One of the surprises of the local high school basketball season is the performance of the Holy Cross girls. Coach Ted Arlinghaus’s team won 18 of its first 19 games. The Indians came into the week with the most wins in the 9th Region and they were tied for fewest losses.
This is notable because the Indians lost 51% of their scoring and 60% of their rebounding with the graduation of three key senior starters. All of them were local all-stars, indispensable leaders and clutch performers for a 28-6 Indians squad.
Holy Cross won the 35th District crown and advanced to the 9th Region tournament semifinals. The Indians also repeated as All “A” Classic 9th Region and state tournament champions.
Arising from the remnants of that great team is a new Indians squad that has made its own mark while in some ways bettering its predecessor.
THE PLAYERS AND THE PROCESS
While the Indians were expected to be quite competitive with the return of senior starters Aumani Nelson and Aniyah Carter, few expected them to be this good.
One of the perceptions centered on an abundance of youth, augmented by just a handful of juniors and seniors. Of the 23 girls affiliated with the team, 18 are underclassmen. Just four Holy Cross players can drive a car.
Though talent abounds, most of it is still in developing stages. Without the multi-talented Julia Hunt, there seemed to be the absence of a singular talent capable of willing the team to victory through sheer force of power. But Arlinghaus didn’t see those as reasons to downgrade the team.
“I think internally, we’re not as surprised as some people on the outside,” Arlinghaus said. “We did lose a lot of talent, and we had to make some big changes because of it. But I don’t think we’re as surprised.”
Arlinghaus had to make big changes because he lost some big-time players.
The departed included 6-foot-2 Hunt, the 2024 All “A” Classic state tournament MVP now playing college volleyball at Washington. Aaliyah Hayes, a 5-10 forward, is playing basketball at Kentucky State. Also gone: 5-10 Miyah Wimzie, the 2024 9th Region All “A” Classic Tournament MVP.
“We’re not nearly as big as we were,” Arlinghaus said. “We lost scorers and we lost rebounders.”
Even so, the Indians didn’t lose a basketball game for six weeks while putting together a 15-game winning streak this season. When they dropped a game, they didn’t lose by much. The Indians fell at Highlands by one point in double overtime. They lost by six points to state-ranked Bethlehem in the first round of the All “A” Classic state tournament, after repeating at the regional. They lost by one in overtime at Dixie Heights.
After defeating Walton-Verona Feb. 1, the Indians had a record of 20-3. All that separated them from an unbeaten mark were a handful of points. They played one bad quarter in their fourth loss of the season, at home vs. state-ranked Notre Dame Academy. Otherwise, the Indians played the Pandas even in a 13-point setback.
The Indians are 8-1 at home after Monday’s upset of Frederick Douglass, a top-10 team in Kentucky. Frederick Douglass is ranked No. 7 in the statewide media poll. Holy Cross is No. 14, despite those heavy graduation losses.
It’s all added up to a 23-4 record. Holy Cross was 21-5 at the same juncture last season.
THE REINVENTION AND THE BUY-IN
How did Holy Cross overcome monumental personnel losses and wind up with a team posting a better record?
Credit the returning seniors, vastly improved underclassmen and excellent new talent. Kudos also go to the coaches for having open minds. All of the players deserve acknowledgment for a complete buy-in. On top of that, the Indians possess strong leadership and the house of Arlinghaus, who has four extended family members on the team creating a unique playing atmosphere.
“The biggest thing we had to do as a staff was decide what’s going to be our identity,” said Arlinghaus, whose daughter Alyssa is joined on the team by cousins Paige Arlinghaus, Ella Lehmkuhl and Avery Sturgeon.
“For starters, we’ve always hung our hat on defense,” Arlinghaus continued. “Even though we don’t have the length, we’re quicker and faster. We had to reinvent on offense, and we decided to play with more speed. We have five dynamic scorers and all can shoot the 3 so we’re playing five kids around the perimeter. We’re making up for any lack of size by creating more possessions and more opportunities to score points.”
The plan is working for everybody while causing consternation for opponents.
“I would say our style fits this group better,” said Carter, the floor general who has college offers from Union, Wilmington and Mount St. Joseph. “We can run it up and down the court and speed up other teams with this style and we can cause turnovers.”
The faster pace has made the Indians’ vaunted full-court pressure defense even more chaotic. Greater quickness is allowing defenders to close in harder on ball handlers while also quickly sealing passing lanes. Faster players are beating foes to the basket in transition and on set plays, putting defenders out of position.
