By MATT GOLDBERG

Herald-Whig Sports Writer

NORMAL -- Montini's 2-3 zone forced QND to beat the Lady Broncos from the perimeter.

The Lady Raiders ended up shooting 1 for 16 from 3-point range.

"Being a little bit fatigued affected some of our shots there," Orne said. "Against their zone, if we weren't going to be able to knock down some shots from the outside we were going to struggle. I think you saw that."

The shooting woes were similar to Montini's performance against Freeport (30-5) in Friday's semifinal. The Lady Broncos missed their first 15 treys and finished the game 2 for 19 from beyond the arc.

On Saturday against QND, Montini went 5 for 10 from the perimeter. That included a perfect 1 for 1 performance in the second half.

QND didn't fare much better from the field, making 6 of 22 shots in the first half and 7 for 21 in the final half.

Players not the only emotional ones after losses: QND senior Janell Vermeire said earlier in the week that Orne is different than other coaches -- because he cares.

The eighth-year coach's emotions got the best of him when he began reflecting about the season at the post-game press conference.

"I told them before we hit the floor, besides the day of my wedding, I've never had so much fun," said Orne, while fighting back tears. "I don't know how we're going to replace that."

Replacing Renita: Bunte, who finished with six steals at state this weekend, will be the most difficult player to replace for QND. She is the only starter that doesn't return to the Lady Raiders next season.

"Renita's a huge factor to this team," Gengenbacher said. "She led us. She was a great scorer on our team. We're going to miss her a lot but we have a great team coming back next year. So hopefully we can come and do the same thing -- but only better."

Senior day: Orne opted to bring all seven of his seniors into the media room for the post-game press conference. Typically, teams only bring two players and the head coach.

"They were just the backbone to our success," Orne said. "They had gone from the highs of a freshman year going to the Sweet 16 and really missing out (on the state experience). Being back here, really working hard, they have endured the multiplier era. And here we are in the four-class system in the final four."

The multiplier, which causes non-boundary schools to multiply their enrollment by 1.65, began in 2005-06.

One 'Keck' of an ending: With her team trailing 50-33 with 14 seconds left in regulation, QND wasn't going to earn a third-place trophy.

While senior Kelli Keck would have traded her basket in the final seconds for a state championship, she made the most of her playing opportunity -- banking in a jump shot with 14 seconds left in the game.

To put that basket in perspective, Keck only made one other basket during the entire season.

Top teams set for return: Quincy Notre Dame returns Karlee Gengenbacher and Leigh McLaughlin, who will both be juniors, and Chloe Barnes and Natalie Siebers are back for their senior seasons.

"We're going to have to really work extremely hard," QND coach Eric Orne said. "Obviously we're not going to be a surprise on anybody's radar."

Freeport, who finished second after losing to Chicago Marshall (26-7) 58-47 in the Class 3A title game, also returns a quartet of starters. Suporia Dickens, Kelsey Hoefer, Courtney Shiffer return for their senior season, and all except Dickens have started since their freshman year.

Lombard Montini, who finished third in 3A this season, returns Michala Johnson, Whitney Holloway, Alison Seberger and Chrissy Fletcher.

Chicago Marshall, this year's Class 3A champion, returns its leading scorer, Adrienne Godbold. But other than that, Laquentra Lemons is the only other returning starter next season.

--mgoldberg@whig.com/221-3367