Quinn Sigal had a lot on her plate as she prepared for her freshman year at Neuqua Valley.

Not only was there the usual adjustment from middle school to high school, but Sigal was also rehabbing after surgery for a torn ACL in March.

“It was really hard at first,” she said. “I went through a lot of struggles. I was really down on myself.

“It took me a while to get my confidence, but all the girls on the team have been so encouraging and so helpful and so welcoming to me, and they’ve just made it a lot better and a lot easier a transition.”

Sigal, a 5-foot-6 guard, made an impressive recovery and was cleared to practice after six months. She was on a minutes restriction at first but has joined the starting lineup.

If her play Monday night is any indication, Sigal could be there to stay. She made three early steals and also contributed seven points, three rebounds and an assist as the visiting Wildcats routed Plainfield East 80-53 in a nonconference game.

Sigal’s performance didn’t surprise Neuqua Valley senior guard/forward Kylee Norkus, an Evansville commit who led all players with 23 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.

“That’s expected,” Norkus said. “She’s a hard worker on and off the floor. I feel her (recovery from) injury definitely brought her some momentum for the start of the season. She’s just stuck with that, and it’s translating to the court.”

Sigal’s typical position is shooting guard. But her first start came at point guard when she replaced senior Zoe Navarro, who was sick, in the Wildcats 56-44 loss to Homewood-Flossmoor on Saturday.

The Wildcats (5-4) led 16-5 in that game, which was the third they have lost after squandering a double-digit lead.

“It was kind of unfortunate that we couldn’t pull out the win,” Sigal said. “But we battled to the end, and I was proud of the team for that.”

Neuqua Valley coach Mike Williams is proud of Sigal’s willingness to play anywhere she’s needed. He started Sigal at center against Plainfield East (4-4).

“She’s not afraid,” Williams said. “When Zoe was out sick, I said, ‘Listen, you’ve got to be point guard, just learn these four or five plays.’ She said, ‘I’ve got it.’

“The other day I said, ‘You’ve got to play the 5.’ She’s like, ‘I’ve got it.’ She’s always up for the challenge.”

The challenge on Monday was trying to limit Plainfield East’s Lexi Sepulveda. The 5-10 Southern Indiana recruit averaged 22.7 points last season.

Sepulveda finished with a team-high 16 points, but most of them came after the outcome was no longer in doubt.

“I was mostly focusing on Lexi because our game plan was to stop her from driving because she’s a very dominant player,” Sigal said. “I came away with a couple steals, and I was very grateful that I was able to do that and start the team off strong.”

Sigal turned her first steal into a coast-to-coast layup. She followed the second steal with a pass to Navarro, who was fouled and sank two free throws.

On the next possession, Sigal made another steal and fed Norkus for a layup. She then scored on a fast-break layup for a 14-0 lead.

“She got the spark going, and when you get that from a freshman, all of a sudden the coaches look pretty good,” Williams said. “So it’s good to see.”

Williams is also pleased to see how Sigal is fitting in with her older teammates.

“I love her ability to galvanize people together,” Williams said. “As a freshman, she’s out talking, ‘Hey, we’ve got to do this, we’ve got to do that.’ That takes a lot of courage, especially when we’ve got some kids that have been here for a long time.”

Norkus, who also started as a freshman, has become a trusted mentor.

“High school is a big jump, but you just have to have confidence,” she said. “I talk to her and (freshman forward) Olivia Beaman about that a lot: ‘Confidence is going to make you be a great basketball player and a team player.’ She’s been doing really well with that.”

Williams said Sigal is doing well holding herself accountable for her mistakes.

“I’m a pretty ambitious player,” Sigal said. “I always want more. I’m always pushing myself. I’m not quite satisfied with how I’m at right now. I can always do better, but I’d say it’s a pretty good start.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.