As a result, Holy Cross continues a trend of getting to the free throw line with regularity. The big difference this season is the Indians are shooting nearly 70% on free throw attempts. Last season, they converted 63%. Meanwhile, field goal shooting is holding steady at around 41%. The Indians are shooting slightly better from 3-point range at 31%. They ranked in the state top 50 from all three shooting ranges at the end of last week.
“I thought it was a good idea,” Nelson said of the revamped offense. “We have a bunch of guards and no true post player. With us pressuring the ball a lot, I thought we definitely had more opportunities on offense.”
Additionally, Arlinghaus points to what doesn’t show up on stat sheets.
“Opponents are turning the ball over an average of 27 times per game compared to 23 last year. That shows what constant on-ball pressure can do for a team,” Arlinghaus said. “I’m really big on deflections because they can lead to steals, and we have more deflections this season. Aumani leads us in deflections and Alyssa and Aniyah are getting a lot of those steals. We also have more possessions, and we have more points per possession. We assist on 70% of baskets so we’re getting people involved.”
A faster Holy Cross pace is also creating more offensive opportunities for opponents, which is why the Indians want to end opposing attacks before they get started. Even so, the disparity between last season’s 39 points-per-game yield and this season’s 44 isn’t huge. Despite less height around the rim, the Indians are down just 3.5 rebounds per game from last season.
“If you’re forcing more turnovers, the other team doesn’t get as many shots and there’s not as much rebounding,” the coach said. “The short answer on fewer rebounds is we have less height this year. But if you take a deeper dive you’ll see that not as many shots are going up by the other team.”
THE INTANGIBLES AND RESULTS
The Holy Cross offense is still averaging about 61 points, nearly identical to last season. The Indians rank 19th in the state in scoring average. They are paced by Nelson, a 5-foot-8 Geneva College commit averaging 16 points per game. She is followed by 5-9 sophomore Alyssa Arlinghaus (11 ppg) and Carter (10 ppg), a 5-3 dynamo.
Nelson’s average is up almost six points, and she leads the regulars with nearly 80% free throw shooting. Arlinghaus has doubled her scoring average. Carter’s average is up by nearly three points.
“What I’m most proud of with Aniyah is her growth off the court,” coach Arlinghaus said. “She was a transfer from Lloyd after her freshman year and she was quiet. Now, we can talk in depth, and she’s more interactive with the team which makes us better. We are super young so Aniyah being able to lead is huge.”
Right behind those three are versatile 5-10 sophomore DMyah Williams (9.6 ppg), who played in just five games last season due to injury, and bulldog freshman Jai Johnson (7.3 ppg), who is new to the team. Johnson is a lockdown defender. Lehmkuhl, a senior, is averaging 3.3 points followed by junior Millie Rhodes.
“On any given night, we have five kids who can score 20 points,” the coach said. “In fact, all five have done that.”
The athletic Williams, coming off back-to-back ACL tears, inspires her teammates and leads the Indians with 51% field goal shooting. She paces the team with 41% 3-point shooting on limited attempts. Nelson and Alyssa Arlinghaus, both shooting around 38% from long range, are the designated gunners. Williams also leads the Indians with 5.7 rebounds per game, followed by Nelson and Lehmkuhl.
“Williams is tough,” coach Arlinghaus said. “She’s got long arms. She can jump and she can touch the rim. I wouldn’t be surprised if she can dunk one day.”
Like her fellow starters, Williams can be a game-changer when contests are tight. Thinner scoring margins for Holy Cross mean that games have been more closely contested. But the Indians are winning the large majority of those games. This is where the team’s tournament experience comes in.
The returnees are so battle-tested with pressure-packed All “A” Classic regional and state tournament games, not to mention district and region tournament action, that they are less fazed by the bigger moments.
“We have a lot of returning players who are aware of a lot of situations,” Nelson said. “We have a lot of players who’ve been in intense games.”
This been-there-done-that mentality keeps Holy Cross cool under pressure while maintaining pressure on less experienced teams. It allows the Indians to match up better with foes of their ilk.
Such a basketball team needs nimble guidance, lots of confidence and a host of talented, specialized players to make it work. The Indians have that in spades. The messaging is crystal clear, made all the easier by veteran leaders and family members.
“Alyssa was our sixth man and now she’s more of a leader and she’s going to fit a lot of those stereotypes of a coach’s kid,” Arlinghaus said. “It’s team first. She’s in the right place at the right time. She helps us space the floor and she knows when to rotate over. And she stuffs the stat sheet. She leads us in assists (3.4) and she leads us in steals (3.5). She’s second in scoring and fourth in rebounding. She’s another reason why we’ve been successful.”