Naperville Central guard Callie Tumilty was up for the challenge of making her playoff debut Tuesday night.
The 5-foot-5 freshman proved the stage wasn’t too big for her either, scoring a team-high 12 points against the host Wolves in a Class 4A Oswego East Regional semifinal.
“I actually really enjoyed how close the game was,” Tumilty said. “And I really enjoyed playing one last game with all my seniors.”
It ended up being the last game for Naperville Central seniors Haley Hayes, Aditi Prasad and Trinity Strang. Cami Phillips scored a game-high 20 points to lead 10th-seeded Oswego East to a 55-41 victory over the sixth-seeded Redhawks.
But the play of Tumilty, who shot 5 of 9 from the floor and 2 of 2 from the free-throw line, bodes well for the future.
“She’s been playing great,” Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. “She’s super fast and has a lot of energy. The girls love her because she’s a freshman.”
Tumilty was the only freshman on the team this season for Naperville Central (14-13). It didn’t take her long to fit in, according to junior guard Megan Norkett.
“She’s special,” Norkett said of Tumility. “She’s a big part of our team.
“Coming in as a freshman, it’s really hard to make an impact, but Callie definitely makes one. It’s super fun having her on the court with us.”
Tumilty said she quickly got comfortable.
“At the beginning, I didn’t really talk to many people,” Tumilty said. “Then as the season went on, I started to get closer with everyone and they just treated me like one of the upperclassmen.”
By the end of the season, Tumilty was playing like one. She worked her way up the ranks to become the team’s sixth man.
Tumilty scored a career-high 22 points on Feb. 8 in a 56-54 victory over Metea Valley that allowed the Redhawks to clinch second place in the DuPage Valley Conference.
But leading the team in scoring during a playoff game was something else.
She scored her points not from uncontested outside shots but on power drives to the basket, including back-to-back shots that pulled the Redhawks within 46-39 with 6:30 left in the fourth quarter.
It was an indication of how the willowy yet determined Tumilty is not afraid of any foe.
“I think getting into the lane and being able to get around the other team’s post players is one of my biggest positives,” Tumilty said. “My passes, seeing Trinity or Haley down low, I think is a big strength for me too.”
The Redhawks will lose leading scorer Hayes and Strang, who had eight points and 17 rebounds against the Wolves, to graduation. But the return of Tumilty, Norkett and junior guard Ella Burke gives them a foundation for next season of three elite athletes.
And while Tumilty is new to the high school scene, her family is not.
She is the daughter of former Naperville Central football star Jim Tumilty, who played the entire 1995 season on a torn ACL but still rushed for 1,400 yards and 28 touchdowns to help the Redhawks to the Class 6A state championship game, where they lost 22-21 to Wheaton Warrenville South.
Tumilty also has four cousins who have been star athletes at Willowbrook. Brothers Sam and Scotty led the Warriors’ football team to the state semifinals in 2019, and their sister, Gracie, played basketball.
That’s a pretty impressive family legacy, one that Tumilty embraces.
“It is pretty nice,” she said. “I’ve met a lot of people through my father and my other family members, so it’s cool representing the last name in a good way.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter the Naperville Sun.
