the first player off the bench.

Senior Stella Sakalas, a BYU recruit, is leading Nazareth with close to 20 points and 10 rebounds a game in only about 22 minutes per contest. Junior Sophia Towne is an NCAA Division I prospect.

Nazareth (8-1) won its first eight games with an average margin of victory of 41.6 points before a 58-36 loss to Benet last Saturday.

“We were a little disappointed,” Stritzel said. “I thought we beat a remarkably good Glenbard West team (76-40), to be one of the best teams out there and I don’t know if we can play much better. Against Benet, a rivalry game, Benet handled it well and we didn’t. I take that as a learning experience.”

Montini Christmas Tournament starts Monday

The Montini Christmas Tournament is tipping off early this year, Dec. 22, with Christmas falling on a Thursday this calendar year.

That’s not the only change.

The annual event that includes some of the area’s better teams has added three teams from Indiana – Bishop Noll out of Hammond, Hammond Central and Merrillville. Bishop Noll was an 11th hour addition, replacing Thornton.

“A Christmas miracle,” Montini coach Shannon Spanos said.

Spanos is excited about the additions to a strong field that includes Benet, Lyons, Fremd, Prospect, St. Charles East and her own Lady Broncos.

Minooka (9-1), who Montini opens with in Monday’s nightcap, is another strong addition. The tournament runs through Dec. 27.

“It’s nice to give people a different look instead of just playing the same old teams, give those Indiana teams a chance to play top competition in Illinois,” Spanos said. “A lot of teams want to be part of the Montini Christmas Tournament. It’s a playoff vibe that we have in the middle of December, a sought-after tournament. It’s nice to add new teams.”

Spanos’ own team has a new look this year, too. Six seniors who started at one point for last year’s Class 3A state champions graduated, namely All-State guard Nikki Kerstein, now a freshman at Wisconsin.

Montini was starting two freshmen at the start of the season. One of them, Brooklyn Anderson, was the team’s leading scorer through six games but dislocated her knee and is out for the year.

Freshman Nathalia Richardson, a quick point guard, handles the ball for Montini. Paige Pittman is a 6-foot-1 freshman with length and athleticism. Senior Mia Quaranta, a transfer from St. Francis, is another newcomer in the mix for a Montini team off to a 2-7 start.

Montini beat Marian Catholic last Saturday to snap a six-game losing streak.

“It will take some time. It’s definitely a learning curve for a lot of these kids with the schedule we play and the expectations of the program,” Spanos said. “We will have our share of bumps and bruises but it will only make us better.”

IC Catholic’s Hilgart reaches 1,000 points

December 9 is always going to be a special day on the calendar for IC Catholic Prep senior Mary Kate Hilgart.

On that date this year, Hilgart scored her 1,000th career point with a basket in the third quarter of a 55-32 win over Rosary.

Hilgart got it on a contested fast-break layup.

Ironically, Hilgart scored her first varsity points on December 9 of her freshman year at the Reavis Holiday Tournament.

“It was a secret to me; I didn’t think I would get it this early in the season,” Hilgart said. “My parents got up and started cheering.

“It’s definitely a special moment for me. I was really excited, felt very accomplished but couldn’t have done it without my teammates, coaches and family.”

The 5-foot-9 forward has been an integral member of a Knights’ team that has reached Class 2A sectional finals the last two seasons.

Hilgart, who earned Illinois High School Basketball Coaches Association Class 2A all-state honorable mention recognition as a sophomore and junior, has also been a GCAC all-conference selection the past two seasons.

“It’s awesome. She’s put in a lot of hard work,” IC Catholic coach Todd Fisher said. “She got called up her first varsity game her freshman year and ever since that day she has not left the starting lineup.

“One thing coaches like to see with players is improvement year over year. Her points per game have gone up.”

Hilgart is currently averaging 13.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, all team-highs, and also leads the Knights in steals per game.

Just as impressive, she’s done it all as a three-sport athlete. Hilgart plays volleyball in the fall. She played softball as a freshman and soccer in the spring the last two years.

“She does anything we ask her to do. She’s just a very coachable kid,” Fisher said.