Third quarter run gives Nikes win over HTC

BY JOHN BOHNENKAMP
PCC SPORTS

FORT MADISON - Claire Pothitakis drove to the basket for a layup early in the third quarter of Holy Trinity’s Homecoming game against Notre Dame on Friday.
At that moment, the game was tied.
Four minutes later, the Class 1A 14th-ranked Nikes had grabbed control of the game.

The Crusaders’ 49-30 loss to Notre Dame was decided by a 25-2 run by the Nikes in the second half.
Holy Trinity coach Tony Johnson liked the position his team was in with that 23-23 tie with 6:42 to go.
“I think we got discouraged,” Johnson said. “We missed some easy shots, and we got discouraged by that. They made shots, and we didn’t.”
The Crusaders (3-2) trailed by five points at halftime and seven points to start the third quarter, then went on a 7-0 run, capped by the Pothitakis layup.
Then the Nikes took over. Madelyn Stutsman hit a 3-pointer, then Gabby Deery and Reagan Engberg had back-to-back layups. After Holy Trinity’s Avery Hopper scored inside, Notre Dame scored the final eight points of the quarter.
“When they were making shots, we might have panicked a little bit,” Johnson said. “But I told the girls after the game, what we didn’t do right can be corrected. And we have a lot of time to do that. It was not an ‘effort’ problem tonight. We fought hard.”
Hopper led Holy Trinity with 17 points, the only Crusader who scored in double figures.

Taylor Ackerman and Katy Stephens each had 13 points for Notre Dame. Rylie Todd added nine.
“We’re working four new starters in, so it’s going to take a little time,” Johnson said. “Like I said, the mistakes we made can be corrected."
Holy Trinity will take on it's second ranked team in less than a week when they hit the road on Tuesday for matchup with 2A No. 4 Van Buren in girls/boys varsity doubleheader.