Nick Niego is back as Brother Rice stuns St. Rita. A broken ankle. A stress fracture in his shin. ‘It was tough.’

After a breakout performance last winter, senior guard Nick Niego was expecting to make an even bigger impact this season for Brother Rice.

But Niego broke his left ankle, missed the whole summer and had another setback with a stress fracture in his shin during the preseason.

Since then, he has been working his way back into position to make a huge difference again.

“It was tough,” Niego said. “I had to get used to the injury. The first few games I played, it hurt. In the beginning of the season, I was a little wavering with my shot, but as time went on, I got more comfortable. I got more comfortable with these guys and my role.

“Things are working out now.”

They worked out well Wednesday night. Niego buried five 3-pointers and scored 15 points to help second-seeded Brother Rice knock off the third-seeded host Mustangs 72-65 in a Class 4A St. Rita Sectional semifinal.

Niagara recruit Ahmad Henderson poured in 34 points, including 29 in the second half, to lead the Crusaders (30-4). Khalil Ross contributed 13 points and eight rebounds and Zavier Fitch added seven points.

Nashawn Holmes led St. Rita (23-11) with 16 points. North Carolina recruit James Brown, Iowa State commit Nojus Indrusaitis and Melvin Bell scored 11 points apiece, while Illinois recruit Morez Johnson had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Niego started a fourth-quarter surge for Brother Rice, which trailed as many 13 points in the second quarter and was down 48-46 entering the fourth.

The Crusaders never trailed again after Niego hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 52-51 lead with 5:15 left, advancing to take on top-seeded Kenwood (28-6) at 7 p.m. Friday for the sectional title.

“My teammates were looking for me,” Niego said. “Ahmad and Cale (Cosme) got me the ball in the shot pocket with good passes and I was open.

“I was a little bit surprised I was open, but I could tell they were trying to focus on Ahmad.”

Niego spent most of the season coming off the bench.

At times, especially early on, his minutes were limited as he struggled with the injury. As the playoffs approached, he worked his way back into the starting lineup.

“It wasn’t easy for him,” Brother Rice coach Conte Stamas said of Niego. “I think the injury took something out of him mentally. When he came back, he missed a couple shots here and there. He just needed to knock down a few to get his confidence back.

“He stays after practice all the time putting in extra shooting. It’s all that extra effort that he put in that’s got him to this point.”

Henderson completely took over down the stretch, too. His 3-pointer broke a 54-54 tie with 2:55 to go, and he shot 12 of 14 on free throws in the final two minutes to seal the win.

“I guess you can call me the closer,” Henderson said. “That’s what my team looks for me to do. I just want to win. That’s my main thing. I want to do whatever it takes to win.”

Holmes, on the flip side, was proud of the way St. Rita persevered through an up-and-down season facing a tough schedule.

“We never let up,” Holmes said. “We continued to work hard through the doubt from people talking about the losses we had. We kept fighting all season.

“It’s tough to lose this one. It’s my last high school game, but we went out fighting. That’s all I can ask for.”

The Crusaders, meanwhile, are in the Sweet 16. Thanks in part to Niego’s resurgence.

“I just try not to get too high or too low,” Niego said. “I try to stay the same. I knew my time would come. It came, and I’m trying to take advantage of it.”

Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.