Notre Dame assistant basketball coach Marty Rankin needed just one word Friday to describe what the Pandas did to visiting Campbell County.
Connected.
Notre Dame connected early and often. Especially junior Emma Holtzapfel – her 19 points led a 54-39 win.
“It’s five girls connected, that’s what we have to be every time,” Rankin said. “And when we’re not connected, it doesn’t look nearly as good. But when we’re connected like (Friday), it causes fits.”
Holtzapfel went with the same word.
“From my perspective, it’s finding a way for everybody to contribute to the team,” she said. “We’re looking to get shots, we’re sharing the ball really well, and we’re connected on defense; our rotation was just amazing.”
At least two other words could’ve described what happened.
“Pressure” was one. Notre Dame’s full-court man-to-man press forced 18 Campbell County turnovers. (Notre Dame had 10.)
“We don’t get pressed a lot because we’re guard-oriented,” Campbell County coach Davey Johnson said. “We don’t get pressed a lot, so when you get a Notre Dame press that’s long and lengthy and very active, it makes you speed up whether you want to or not.”
You also could’ve used “3-pointers.” The Pandas knocked down eight for the night – Holtzapfel had five and Amelia Stallard knocked down the rest.
Campbell County dropped its second straight after six consecutive wins. (The Camels fell to Cooper, 65-48, on Wednesday.)
“We’ve got to do a better job of rebounding the basketball,” Johnson said. “That was the main culprit in the Cooper game. We gave up a lot of second-chance points. We’ve got to get out to faster starts.”
Campbell County (10-5) struggled through one of its most miserable quarters this season – Izzy Jayasuriya’s bucket a little less than two minutes in to the game and an Addie Davis score with only 1:35 to go were the Camels’ only points.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame (11-3) had little trouble scoring. The Pandas led, 20-4, after eight minutes.
There was long-distance scoring: Holtzapfel hit two 3s and Stallard added one.
There was converting Campbell County turnovers – Maya Lawrie’s steal and score gave Notre Dame a 10-2 lead.
And there was scoring from up close. The best example was Sophia Gibson’s layup with 18 seconds left – a play in which she missed, grabbed the offensive rebound, and hit the put-back without a Camel defender nearby.
Jayasuriya’s six points led an 8-0 run late in the second quarter. She led the Camels with 12 points.
Notre Dame even scored while falling down. Lawrie’s off-balance 10-footer right of the lane put the Pandas ahead, 40-20.
There was a scary moment midway through the third quarter – Gibson and a Campbell County player collided near the top of the key at the Camels’ end of the court.
Campbell County continues its four-game road swing against Fleming County in the Lake Kelly Classic at 4 p.m. Saturday in Flemingsburg. Notre Dame meets Wayne (West Virginia) in the Kitten Classic at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Ashland.
PANDAS 54, CAMELS 39
CAMPBELL CO. 4 16 4 15 – 39
NOTRE DAME 20 12 12 10 – 54
Campbell Co. (39) — Mullins 4, Davis 9, Peoples 1, Augsback 10, Bittner 3, Jayasuriya 12. 3-Pt. FG: 3 (Davis, Augsback, Bittner). FT: 8-11. Fouls: 15. Fouled out: None.
Notre Dame (54) — Stallard 9, Lenihan 2, Holtzapfel 19, A. Lawrie 1, M. Lawrie 11, LaBordeaux-Humphrey 8, Gibson 4. 3-Pt. FG: 8 (Holtzapfel 5, Stallard 3). FT: 4-10. Fouls: 13. Fouled out: None. Turnovers: .
Records: Campbell County 10-5, Notre Dame 11-3.
