The Hinsdale Central girls basketball team is still looking for a middle ground after the first week of the season.
The Red Devils opened the season with a 50-42 loss to Hinsdale South but cruised to a victory over Plainfield South. Hinsdale Central scored 54 points in the first half against Plainfield South.
“We played more relaxed in our second game,” Hinsdale Central coach Tom McKenna said. “We have a lot of sophomores and they played like sophomores in our first game. We’re not that good or that bad as our first two games showed. We’re somewhere in between.”
The Red Devils close out this week with a key nonconference matchup against Class 3A power, Montini, at the Hinsdale South Tournament on Saturday. The Broncos have won four 3A state titles in the last five seasons after finishing third in 2013.
The Broncos’ interior size could pose problems for the guard-dominated Red Devils.
“I think Montini is going to be a good test for us,” McKenna said. “The nice thing is it’s a November game, so we can fix any problems. Montini is as good as a team as anybody in the state. We have a lot of young kids. That will give us a good chance to see the level we have to compete against.”
The Red Devils overcame season-ending injuries to three seniors last season — Megan Lord, Maddie Roglich and Jenna Broz — to finish with a 15-10 record. Leading scorer Gabrielle Rush returns after averaging 20.7 points and drilling 61 three-pointers in her junior season. The Princeton recruit moved into second place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 21 points in the season-opening loss.
“Gabrielle has been playing well and distributing the ball better than before,” McKenna said. “She’s a dynamic shooter, and become a more vocal leader. She’s drawing a lot of attention and distributing the ball to other kids.”
A two-year starter, senior point guard Payton Katich is receiving a lot of attention from Division III schools, McKenna said.
“Payton also has done a good job distributing the ball and scoring,” he said. “She’s more aggressive offensively and confident with her ball handling. She really worked on her ballhandling.”
