Bandits in the News

Varsity Basketball Special Appreciation Games

Bandits Basketball invites all alumnae, families, and fans to cheer on Resurrection at the upcoming special Varsity games:

 

Upcoming Home Games

Alumnae Appreciation Night - Friday, January 3
Free admission for all alumnae! Alumnae will be honored in a special way!

Teacher Appreciation Night - Tuesday, January 7
Each Varsity player has selected a teacher who will be honored and all educators will be celebrated in a special way.

Jr. Bandit Night - Thursday, January 16
A great evening of Bandits basketball for Jr. Bandits to come, enjoy prizes thrown into the stands and games on the court during at halftime. 
Free admission for grammar school students. Adult admission $4

Senior Night - Saturday, January 18 
A special game honoring the Class of 2020.

Fine Arts Appreciation Night - Thursday, January 21 
Appreciating the fine arts at Resurrection!

First Responder Appreciation Night - Thursday, January 23 
Join us as we recognize our basketball first responder parents and other first responders! Parents from all levels are invited to be a part of this event at the varsity game which is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 pm. If you are a first responder and can make it to the game contact Lou Carre for more information at loucarre5150@yahoo.com.

T-Shirts and Sweatshirts are also available for purchase!
Order by contacting Lou Carre at  loucarre5150@yahoo.com 
by the close of business on January 12th, 2020.

Sisters of the Resurrection Appreciation Night - Thurs, February 6 
An opportunity to honor the Sisters of the Resurrection 

Check out the complete schedule at https://il.8to18.com/resurrection/schedule/basketball/g/v/2019-2020

Suiting Up Again: Saldana Returns to the Resurrection Lineup after Missing Last Season

By: Hunter Tickel | PrivatePrepsPress.com

The highs and lows on a rehab journey can feel perpetual.

When coupled with returning to a varsity sport, the prospect is best described as daunting.

Resurrection (1-1) senior guard Sam Saldana tore her ACL in the fall before her junior hoops season. As recently as this summer, she wasn’t sure if she would return to the hardwood.

“Physical therapy — the whole process — was long,” Saldana said. “It was really difficult to get through. I didn’t want to go back on the basketball court. It was hard thinking about it. It was so much work getting through the rehab. I had the biggest fear of getting back on the court.”

Her ultimate low was not being around her teammates — who she considers family — last year.

Her persistence to return stemmed from picturing herself donning the Resurrection red and white with her teammates in her final year.

In particular, with her running mate, senior guard Madison Dorband.

“It’s our senior year,” Saldana said. “We do this game together. We just read each other’s (minds) and know each other so well.”

In her first contest back — a 47-42 loss to IC Catholic on Friday — Saldana jumped the passing lane and finished a layup in transition with two minutes, 46 seconds left in the first quarter, making her first bucket look like she hadn’t skipped a beat.

“It feels good to be back and playing with the team,” Saldana said. “I can trust them and know they always got my back, no matter what. I love being back in it. Playing with my best friend and my whole team. I love it.”

Saldana patrolled the floor with the movement of a player at near-100 percent health. She stepped into 3-pointers with confidence, drove to the hole and her half-court heave at the end of the second nearly dropped.

“Sam is steady, we know what we are going to get from Sam,” coach Jon Palicki said. “She’s a smart basketball player. She’s known how to play the game since she was 5-years-old.”

She finished with seven points, six rebounds, a team-best four assists and a steal.

“It was the best feeling ever,” Dorband said. “Having her not on the court with me was like playing a game I didn’t really know, because we work so well together. We can read each other so well. It’s something so different that I don’t have with other girls on the team.”

Q&A with Resurrection Bandits Bowling 

Q&A, Resurrection bowling

By: Hunter Tickel | PrivatePrepsPress.com

PrivatePrepsPress.com caught up with Resurrection bowling coach Rick Clark on the eve of the team’s first bowling match.

Private Preps: Who are some strong athletes you have this season?

