By Scott Taylor
@Taylor_Sports
It was an eventful year for the Niles area. Here are the top stories of 2015 for the area.
Gymnast wins state
Niles West sophomore Nomondali Jamiyankhuu didn’t get medical clearance to compete in gymnastics this season until April and even then, he was supposed to only compete in four events at the sectional meet.
He, however, competed in all six events and qualified for the all-around for the state tournament.
There, he posted a score of 52.7 and won the state title in the all-around.
In the all around, Jamiyankhuu posted a 9.1 on floor, a 9.05 on pommel horse, a 7.70 on rings, a 9.20 on vault, an 8.45 on parallel bar, an 9.2 on high bar, for an average of 8.783.
Jamiyankhuu said coming back from his injury to compete this season was never a question.
“I love gymnastics. I have been doing it for nine years now,” he said. “When I was out, I would go to the gym and see the other kids out there and that gave me more motivation to go out there and do it. They are improving and I was sitting there injured with a broken back. Seeing that motivated me to come back and get better.”
Loyd goes pro
Fans of Notre Dame women’s basketball who may have been hoping All-American Jewell Loyd would exercise a small window of opportunity to reconsider her decision to declare for last week’s WNBA draft were undoubtedly left disappointed.
Loyd, a former prep All-American under coach Tony Konsiewicz at Niles West, followed through on being drafted, and was chosen the first overall pick by the Seattle Storm, becoming the first player in Notre Dame history to be selected No. 1.
Niles West’s Nomondali Jamiyankuu won the all-around at the state meet.
She was followed in the draft by 6-foot-5 Swedish native Amanda Zahui B., a red-shirt sophomore at Minnesota who was taken by the Tulsa Shock. Although Loyd and Zahui B. are underclassmen, they were eligible for the WNBA draft because they will both turn 22 this year.
The 5-10 junior guard announced that she would go into the draft one day after the Irish lost to Connecticut in the NCAA championship game for the second straight year, thus passing up her final year of eligibility at Notre Dame.
Ochal 2nd in state
Notre Dame’s Tom Ochal did just about everything he could do at the state tournament over the weekend at St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon except shoot a 300 and win the tournament.
Those accomplishments went to Harlem’s Jacob Nimtz, who shot a pair of 300s and won the title with a state-record 3,011, a 250.9 average.
However, Ochal was next best, taking second place by 41 pins with a 2,756 total, a 229.7 average.
“I was just making sure I had the same speed and hit the same spot on the lane every time,” Ochal said. “I didn’t think about any other teams, I just thought about my own shots and the team.”
Ochal’s performance made him all-state, which goes to the top 12 individuals.
Ochal went 60 for 60 Friday, not leaving a frame open the whole day. That put him in great shape with a 1,471, good for second place.
On the final day he was able to hold on to his spot thanks to games of 195, 221, 244, 190, 232 and 203.
Dons push champs to brink
Stevenson’s Jalen Brunson was as good as advertised in a Waukegan Class 4A sectional semifinal game versus Notre Dame, but the Patriots needed every one of his 41 points to hold off the upset-minded Dons and post a 78-77 victory.
Notre Dame, the No. 4 seed, trailed 66-52 early in the fourth quarter, yet the Dons refused to succumb to the Patriots and went on a 10-0 run, pulling to within four of Stevenson, 66-62, with 3:41 left on a putback basket from Joe Mooney.
Brunson didn’t hit a single shot from the floor during the fourth quarter—in fact, Stevenson managed just one basket over the final eight minutes—but the senior All-American calmly sank eight straight free throws over the next three minutes … just enough to keep Notre Dame at bay.
The Dons had one last chance to tie with 4.8 seconds left. They were hoping to get either Mooney or junior Ammar Becar an open look at a three-pointer, but weren’t able to do so. Junior Anthony D’Avanzo, who led Notre Dame with 24 points, did score on a layup with three seconds to go, but the Dons didn’t have any timeouts remaining and Stevenson was able to let the clock run out without having to inbound the ball.
The Patriots went on to win the state title.
Doubles team repeats success
Expectations were high for Kamila Czosnyka and Marti Wind after the duo finished in the top eight of state last year.
The Maine South duo performed well at state again this year with another top eight finish.
They opened play with four wins. They beat Champaign Centennial 6-0, 6-1, Libertyville 6-3, 6-3, Oak Park-River Forest 6-2, 6-1 and Barrington 1-6, 7-6, 6-4.
They finished Friday with a 7-5, 6-1 loss to Hinsdale Central.
They came back to beat Guilford 8-2 before losing to New Trier 8-4.
Boys track medals
Before this season, Northridge Prep High School in Niles had never had a field event earn a medal at the state meet.
That all changed in O’Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University when senior Forest Moses became the first field event medalist in the 39-year history of the school.
Moses cleared 6-feet, 6-inches in the high jump and placed seventh in the 1A state meet becoming only the second medalist in school lore and first since Jim Kestler placed ninth in the 3200-meter run in 2002.
Maine East also had a state medalist, as junior Torrain Haughton finished fifth in 1:53.76.