Nazareth Academy senior girls basketball standout Stella Sakalas often has a welcome visitor alongside the court just before the end of halftime wearing a school hat and trademark scarf.
“That’s my dad,” Sakalas said. “Oh my gosh, he gets so excited. That scarf, he loves it. The scarf is his calling card. He usually just gives some fatherly advice and it works out well.”
Whatever the plans for the second half Monday, Sakalas and the Roadrunners responded in a big way at the Class 4A Lyons Township Super-Sectional. They defeated Waubonsie Valley 54-42 to earn the program’s sixth downstate trip in the past eight postseasons behind a 13-2 run after the game was tied 37-37 with 6:26 remaining.
Senior Lyla Shelton (team-high 18 points with 4 three-pointers), Sakalas (9 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists), juniors Sophia Towne (17 points with 3 threes), Sam Austin (5 points, 11 rebounds) and Molly Moore (4 assists) and freshman Mia Gage (4 rebounds) contributed for the Roadrunners.
“It means the world,” said Sakalas, the 5-foot-10 Brigham Young recruit. “I’ve been playing with some of (my teammates) since fifth grade so it feels like such a full-circle moment, being able to go back downstate with all of these people I love so much.”
Nazareth (31-3) plays in the state semifinals at 2:30 p.m., Friday, at Illinois State University in Normal against Belleville East (28-5) in its downstate debut. Opponents in the third-place game (8:15 p.m. Friday) or state championship (6 p.m. Saturday) are Loyola Academy (33-2) or Rolling Meadows (23-10).
The Roadrunners have won 23 straight since their last loss Dec. 30 to complete a 1-2 trip at the Tampa Bay Christmas Tournament in Florida. Sakalas was a key reserve on the program’s first state championship team in 2023 for 3A and started for the second-place finisher in 2024 after Nazareth was moved up to 4A. Towne was the first player off the bench in the 2024 semifinal and championship games.
Nazareth’s Stella Sakalas (32) drives to the basket between the Downers Grove North defense during the Class 4A Hinsdale Central Sectional finals Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 in Hinsdale, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Nazareth’s Samantha Austin (2) drives to the basket for a lay up against Downers Grove North’s Elizabeth Murphy (34) during the Class 4A Hinsdale Central Sectional finals Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 in Hinsdale, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Nazareth’s Mia Gage (4) puts up a shot over Downers Grove North’s Eva Yerkovich (2) during the Class 4A Hinsdale Central Sectional finals Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 in Hinsdale, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Nazareth’s Molly Moore (33) starts a fast break up court against Downers Grove North’s Gianna Goodwin (23) during the Class 4A Hinsdale Central Sectional finals Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 in Hinsdale, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Nazareth’s Sophia Towne (5) puts up a 3-point attempt against Downers Grove North during the Class 4A Hinsdale Central Sectional finals Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 in Hinsdale, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark)
“Now it’s more important to me to be able to do this with this team and these seniors. This is always our goal, too,” Towne said. “This atmosphere is always so much fun to play in. I think all of our emotions got into the game. That’s how we got the lead at the end.”
The Roadrunners’ fourth-quarter surge included seven points and a three from Shelton and six points on three baskets by Towne, often from feeds by Sakalas, who had four assists along with two baskets.
The Warriors (32-4) overcame an early 14-3 deficit with five threes in the second quarter to tie the game 25-25. After tying the game at 37 on a conventional three-point play, they made just 1 of their next 13 shots until a last-second layup.
The end result was a single-game season low.
“That tells you our defense is working,” Nazareth coach Eddie Stritzel said. “You can’t take [downstate] for granted. We’re going to give it our all. We’re a 3A school so we’re really using that as momentum.”
Waubonsie won the East Aurora Sectional by defeating Benet Academy, which the Roadrunners beat 44-37 Jan. 28 in winning the East Suburban Catholic Conference title outright after losing their first meeting 58-36 Dec. 13 – their only loss this season to an Illinois opponent.
Last season, Nazareth’s season ended on the same LTHS court in a one-point loss to eventual 4A state champion Kenwood in the sectional semifinals.
“We still watch the game,” Sakalas said. “Especially at this court, we figured we had to win this game, literally just had to score more points than the other team. We just kept saying that.”
Nazareth boys basketball
The Roadrunners (15-18), the No. 6 seed in the Class 3A Hinsdale South Sectional, lost to No. 3 Wheaton Academy 57-40 in the Ridgewood Regional final Friday after beating No. 9 Ridgewood 57-46, Feb. 25.