BURLINGTON — The difference between the first game of the girls basketball season and the second one could be seen in Central Lee’s point total.
The biggest difference, though, went a lot deeper in points.
It was all about the physicality for the Hawks in the second half of Friday’s 57-43 win over Notre Dame.
Central Lee (1-1 overall, 1-1 Superconference South Division) almost doubled its offensive output from Tuesday’s 43-29 loss to Holy Trinity, but it was on the defensive end where the Hawks dominated.
Central Lee held Notre Dame to just five third-quarter points to take control of the game after leading just 31-29 at halftime.
“Honestly, we just continued to be physical like we were in the first half,” Central Lee coach Taylor Hickey said. “We just didn’t foul as much. We kept our hands up, we kept playing the defense we’re capable of playing, and we were able to get turnovers.”
“Our physicality was a little bit better,’ said Kenna Sandoval, who led the Hawks with 16 points. “We had first-game jitters (against Holy Trinity) and it didn’t go our way that night. But we came back with our physicality, and we used it a lot better in this game.”
Hickey said she used some more intense drills in practice on Wednesday and Thursday to ramp up the Hawks’ competitiveness, especially on defense.
“This was a whole different team than I saw on Monday,” Hickey said. “A lot of that was the first game. It's hard playing at Holy Trinity. They're physical, too, and honestly, we just weren't in a rhythm yet. And I feel like tonight, we were able to create some things with our defense and find some openings inside on offense.”
Central Lee opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run and kept that momentum going, leading 49-34 early in the fourth quarter.
“We switched back to a man-to-man (defense), and that really helped to really put pressure on them,” Sandoval said. “We got a lot of turnovers, and that led to some easy baskets for us.”
“I thought we were smart on the offensive end,” Hickey said. “No one just trying to do it all. And then we were really looking for other open players, and getting good shots.”
Taylor Jones added 11 for the Hawks. Lizzy Mason had nine points.
It’s a busy stretch for Central Lee. The Hawks play Canton (Mo.) on Saturday, then play host to Columbus on Monday.
“It's really gonna keep us focused,” Sandoval said. “We won’t have time to think about the previous games, we’ll have to be ready to play the next one.”.
Central Lee defeated Notre Dame for the first time since 2019, snapping a 10-game losing streak to the Nikes. It was the first win for Hickey over her alma mater.
“It's always tough playing here,” Hickey said. “You want to be competitive and compete the best you can. But they've always just had taller girls. It’s a nice feeling to get a win here.”
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here