Girls basketball Player of the Year: QND’s Schreacke shows leadership on and off court

QUINCY — In the hallway outside the Illini West gym, in the wake of the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s 40-38 victory in a battle of state-ranked teams, Raiders freshman guard Sage Stratton struggled to shake what might have been.

With less than four seconds remaining and QND inbounding the ball from the baseline, Stratton couldn’t find an open teammate, resulting in a five-second call that gave possession back to Illini West. Although a last-second shot rimmed long and the Raiders emerged victorious, the five-second call had Stratton in tears.

So before the Raiders met their families in the gym, junior guard Abbey Schreacke pulled Stratton aside for a little counseling.

“Things she needed to hear,” Schreacke said.

Schreacke understands that better than most.

She started as a freshman and has been a mainstay in the QND lineup ever since, twice earning first-team all-state honors and developing into the most sought-after recruit in this area with a bevy of NCAA Division I schools wooing her.

So when she talks, others listen.

Stratton did. When they finished talking, Stratton wiped the tears away, learned from the moment and became a crucial piece of the Raiders’ run to the Class 2A state championship.

At the same time, the conversation revealed the evolution of Schreacke as a leader off the floor as much as she is on the court. The leading vote-getter on the Associated Press Class 2A all-state team for the second year in a row, Schreacke is one of the most gifted scorers in QND history who finished this season averaging 25.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

It’s what people don’t see that sets Schreacke apart.

It happened during spring break.

About mid-morning on a Thursday, Schreacke found herself alone in The Pit. She put herself through a series of drills, attempting shots from mid-range to beyond the 3-point stripe to along the baseline. The basketball season was over and softball season had begun, yet her drive to be the best basketball player in QND history had her in the gym when she could have been relaxing.

When you look at it from afar, you realize it’s the snapshot of a champion and the inaugural Muddy River Sports Player of the Year.

Schreacke sat down with Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman to talk about the season, the championship and life as an NCAA Division I target. Take a look: