Eddie Stritzel could see it coming like the dust cloud of a car on the horizon.
Three years ago, the Nazareth girls basketball coach said goodbye to a group of seniors that led the Roadrunners to their first two state trophies — for second place in Class 3A in 2018 and third place in 2019.
But he told anyone who would listen that the program would remain strong because another good group of players was in seventh grade.
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Now sophomores, forwards Danielle Scully and Olivia Austin and guards Amalia Dray and Mary Bridget Wilson helped return the Roadrunners to state, where they lost to Carmel 43-39 in the 3A championship game at Redbird Arena in Normal on Saturday.
Although they attended different grammar schools, they have been teammates since fifth grade, when Stritzel coached their AAU team.
“They’re just a unique group,” he said. “The spotlight is never too big. I could see that from fifth grade when they played at the highest level of travel ball. They’re just a wonderful group to coach.”
Perhaps they were fated to play together. Wilson, who is Nazareth’s first player off the bench, has known Stritzel her entire life because her mother, Patty, has been friends with Stritzel’s wife, Julie, since they were in high school.
Scully’s father coaches with the father of junior guard Gracie Carstensen, who often played with the sophomores and was the first to commit to Nazareth.
“Ever since I was in eighth grade, I knew I was coming to Naz, and I knew these kids were coming behind me, so we’ve all had really good chemistry since day one,” Carstensen said. “I think it helped that I went to Naz. I only went to Naz for them.”
Carstensen hit six 3-pointers in the Roadrunners’ 55-24 semifinal victory over Morton, a win that gave Nazareth its school-record 33rd victory. She said the sophomores, three of whom start, present matchup problems with their versatility.
“‘Ama’ and Olivia are crazy athletic, and Mary Bridget coming off the bench is really helpful — she’s a good little point guard,” Carstensen said. “She gets in the gaps, and she’s really good at feeding people. ‘Danni’ is obviously a star. She’s big, and she can dribble.
“They all bring something different that’s at a different level, which when we all play together just works out really well.”
The team’s other starter, senior captain Caroline Workman, is capable of leading the team in scoring but rarely does because it’s not necessary. That allows the University of Chicago recruit to run the offense and be a distributor.
“They’re all so individually skilled, but I think what really makes them all special is how well they work together as a team,” Workman said. “I think that’s probably in good part due to the fact that they play travel together.”
That chemistry — and the ability to expand it to Workman and Carstensen — allowed the Roadrunners (33-3) to come within a couple baskets of their first state title.
“We meshed together so well this past year, and I think that’s what allowed us to get a lot of our wins and play defense so well,” Workman said.
While they are interchangeable in many ways, the sophomores have different strengths.
The 6-foot-1 Scully was the first of the four to commit to Nazareth, saying, “I dragged them with me.” She’s the most physical of the bunch, willing to battle with any opponent.
“My strength is probably defense,” Scully said. “I’m working on my speed right now and working on guarding the perimeters. But I’m still strong, so I bang in the inside.”
Dray also excels on defense, frequently making steals to trigger the offense.
“My defense leads to my offense because I normally try to go for the steal to start the game,” Dray said. “Everything opens up, and I’m able to start the game off with an easy play.”
Austin was the first of the sophomores to play at Redbird Arena. She was a reserve on Nazareth’s girls volleyball team, which won the school’s first state championship in a girls sport in November.
“It’s awesome that I’ve been down here twice, and I’m really thankful for both experiences,” Austin said.
The sophomores racked up a bunch of postseason honors. Dray was named to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association’s Class 3A all-state second team and, along with Carstensen, was an all-state honorable mention by The Associated Press. The IBCA selected Scully for the all-state third team and Austin as special mention, along with Workman and Carstensen.
None of that came as any surprise to Stritzel.
“I knew we had something really good,” he said. “They’re a very talented group of kids, and they are very unselfish.
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“They bought into our system, and I’m so excited about what these kids have accomplished. I’m just thrilled about the program and where it’s going.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.