Olivia Kerndt’s double-double is a reminder ‘she’s invaluable’ — and sends Deerfield to state for the 1st time

Olivia Kerndt understands her role for Deerfield.

The senior forward could do more. She can rebound. She can score on putbacks. She can hit an 18-footer.

But Kerndt plays with three next-level guards.

“I think we have a lot of great guards, but sometimes our bigs do not get as much attention as they should,” she said. “At the end of the day, we know what we do, and our team knows what we do.”

Kerndt, a Wisconsin-Whitewater recruit, stepped out of the shadows Monday night. She recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and also drew two charges as Deerfield held off Montini for a 52-45 win in the Class 3A Dundee-Crown Supersectional in Carpentersville.

The Warriors (29-5) advance to the state semifinals for the first time in program history and will play Lincoln (34-0) at CEFCU Arena in Normal at 11:45 a.m. Friday.

Deerfield, which defeated defending state champion Carmel on Thursday to win its first sectional title, overcome a late-game injury to star senior guard Lexi Kerstein and a fourth-quarter surge by the Broncos (27-8) to pull out the victory.

Sophomore guard Aubrey Galvan scored 21 of her 23 points in the first half, sophomore guard Nikki Kerstein added 10 points and Lexi Kerstein, a Vermont recruit, finished with six points as the Warriors avenged a 55-49 loss to Montini on Dec. 13.

The 5-foot-11 Kerndt, a fourth-year starter along with Lexi Kerstein, was stellar on both ends, and her leadership was invaluable.

With the Warriors leading 45-37 in the fourth quarter, Galvan missed a long 3-point attempt and another shot during a three-possession sequence. Kerndt made a point to walk over to Galvan during a break on defense to settle her down.

“I’ve been here for a while, so I know there’s ups and downs in games and just try to take that leadership role because I know some of our players needed that,” Kerndt said. “When it comes to points where we maybe don’t need a shot, I tried to calm some players, like Aubrey, down.”

Kerndt was strong in the paint too. She scored four straight points in the third quarter to push the Warriors’ lead to 41-24.

“I started off not so great, but I just tried to do the little things, like get rebounds and take charges, to fuel my offense, and it ended up working out,” she said.

Kerndt’s twin sister, Morgan, has been a vital contributor all season, too, and they joined forces with junior forward Kate Trella to cause problems for Montini’s players in the paint.

“It feels awesome to go to state,” Olivia Kerndt said. “We’ve tried to build this slow. Between my sister and Lexi, we’ve started since the beginning. It’s bittersweet. I’m glad we’re ending on a high note together. I’m glad we’re able to do this after working together since our freshman year.”

Galvan credited Olivia Kerndt for doing all the little things to keep the Broncos from mounting a comeback.

“People definitely see the three guards but are not ready for Olivia,” Galvan said. “She adds the rebounds, has really good and underrated post moves, and she’s invaluable to our team.”

Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.