The goal for Carthage College women's basketball during coach Tim Bernero's tenure (113-71, 7 years) has always been a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin title, as well as the kind of national respect that leads to a berth in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship. While the former goal remains elusive, the 2010 team (24-5, 12-2, 2nd College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) broke down the NCAA door in a big way.
Despite losing to Elmhurst College, 68-56, in the semifinals of the CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament, Carthage's solid in-region record was more than enough to secure an at-large berth in the NCAA championship for only the second time in school history. The Lady Reds were assigned to Wisconsin-Whitewater where they defeated Northland College, 73-60, in a first-round game. Carthage edged Wisconsin-Whitewater, 79-74, in the second round to advance to the sectionals.
The Lady Reds had reason to believe that the sectional championship was going to be conducted at Carthage's Tarble Arena, but the NCAA awarded the event to Washington University (Mo.) in St. Louis, Mo. Carthage drew defending-national-champion George Fox University in the sectional semifinals and fell to Bruins by a 55-48 margin.
The George Fox game was a defensive tussle throughout as each team struggled against the other's defense, Carthage in a tight man-to-man and George Fox in an active 2-3 zone. The first half featured four ties and nine lead changes. With Rosie Dorn scoring two baskets and Diana Jacklin three goals plus a free throw, the Lady Reds went on an 11-1 run to take a six-point lead, 33-27, early in the second half.
The Bruins rallied for take a 38-35 edge at 10:55, but the Lady Reds tied the game three more times, the last at 46-46 on a jumper by Dorn with 4:38 to play. George Fox ended the game on a 9-2 run over the final 4:38 to clinch its second-straight trip to the NCAA sectional finals. With the score knotted at 46-46, senior Elise Kuenzi sank a pair of free-throws to put George Fox up by two, and the Bruins led by five following a Lindsay Keener three-pointer.
“We needed to speed it up a bit,” said coach Bernero, “but their defense dictated the tempo. It was a tough game with high intensity. These kids are impressive. We have wonderful, tough kids who played against a great team and we battled toe to toe with them. It came down to a couple shots, a couple rebounds, a couple plays. Every time it looked like we could stretch it out they got back into it. They hit a big three with 2:22 to stretch it from two to five, and we just couldn't recover.”
Carthage opened its season by winning six in a row en route to a 10-1 non-conference mark. The only blemish on the Lady Reds' early-season record was a 59-57 loss to NAIA Robert Morris University (Ill.). On Dec. 28, Carthage knocked off then-No. 1 Hope College, 51-47, at the Oglethorpe University Holiday Classic in Atlanta, Ga. The Lady Reds would win a game over another No. 1 team later in the season, when they edged CCIW-opponent Illinois Wesleyan University, 72-67, at Tarble Arena on Jan. 30. The win over the Titans was part of a school-record 11-game winning streak, and the team's 24 wins broke a school record set by coach Cathy Lirgg's 1982 team which went 20-11. The Lady Reds also made their seventh appearance in eight years in the CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament.
Three Carthage players were named 2010 All-CCIW. Diana Jacklin (Jr., Berwyn, Ill./Morton West) was named first-team all-conference. Jacklin finished the regular-season ranked fourth among CCIW scoring leaders (14.9 points per game), fourth in rebounding (7.5 per game), third in field-goal percentage (.550), third in blocked shots (1.60 per game) and seventh in steals (1.76 per game). Heather Gilmore (Sr., Des Moines, Iowa/Pleasant Hill-Southeast) was named second-team All-CCIW. Gilmore was 17th in scoring at 10.1 points per game, third in assists at 4.04 per game, third in steals at 2.48 per game and 14th in free-throw percentage (.702). Rosie Dorn (graduated-senior, Chicago, Ill./Wilmette-Regina Dominican, fifth in field-goal percentage at .527 and 11th in rebounding at 5.8 per game) earned third-team all-conference honors. Carthage coach Tim Bernero and Illinois Wesleyan University's Mia Smith were named “Co-CCIW Women's Basketball Coaches of the Year.”