Clark: Junior Valeri Colin, senior Becky Gawlinski and senior Maggie Lovell are the returning bowlers from last year. They will be expected to be the leaders of this year’s young and inexperienced team. All three are quality student-athletes and experienced bowlers, who have been through the rigors of a varsity season.

P: What matches are you most looking forward to?

C: I am looking forward to all of our conference matches in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference. We are the defending champions — even though we graduated a lot of seniors — I look forward to the challenge of defending our title in a rebuilding year with a young team.

P: What are the goals for this squad?

C: Our goals are to get better with each practice, improvement in individual and team scores, defending our GCAC title and advancing our team and individuals in the IHSA state playoffs. I believe we are capable of advancing as a team into the sectional and have a good chance to advance individuals with hard work.

P: What area of the game do you expect your team to be the strongest at?

C: Not sure as of yet, we’re just beginning our season, and with four first-year players, I'm still learning our strengths. Our first-ball delivery has been very strong through the first few weeks of practice, but it ultimately comes down to learning and identifying lane conditions, oil patterns and making the necessary adjustments during a game. Being strong at spare shooting will be huge — spares win games.

2019-20 Bandits Varsity Bowling Roster

 

With a bevy of leaders back in the fold, Resurrection has the makeup of a squad poised to top last year’s second-place showing in their conference and regional.

The Bandits roster contains four seniors, three juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen.

The upperclass-underclass mix equips the program with veterans and a look at the future.

Guards: The starting duo of junior Kellie Forrestal and sophomore Bridget Kovac will shape the backcourt.

Kovac made an immediate impact in her first year, earning a spot in the starting five.

“Last year, even though I was a freshman, I wasn’t treated any differently,” Kovac said. “It wasn’t separated by age.”

Her running mate, Forrestal, believes in her young teammate’s abilities.

“I feel like Bridget was one of the few that literally fit in right away,” Forrestal, the 5-foot-4 captain, said. “(She) didn’t take a while to fit in, talent-wise, too.”

Coach Jon Palicki said Forrestal will be the Bandits’ primary ball handler.

Senior Sam Saldana returns to the hardwood after suffering a torn ACL, last fall. The 5-foot-3 guard will see a lot of playing time if she can have a smooth return.

Senior guard Kaitlyn Jettner logged substantial hours in the gym at the team’s offseason workouts.

“Kaitlyn Jettner probably went to every single one of those workouts and did as much as she could,” senior Annie Quinn said.

Palicki said the veteran, Jettner, is the ‘heart and soul’ of the squad.

“I think Kaitlyn is a girl that is the most (dedicated), by a lot,” Palicki said. “She works the hardest, she has the best attitude. She made the team because she worked (for it).”

Sophomore Jaden De Guzman will provide depth for this group, she ran cross country in the fall.

“I think the ultimate goal is to take (our positive aspects) from last season,” Forrestal said. “We were a really good team, we had our strengths. (We need to) improve upon everything.”

Forwards: The Bandits are paced by the Quinn-Madison Dorband tandem — all-conference selections last year.

“I think the best two (players) we have coming back are Annie Quinn and Madison Dorband,” Palicki. “They both bring very different things. Annie is a very overall polished player. I think offensively she drives to the hoop very well. She shoots above average. She is a dynamite defender. She is really a big-time vocal leader.”

In 29 games, Quinn brought in 4.2 rebounds per game and dished out 1.3 assists, while shooting 40 percent from the floor.

Dorband is team’s leading returning scorer with 11.7 a game, 1.2 assists per game, on the defensive end, she averaged .55 blocks and 3.5 steals a game, to go with 3.8 boards.

“Madison brings an electric energy offensively, defensively she can really create on her own,” Palicki said. “We have an abundance of players coming back from last season, which is very exciting. We are a young group, again.”

Another sophomore looking to log quality minutes, like Kovac, is Christina Simonetti — the Bandits’ tallest player at 6-foot.

“She has really put in a lot of work and impressed her teammates,” Palicki said. “She will definitely play a big part as a post player."