The Santiago factor
Senior guard gives no thought to knee, takes No. 1 Crown Point to ‘whole other level’ vs. Noll
Senior guard Alyna Santiago gives no thought to last season’s knee injury, takes No. 1 Crown Point to “whole other level” against Bishop Noll.
Crown Point senior Alyna Santiago experienced a breakthrough Monday night against visiting Bishop Noll.
The torn right ACL that forced the guard to miss most of last season was a nonissue.
“I always have that thought before I play, ‘Oh, I have two screws in my knee,’ ” Santiago said. “I didn’t even think about it. It was nice.
“I forgot about it — it was completely forgotten. Usually I tweak it at the beginning. But even though I tweaked it a ton of times (Monday), I didn’t think about it at all. It was great.”
That comfort level showed as Santiago scored a career-high 19 points in the top-ranked Bulldogs’ 81-47 win against the Warriors.
“It’s just all a mental thing — how I wake up in the morning, how I prepare the night before, if I stretch good enough. But most of the time, I’m very confident.”
This version of Santiago was a welcome sight for coach Chris Seibert and Crown Point (8-0), which is ranked No. 1 in the state coaches poll. She was quick on drives and hounded Noll (5-3) on defense.
“She was outstanding,” Seibert said. “She was so aggressive attacking the basket. That explosiveness, all the traits that exemplify her, it’s come in spurts this year. It’s not fully back yet.
“But (Monday) you saw how far she’s come from that ACL injury. When she can play like that, it takes our team to a whole other level.”
The stars on both teams also produced. Junior guard Jessica Carrothers had 28 points and 11 rebounds for Crown Point. Junior forward Lilly Stoddard, a Purdue recruit, had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
“We’ve all been spoiled to the point, when she does miss open shots, we kind of look at each other like, ‘Did that happen?’ ” Seibert said of Carrothers. “She’s such a high-percentage shooter and a consistent player. … To have a player like that, knowing what you’re going to get from her night in and night out, it’s definitely a great feeling as a coach.”
Senior guard Courtney Blakely scored 29 points for Noll, which was without senior guard Rose Fuentes for the second straight game because of a right ankle injury. Blakely, who fouled out with 4:05 left in the game, was hampered by foul trouble throughout but managed the situation and didn’t leave the floor until that point.
Stoddard also sat for the final 6:49 of the third quarter and Santiago for the final 5:11 of the third quarter, each with four fouls.
The game drew Louisville star Dana Evans, a West Side graduate, to attend.
“Courtney Blakely is an unbelievable player,” Seibert said. “In the third quarter, we finally started to wear her down a little bit. Our team defense was good. And we started executing more in transition. We were able to extend the lead.”
Crown Point hadn’t played since an 81-22 win at Morton on Dec. 11. Seibert thought the Bulldogs, who led 19-15 after the first quarter, were a bit rusty in the early part of the game.
But they didn’t take long to get more on track.
“We talk all the time — confidence is something you can’t fake,” Seibert said. “You have to believe in one another. At times, it feels like we may have more confidence in them than they have in themselves.
“But that’s started to manifest this year in our kids. They believe in each other, they trust each other and they know if they make one more pass to a person who has a higher-percentage shot, that’s usually the right play.”
Santiago agreed.
“We’re pretty confident,” she said. “Everyone comes to practice with the same mentality — all that matters is that we win at the end of the day.”