Carthage led all NCAA Division III teams in field-goal percentage (.468) in 2010 and was third in three-point field-goal percentage (.384). In the former, the Lady Reds edged out second-place Lake Forest College (.467), Maryville College (.460), Christopher Newport University (.459) and Ferrum College (.458). In three-point field-goal percentage, Carthage trailed first-place Christopher Newport (.445) and Colby College (.408). Individually, Carthage's Dani Ripkey (So., Deerfield, Ill.) was ranked 10th among NCAA Division III leaders in three-point field-goal percentage (.423).
“In looking back on this experience,” said coach Bernero at the end of the year, “you hope your younger kids were observant of the senior leaders we had in Rosie Dorn and Katie Klemke. Once you get the feeling of being among the top teams in the country, the competitor in you wants more. For our kids to be this complete on and off the court and battle with this much courage is a special thing. Every team is different, and no season is the same, but the challenge for this group is to take the torch from these great leaders and show next year's team how to play at this level.”
Head coach Tim Bernero loses just two-of-15 letterwinners, both starters, from last year's 24-5 NCAA team. Lost to graduation are third-team All-CCIW forward Rosie Dorn and starting point guard Katie Klemke. First-team All-CCIW center Diana Jacklin and second-team all-conference guard Heather Gilmore lead the returnees, along with guard Dani Ripkey (Jr., Deerfield, Ill., played in all 29 games, 9.4 points per game with a .423 three-point field-goal percentage).
Other returnees include forward Cailee Corcoran (So., Oak Lawn, Ill./Chicago-Marist, played in all 29 games, 5.0 points per game, 3.3 rebounds), guard Allison Groessl (Jr., Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South, played in all 29 games, 4.6 points per game), guard Taylor Tondelli (Sr., Downers Grove, Ill./South, played in 26-of-29 games, 1.9 points per game), guard Drewann Pancratz (Jr., Schaumburg, Ill., played in 24-of-29 games, 2.4 points per game), guard Caris Alan (So., Elgin, Ill.), guard Kiki Phillips (Jr. Spencer, Wis.), forward Cory Bazany (Jr., Elgin, Ill./Burlington Central, played in 23 games, 1.5 points per game) and forward Kayla Timm (So., Rockford, Ill./Winnebago).
Leading newcomers include guard Gabby Chapa (Fr., Barrington, Ill./Lake Zurich, Daily Herald all-area), guard Stephanie Kuzmanic (Fr., Mount Prospect, Ill./Wheeling, All-Mid-Suburban League and Daily Herald all-area), forward Kristi Schmidt (Fr., Bloomington, Ill./Normal-Community, Big 12 Conference “co-player of the year” and Bloomington Pantagraph first-team all-area) and guard Haley Stercic (Fr., Chicago, Ill./Marist, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association honorable mention all-state).
“The three starters we have coming back all have something different to offer,” points out Bernero. “Diana Jacklin is a “player of the year” candidate. Heather Gillmore is as good of a perimeter player as there is in the league, and Dani Ripkey is one of the better three-point shooters in the nation. That nucleus, plus our other returning players, is exciting. With competition from our freshmen, I'm confident that we'll fill the two gaps in our starting lineup. More importantly, those three returning players should take the pressure off the two new starters.”
Carthage opens the season on Nov. 16 versus Concordia University (Wis.). The Lady Reds play a two-game trip in Sherman, Texas on Dec. 28-29, taking on Austin College and Texas-Dallas. Other non-conference opponents include Beloit College, Benedictine University (Ill.), Calvin College, the University of Chicago, Clarke College, Coe College, Loras College and Robert Morris University (Ill.).
“After the success we had last year, the expectation level will be up this year,” concludes Bernero, “but that's the fun part. We took some lumps a few years ago, but where we are now is where we wanted to go. We played the best teams in the country that past few years, and now we're in that group. We feel like we belong, but we still have some things to prove within the CCIW, because we haven't won a conference championship or a conference tournament yet.”
