Coming into a late January contest with rival Loyola Academy in the Jesuit Cup, expectations and excitement were high. The boys basketball team had cracked the top 40 in the MaxPreps National Rankings and ranked among the top 10 teams in the state. The Wolfpack rode a 10-game winning streak, dismantling opponents by an average of 17.1 points per game, with its only two losses coming against state powerhouses DePaul Prep and Curie, as the top two teams in the state at the time. Momentum stalled briefly, however. Consecutive home losses to the Ramblers and Joliet Catholic handed the team its fourth loss of the season.
The Maroon and Gold responded with urgency. Saint Ignatius closed out January with back-to-back road victories, fueled by standout performances from Chris Bolte. Bolte led the team in scoring, averaging 26.0 points per game during the two-game surge. The stretch included a non-conference, out-of-state victory over Marquette University High School (WI).
Saint Ignatius carried that energy into February. In a home matchup against Schaumburg, junior wing Duke Ross and sophomore guard Amir Tucker helped lift the Wolfpack with 15 and 18 points, respectively.
Then came perhaps the highlight of the calendar year so far. Trailing by a point with under 2 seconds to play, Amir Tucker received the inbounds pass and buried a double-clutch, fadeaway triple off the glass as the buzzer sounded, sealing a Wolfpack win. The Red Sea of students behind the home bench crashed onto the court to mob the hero of the game. Tucker’s standout performance is a testament to the depth and unselfishness of this team. Coach Matt Monroe noted just how deep and talented his group is. “The really cool thing about our team, and we talk about this a lot amongst ourselves, you know, we have six guys that have scored 20 points this year.” Friday night’s game marked yet another game where Chris Bolte did not lead the team in scoring. Monroe raved about Bolte’s winning mentality. “Chris is certainly capable of being the leading scorer in just about every game he’s in. But he is such a winner, and he desires to win so much that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win. If that means some days he scores a bunch, but other days, he doesn’t, but maybe he rebounds more or passes and gets more assists.”
Pivoting to a Saturday afternoon game on the road against Plainfield East, the Wolfpack overcame the effort and thrill from the night before to win 75-65. Off of 6 days rest on Friday night, the Wolfpack defeated Fenwick on the road to tie the program record for wins, set just last year.
As the final month of the regular season approaches, Saint Ignatius will rely on veteran leadership while continuing to develop its young talent. The roster blends experience with emerging contributors. Regardless of how the regular season concludes, the Wolfpack appears poised to deliver yet another postseason run to add to Coach Monroe’s winning résumé. “Where we fall on that list of great teams is still yet to be written. I will say that I’m very confident that we have the ability to kind of build this team’s legacy and go down as one of the all-time greats,” concluded Monroe.
The girls basketball team entered its early February week night matchup against Providence Catholic riding a two-game winning streak. It culminated in a commanding 28-point victory over Resurrection in the opening round of the GCAC Conference Tournament. Confidence was building, but the Wolfpack faced a challenging test.
Providence Catholic entered the matchup ranked inside the top 25 in the state, according to MaxPreps, and had defeated Saint Ignatius less than two months earlier. The Wolfpack refused to back down. The game remained competitive throughout, with both teams trading momentum. Providence ultimately pulled away late, securing a hard-fought 56–45 victory.
Without much time to dwell on the loss, the team returned home for two games late in the week. The Wolfpack decimated Aurora Central Catholic by 31 points and managed to survive an overtime battle with St. Laurence by a score of 52-46. The toughness the team has shown in this stretch, playing four games in six days, is not lost on Coach Cara Doyle. “I was just really proud of our resilience. We were able, in overtime, to take control of the game, which is hard to do with so much pressure.”
Coach Doyle’s squad has faced challenges this season while attempting to defend its trip to the IHSA 3A State Championship. A promotion to 4A headlines the list of challenges the Wolfpack have faced this season, along with the graduation of key seniors, namely West Point’s Reganne Reardon. She has contributed nearly 7 points per game off the bench as a freshman at the Division One level, and her future is very bright. Returning sophomores and juniors have minimal game experience, and it is “a challenge” to adjust to the speed and physicality of the varsity level. After finishing with an undefeated conference record last season, the Wolfpack has posted a 2–5 intraconference mark this year. The record tells only part of the story, though. The team continues to compete against strong conference opponents in tough environments, posting an 11-6 record in games that are away or neutral sites.
Despite recent setbacks, including the Jesuit Cup loss to Loyola Academy, the Wolfpack has compiled an impressive 18–10 overall record. Competition is higher than ever, as some of this season’s opponents include multiple teams ranked in the top 10 in the state, but the ability to keep games close showcases an ability to compete beyond the box score. Six seniors contribute to the effort, both on and off the court. “The biggest goal for us was to help our seniors become leaders,” Coach Doyle said, and she also has been impressed with the growth of her squad as the season progressed: “I think when you have a player-led team, they have success. At the beginning of the season, it was a coach-led team. It’s great to see kids become leaders.” As the calendar shifts toward postseason play, the Wolfpack has earned the 5 seed and, as a result, a more favorable schedule. By no means is it an easy path, however, and the team knows that the great run to the State Championship last year is not given: “It’s a challenge to prepare, but also not to overlook any opponent. I think for us, we got a 5 seed in what I think is the hardest section in this state is pretty awesome.” As for getting to host the regionals: “We’re doing some things to let them realize how good they’ve gotten, and we’re looking forward to hosting regionals, we’re really appreciative of (the opportunity).” The team knows that strong coaching, player improvement, and the chaos of the State Tournament can be a perfect formula for huge success.
