Simon Kenton coach Jeff Stowers couldn’t tell you why his team struggles at Notre Dame.
The defending girls Eighth Region champion Pioneers nevertheless survived their latest trip to Park Hiils – their third fewest point total was enough for Tuesday’s 45-36 win behind Brynli Pernell’s 13 points and Anna Kelch’s 11.
“It’s always tough for us to play here,” Stowers said. “I don’t know, I don’t know. We just have problems when we play here, and our games are always like this, win or lose.”
Pernell was equally stumped.
“Up on the hill, it’s just different, and shots are hard to fall here,” she said. “Rims, maybe.”
Kelch’s 11 points were not a season high, but it was the result of better shooting mechanics.
“Honestly, just trying to get my feet set and then get my arm up on my shot; I feel that really was a big thing for my shot, at least” she said.
Emma Holtzapfel’s 11 points and another 11 from Joslyn LaBordeaux-Humphrey led Notre Dame.
Holtzapfel’s school-record 35 points in Notre Dame’s 68-35 win over Dixie Heights last Friday included 13-of-21 from the field with 9-of-15 three-pointers. For a little more than a minute Tuesday, it looked like she’d hit nine long far ones before halftime; her two from the left wing in 79 seconds gave the Pandas a 6-0 lead.
“We did not complete the assignment when it came to her,” Kelch said. “We should not have let her get those open shots.”
Holtzapfel was a little surprised she was so open.
“I kind of created a little bit on my own,” she said. “My teammates found me, so that’s why I got the shot off.”
Stowers eventually offered an explanation for what happened – a non-profane F-word.
“Losing focus,” Stowers said. “We’re losing focus.”
Pernell, meanwhile, struggled early – she didn’t score until a pair of free throws late in the first and didn’t hit her first bucket she converted Megan Gadzala’s steal with 1:59 left, part of an 11-4 run.
“We guarded really well,” Notre Dame coach George Stoll said. “I thought, defensively, we made a whole lot of really good plays in the right spot a lot of the times.
Notre Dame played some stingy defense, too. Midway through the second quarter, Sarah Young blocked a Pernell shot, which Amelia Stallard converted. By halftime, the Pandas completed a 9-4 mini-run for a 27-25 lead.
Simon Kenton (14-1) regained its focus the second half – the Pioneers limited the Pandas to just nine points, and Holtzapfel had just two.
Notre Dame lost one of its starters, senior Addie Lawrie, early in the third quarter with a right knee injury.
“One of Addie’s strengths is, she’s good at getting to the rim,” Stoll said. “We obviously missed her out there.”
The defensive play of the game sealed Simon Kenton’s win. With about four minutes left, Holtzapfel picked up her dribble just past half-court, Pernell and Bella Ober double-teamed her, Pernell stole the ball and hit two free throws.
“They’re two great players,” Holtzapfel said. “They knew what we were doing, so they came out, they trapped the ball, and we weren’t really ready for that.”
Simon Kenton takes on Conner Wednesday in Hebron. Notre Dame stays home to meet Scott on Friday.
MORE PHOTOS: Slideshow provided by Charles Bolton
PIONEERS 45, PANDAS 36
SIMON KENTON — 19-6-13-7 – 45
NOTRE DAME — 15-12-5-4 – 36
Simon Kenton (45) — Pernell 13, Gadzala 3, Ober 6, Kelch 11, Kabeya 8, Webb 4. 3-Pt. FG: 2 (Gadzala, Kabeya. FT: 13-15. Fouls: 9. Fouled out: None.
Notre Dame (36) — Stallard 2, Wagner 3, Young 9, Holtzapfel 11, LaBordeaux-Humphrey 11. 3-Pt. FG: 5 (Holtzapfel 3, Wagner, Labordeaux-Humphrey. FT: 5-8. Fouls: 13. Fouled out: None.
Records: Simon Kenton 14-1, Notre Dame 9-3.