Nike runs put away HTC girls

BY JOHN BOHNENKAMP
PCC SPORTS

BURLINGTON — It was a sign of what is coming in the future for the Holy Trinity girls basketball team, and it came in the third quarter of Tuesday’s 80-61 loss to No. 7 (Class 1A) Notre Dame.
Freshman Teagan Snaadt raced down the middle of the court after a steal, with sophomore Natalie Randolph in front of her, to her left.
Snaadt snapped a quick pass ahead, and Randolph converted it into a layup to complete a textbook fast-break.
Then the Crusaders made turnovers on their next three possessions, and Notre Dame turned those into six points.
Holy Trinity (10-9 overall, 10-6 SEI Superconference South Division) continues to grow as a team, but the youthfulness of the team showed up against the Nikes (18-0, 15-0), especially late in the third quarter.
The Crusaders were within 52-43 with less than a minute to go in the quarter, but Notre Dame scored five points in the final 25 seconds, starting an 11-0 run that put this game out of reach.
“We got a run there at the end of the third quarter to get back in the game, and that’s all you can ask for,” Holy Trinity coach Tony Johnson said. “We gave ourselves a chance late.
“When we play them, it’s all about composure. And then we lose our composure a little bit, and then they hit a few threes, and then, bam, it’s back to a 15-point lead and then you have to dig your way out.”
Holy Trinity kept pace with the Nikes for most of the first half before Notre Dame went on a 14-5 run to take a 33-19 lead with 3:08 to play in the second quarter. The Nikes maintained that double-digit lead until that late third-quarter run by piling up the second-chance points.
“I thought we did fine on offense,” said Johnson, whose team scored just 26 points against the Nikes in a December 21 loss. “I’m pleased with the offense. I don’t think the defense was even that bad. It was the second-chance points. It seemed like every second-chance play they had was a 3-pointer, and they didn’t miss them.”
Randolph led the Crusaders with 24 points. Mary Kate Bendlage had 16 points. Kassi Randolph had 10.
Megan Harrell led Notre Dame with 22 points. Gabby Deery, Reagan Engberg and Lauren Krieger each had 12.
“I’m pleased with everything we did,” Johnson said. “Too many second-chance points, and they capitalized on that.”