Raiders, Young ready to square off again

Updated: March 23, 2011 3:46PM

NORMAL, ILL. - The question for the girls basketball semifinals Friday is

which team is semi-tough?

After playing in the past three Class 4A title games, two-time reigning

Class 4A champion Bolingbrook (27-2), and 2008 winner Whitney Young (26-2)

will face off in a Class 4A semifinal that some are calling, the clash of

the Titans. Both team have lost twice this season, and the losses were all

to out-of-state opponents.

Bolingbrook features Sun-Times Player of the Year Ariel Massengale, who

signed with Tennessee and averages 14.2 points and 6.3 assists and junior

Morgan Tuck, who committed to Connecticut and averages 20.7 points and 6.25

rebounds. Tucker's senior sister Taylor, who signed with Illinois, averages

eight points a game and Kierra Ray, who moved in after playing at Waubonsie

Valley averages 7.1 points.

In 10 years, Bolingbrook coach Tony Smith is 266-28 and is in the state

finals for the seventh year in a row.

"We will approach this game like all of the other ones we've played," Smith

said. "We need to play hard, and to our potential for 32 minutes. We need to

limit how many second and third chances they get and make them take tough

first shots. The key to the game will be rebounding. We have to be

disciplined and take care of the ball. Size doesn't matter, it's how much

fight you have inside of you."

Young, which had to wait until February to have its entire team in tact, has

won 18 in a row and is 266-43 in 10 years under coach Corry Irvin. The

Dolphins are in their sixth state finals in seven years. In all five

previous appearances under Irvin, Young has played Bolingbrook and are 2-3.

Leading Young is DePaul recruit Chanise Jenkins, who is averaging 13.2

points, five rebounds and 3.9 assists, after missing most of last season

with an injury. Sophomore Linnae Harper averages 11.5 points and Michigan

State-bound Kiana Johnson has averaged 11.6 points and 5.2 assists.

"I think our kids are definitely motivate," Irvin said. "They think they

could have dome much better last year [a 60-50 loss in the title game]. I

doubt there will be any surprises, except that they have been switching

their starting lineup. We have to limit Morgan Tuck and Ariel to not have

career nights. And, we have to keep them off the glass. For the most are

kids have been playing pretty good, but we still have some things to work

on."

"When our kids finished second [to Young in 2008]. they came back and lifted

[weights] and ran all spring and summer," Smith said. "No one missed. Those

kids dedicated themselves to getting back and winning a title.

"What this game comes down to is which team plays the hardest for the

longest period of time."

The first Class 4A semifinal pits Maine South (27-8), which finished fourth

in 2006, against first-time qualifier Zion-Benton (26-6).

While Z-B has not been to a state final in girls basketball, its coaches

have. Head coach Tanya Johnson and assistant Frank Mattucci won four

consecutive state titles in the 1990s, Mattucci winning two at Stevenson and

Johnson winning two at Loyola.

The Zee-Bees are solid on defense and are led by junior Octavia Crump (12.1

ppg) and senior Juanita Robinson (11.3), who played at Hillcrest for two

years. Freshman wing Samantha Rodriguez, is one of the area's best in the

Class of 20-14.

Maine South, which was 14-19, but won a regional last season, has been on a

tear led by junior guard Michelle Maher (11.9 ppg) and 6-3 sophomore post

Jacqui Grant (11.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg).

"When we won a regional last year with a bunch of freshmen and sophomores, I

thought we had a group that demonstrated teamwork and that could do

something," Maine South coach Mark Smith said. "Day in and day out we worked

on executing and taking it one possession at a time."

In Class 3A, reigning champion Montini, which has lost only to Bolingbrook

opens against Springfield (31-2) while Marshall, making its 25th appearance

in the state finals since 1978 will play 2010 Class 3A runner-up Hillcrest.

Montini (34-1) has three players averaging in double figures, Notre Dame

recruit Whitney Holloway (14.1 ppg, 4.6 assists), Loyola bound Kiki Wilson

(11.6 ppg) and North Carolina recruit Whitney Adams (10.8), A player to

watch is Kasey Reaber, who helped now-defunct Driscoll to a Class 2A state

title in 2009. Springfield junior guard Zahna Medley averages 21.8 points

while Kasi Korza (11.2 ppg) played for the Senators state qualifiers in 2009

and 2010.

The other Class 3A semifinal pits Marshall (20-6) against 2010 runner-up

Hillcrest (28-2).

Marshall, in it 25th state final under Dorothy the state's winningest

basketball coach, girls or boys, with 945 wins, has withstood the loss of

three players and an injury to its leading scorer Shanitiera Miller (12.8

ppg) that limited her to just under five minutes in the supersectional. Two

other Commandos are scoring in double figures, Marquiesha Coleman (11.9) and

Keshawnee Alley (11.9). Three Marshall losses were to Public League champion

Young.

Hillcrest has had different players step up game to game. Leading the Hawks

is junior Shannise Heady (15.1 ppg), junior Jasmine Sanders (12.7) and

senior Yolanda De La Torre (9.9 ppg, 10.1 rebounds). Another member of

coach John Mantiatis' team to watch is 5-2 junior guard Samirah Ali.

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