Center Grove grad joins another winning tradition

<p>When she played basketball at Center Grove, Allison Utterback was accustomed to being a part of undersized lineups that usually featured four guards.</p><p>College ball has been an entirely different world.</p><p>Now a sophomore at Lewis University, a Division II school located in Chicago’s southwest suburbs, Utterback has the opportunity to play with one of the best centers in the country in All-American Jess Kelliher.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>It’s been an adjustment, but one that Utterback is enjoying.</p><p>“I’m playing with the best post in Division II,” she said. “I don’t feel pressured to make a play. If there are three-plus girls on her, it opens up a lot of shots for our shooters.”</p><p>Utterback is taking advantage. A key reserve for the 15th-ranked Flyers, the former Trojan is hitting 38 percent of her 3-point attempts. Her shooting and defense have made her an invaluable part of a second unit that coach Sam Quigley Smith, a former DePaul star, places quite a bit of faith in.</p><p>“You don’t want the level of play to drop, and (our bench) has increased the level of play,” Quigley Smith said.</p><p>It’s a far more significant role than Utterback played as a freshman, when she saw just 68 minutes of playing time. Quigley Smith says that Utterback has become a more confident player this season, and it’s showing — particularly in her shot. Utterback has nearly doubled her 3-point percentage after making just 3 of 14 as a freshman.</p><p>Much of that confidence can be attributed to greater preparation.</p><p>“She’s always in here breaking down sets and plays,” Quigley Smith said. “She’s studying the game more.”</p><p>Utterback, who helped lead Center Grove to two sectional championships, came to college accustomed to being part of a winner. At Lewis, it’s been a lot more of the same.</p><p>The Flyers, who were 24-8 a year ago, opened this season with a six-point defeat against Northern Michigan. They’ve lost just once since, a 69-66 thriller at top-ranked and unbeaten Drury.</p><p>Lewis could get a chance to avenge that last setback in the championship game of the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament next month — the Panthers and Flyers have clinched the league’s top two seeds.</p><p>Regardless of the outcome, Lewis is a safe bet to make its seventh consecutive NCAA tournament appearance — and the team is confident that it can go a long way.</p><p>“We want to win a national championship,” Utterback said. “That’s been a goal since I got here, and that’s one of the reasons I came to Lewis; we’re always competing for a ring.”</p>