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In 2014, the last time Marian Catholic won a sectional championship in girls basketball, Madison Davis was actually a baseball player competing against boys.
Davis was 8 years old, and while basketball also was in the picture, it wasn’t in the forefront. And she had no idea how good the Spartans were at the time.
That season, Marian finished third in the state in Class 4A. But Davis, a Flossmoor resident, started to take notice of the Spartans — at least, just a little bit.
“Because we’re a sports family, I might have seen them play a couple of times because they are close,” Davis said. “But I didn’t know that they were that good.”
Marian Catholic’s Sarah Segarra (33), Zikora Okonkwo (11) and Anna Kleszynski (14) hold up the plaque after defeating Oak Forest in the Class 3A Kankakee Sectional championship game on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
The 5-foot-9 sophomore guard scored 16 points Thursday night to lead the Spartans to a 45-30 victory over Oak Forest in the Class 3A Kankakee Sectional championship game.
Marian Catholic (26-8) advances to a 7 p.m. Monday matchup in the Streator Supersectional against Morton (25-6) for the right to go back to state.
Davis’s debut in the Sweet 16 featured a wide-open layup that she couldn’t get to fall against Oak Forest (19-11).
But seconds later, the Spartans came up with a steal and Davis found the ball back in her hands again. This time, her shot went in.
Davis went on to score six more points in the first half and added eight in the second half to send the Spartans to the Elite Eight.
Marian Catholic’s Madison Davis (23) drives to the basket against Oak Forest during the Class 3A Kankakee Sectional championship game on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
“It’s rough missing an open shot like that, but you always have to think about the next play and move on,” Davis said. “You have to have confidence in your next shot.”
Senior guard/forward Anna Kleszynski contributed 14 points and made a momentum-changing shot to close the first half — a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer that handed the Spartans a 22-16 lead.
“Huge,” Marian coach Dan Murray said. “The momentum burst that it gave us allowed us to come out strong in the second half.”
Oak Forest star Janae Kent, meanwhile, was whistled for her fourth foul with 2:36 left in the third quarter and Marian nursing a five-point lead.
Bengals coach Jeff Kelly took Kent out of the game. Thirty seconds later, the Spartans scored five quick points for a 30-20 lead, thanks in part to two steals.
Kelly put Kent back in the game, but Oak Forest couldn’t cut the deficit to single digits the rest of the way. Kent, a junior guard/forward, finished with 12 points.
“When Janae got that fourth foul, they came after us and we forgot what we were doing as a team,” Kelly said. “It got away from us.”
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It marks the end of a wild season for the Bengals, who scored 71 points in their first game of the season against Plainfield North. They turned around and scored just 25 against Providence, then continued with an up-and-down offense.
Marian Catholic’s Zikora Okonkwo (11) and Anna Kleszynski (14) hug after defeating Oak Forest in the Class 3A Kankakee Sectional championship game on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
“At the beginning of the year, we never knew what kind of lineup we would have because of COVID,” Kelly said. “By the end of the year, this team had the best chemistry I’ve ever seen.”
Since an 83-33 loss to Marist on Jan. 31 in the East Suburban Catholic Conference Tournament, the Spartans regrouped to win six straight games. They have allowed an average of just 30 points in that stretch.
“We held out a couple of kids in that game against Marist for injury purposes, but that woke up some of the other kids,” Murray said. “It was like, ‘Hey, I have to be ready when called upon. I just can’t sit here and enjoy the ride.’
“They really stepped up big-time since.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Thank you for supporting our journalism. This article is available exclusively for our subscribers, who help fund our work at the Chicago Tribune. In 2014, the last time Marian Catholic won a sectional championship in girls basketball, Madison Davis was actually a baseball player competing against boys. Davis was 8 years old, and while basketball also was in the picture, it wasn’t in the forefront. And she had no idea how good the Spartans were at the time. That season, Marian finished third in the state in Class 4A. But Davis, a Flossmoor resident, started to take notice of the Spartans — at least, just a little bit. “Because we’re a sports family, I might have seen them play a couple of times because they are close,” Davis said. “But I didn’t know that they were that good.” Marian Catholic’s Sarah Segarra (33), Zikora Okonkwo (11) and Anna Kleszynski (14) hold up the plaque after defeating Oak Forest in the Class 3A Kankakee Sectional championship game on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown) The 5-foot-9 sophomore guard scored 16 points Thursday night to lead the Spartans to a 45-30 victory over Oak Forest in the Class 3A Kankakee Sectional championship game. Marian Catholic (26-8) advances to a 7 p.m. Monday matchup in the Streator Supersectional against Morton (25-6) for the right to go back to state. Davis’s debut in the Sweet 16 featured a wide-open layup that she couldn’t get to fall against Oak Forest (19-11). But seconds later, the Spartans came up with a steal and Davis found the ball back in her hands again. This time, her shot went in. Davis went on to score six more points in the first half and added eight in the second half to send the Spartans to the Elite Eight. Marian Catholic’s Madison Davis (23) drives to the basket against Oak Forest during the Class 3A Kankakee Sectional championship game on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown) “It’s rough missing an open shot like that, but you always have to think about the next play and move on,” Davis said. “You have to have confidence in your next shot.” Senior guard/forward Anna Kleszynski contributed 14 points and made a momentum-changing shot to close the first half — a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer that handed the Spartans a 22-16 lead. “Huge,” Marian coach Dan Murray said. “The momentum burst that it gave us allowed us to come out strong in the second half.” Oak Forest star Janae Kent, meanwhile, was whistled for her fourth foul with 2:36 left in the third quarter and Marian nursing a five-point lead. Bengals coach Jeff Kelly took Kent out of the game. Thirty seconds later, the Spartans scored five quick points for a 30-20 lead, thanks in part to two steals. Kelly put Kent back in the game, but Oak Forest couldn’t cut the deficit to single digits the rest of the way. Kent, a junior guard/forward, finished with 12 points. “When Janae got that fourth foul, they came after us and we forgot what we were doing as a team,” Kelly said. “It got away from us.” Daily Southtown Newsletter Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday It marks the end of a wild season for the Bengals, who scored 71 points in their first game of the season against Plainfield North. They turned around and scored just 25 against Providence, then continued with an up-and-down offense. Marian Catholic’s Zikora Okonkwo (11) and Anna Kleszynski (14) hug after defeating Oak Forest in the Class 3A Kankakee Sectional championship game on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown) “At the beginning of the year, we never knew what kind of lineup we would have because of COVID,” Kelly said. “By the end of the year, this team had the best chemistry I’ve ever seen.” Since an 83-33 loss to Marist on Jan. 31 in the East Suburban Catholic Conference Tournament, the Spartans regrouped to win six straight games. They have allowed an average of just 30 points in that stretch. “We held out a couple of kids in that game against Marist for injury purposes, but that woke up some of the other kids,” Murray said. “It was like, ‘Hey, I have to be ready when called upon. I just can’t sit here and enjoy the ride.’ “They really stepped up big-time since.” Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.