Just hours after the Illinois High School Association announced on Jan. 27 that the girls basketball season could begin, senior guard Kendall Moriarty and her Benet teammates were already together at practice.
“The energy in the gym was very high that day,” Moriarty said. “Everyone on the team was really happy to be back and so were the coaches. It was very exciting.”
The joy was tempered by the unknown. The season, which will end March 13 without any state tournament, is likely to consist of a maximum of 10 to 12 games, but the Nebraska-bound Moriarty is taking nothing for granted.
“At this point, everyone is just grateful to have some games,” Moriarty said. “It does suck not having playoffs, but I feel like the games will still be intense.
“Each game might be our last game, so we’ll play like it’s our last game.”
Benet coach Joe Kilbride told his seniors he would understand if they opted out.
“I said, ‘Look, I know this isn’t what you signed up for,'” Kilbride said. “None of them batted an eye. They want to play. They want to be with their friends.”
Benet has scheduled eight games — one each against every East Suburban Catholic Conference opponent plus another against Naperville North — before a season-ending conference tournament.
“It ain’t much, but it’s something,” Kilbride said. “When things aren’t what you want, you take what you can get. We’re going to try to make the best of it and enjoy it.”
Virginia recruit Anna Griffin and four other starters from the first Aurora Christian girls team to make it to state were hoping to improve upon a Class 1A fourth-place finish.
“To be honest, I didn’t think we’d even have a season because it was on and off and getting so late,” Griffin said. “It’s very disappointing to have no playoffs. We wanted another chance to make it back and win state.”
Griffin, a 6-foot-1 guard/forward who averaged 17.6 points and 9.8 rebounds last season, is hoping for clearance from her doctor to return to action this week after suffering a hairline fracture and torn ligament to her ankle in October.
“It was in Hammond, playing in a league in Indiana,” Griffin said. “I’ve been doing physical therapy and trying slowly to come back.”
Aurora Christian coach Burney Wilkie had put together a challenging schedule with nonconference dates against Montini, West Aurora, East Aurora, Batavia, Burlington Central and Neuqua Valley.
“It’s definitely bittersweet,” Wilkie said. “I can tell the kids’ spirits are up. They’re so happy to be back in the gym. But we definitely had state title aspirations.”
The return to play involves several safety restrictions. Players must wear masks, with spectators limited to 50.
Naperville Central senior Gabi Melby, a Tennessee-Martin recruit, said she will adjust.
“It’s definitely going to be a lot different,” Melby said. “But I’m happy for whatever we can get. If that means playing with our masks on, playing outdoors in the summer, whatever it takes to get a season, I’m happy with it.”
This is not the send-off senior stars like Moriarty, Melby and Naperville North’s Greta Kampschroeder expected.
The Oregon State-bound Kampschroeder was on pace to become the Huskies’ all-time leading scorer and perhaps surpass the 2,000-point mark. Melby had a shot at finishing as high as third on Naperville Central’s career scoring list.
“You hear high school basketball people talk about those individual awards,” Kampschroeder said. “They make them sound like they’re so important, I almost have to care about them.
“But since this whole pandemic hit, I’ve kind of taken a step back and realized it’s not why I play. I play because I enjoy the game and I love the team. I’m just happy to get to play.”
Melby and Kampschroeder have grown close over the years despite their DuPage Valley Conference rivalry. Last summer, they played on the same AAU team.
“Greta’s one of my best friends so it’s always a pleasure and a ton of fun to compete against her,” Melby said. “They have a great program so I hope we get another chance to try and beat them.”
Melby helped the Redhawks beat the Huskies in triple overtime in a regional final when she and Kampschroeder were freshmen, but Kampschroeder has led the Huskies to the last two DVC titles.
“It’s a fun rivalry with Central,” Kampschroeder said. “That’s the one game I’ve been looking forward to the most within our conference.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. Staff writer Rick Armstrong contributed.
