By Greg Bates
Correspondent
GREEN BAY – Suffocating defense has been a staple of the Notre Dame Academy girls’ basketball team for years.
It aided in producing the program’s fourth state championship last season.
That defensive style kicked into overdrive in the Tritons’ fourth game of this year Friday.
Notre Dame took advantage of a young and inexperienced Green Bay Southwest squad and wore them down all night on the defensive end.
The Tritons led 22-0 to start and the game was never in doubt as Notre Dame cruised to an 80-44 victory at home in Fox River Classic Conference action.
“We practice (defense) lots, and we came in knowing we were going to blitz them on all ball screens because they couldn’t handle the pressure,” Notre Dame junior guard Hope Barington said. “We kept moving on defense to find the open spot, and that led to the turnovers and then open layups.”
Barington said she knows she and her teammates can still get better in several areas on defense.
“We need to talk lots more,” she said. “Communication is key for defense. Some of us are loud, but some of us are quiet at the same time.”
The Trojans struggled from the start with Notre Dame’s defense.
“It’s always tough, especially coming here in their house,” Southwest Head Coach Berri West said. “The most you can do is try and control the tempo, and we didn’t do that at the beginning. I’ve got a young bunch that isn’t quite there as far as controlling the tempo. We dug ourselves a hole, but I was proud of us coming out of it a bit – I think we came within 13. Then it’s a matter of handling their pressure.”
The Tritons’ defense led to plenty of easy looks and baskets in the paint.
Four Notre Dame players scored in double figures, led by Sarah Hardwick’s 22 points; she also had eight steals.
Barington and Peyton Musial each added 19 points, while Gracie Grzesk tallied 12 points and 10 assists.
Balanced scoring has been key early in the season.
“Between Gracie (Grzesk), Trista (Fayta), Hope (Barington), Sydney (Whitehouse) and Sarah (Hardwick), they all have the ability,” Notre Dame Head Coach Sara Rohde said. “Peyton (Musial) knocked down lots of shots tonight as well. That opens things up for everybody else. That’s what our girls have to understand. That’s why we can be successful because it can be anybody on any given night.”
The freshman Musial, the team’s sixth player off the bench, had a career night.
She was a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point range and provided a spark off the bench.
“I know she can score, so it was nice to see her knock those down tonight because we know she’s a great shooter,” Rohde said. “It’s a matter of her getting some confidence and finding her rhythm.”
Whitehouse, a sophomore, put in six points and pulled down nine rebounds.
Notre Dame, which is ranked No. 2 in Division 2 in the latest Wissports.net Coaches Poll, got quality production from its underclassmen.
“It’s nice,” Barington said. “It doesn’t only come from our starting five. All the people off the bench are strong, and they come to the game ready to play.”
Notre Dame (3-1 overall, 2-0 FRCC) mounted its 22-0 lead via plenty of steals and layups.
Barington had seven points early, and Hardwick contributed six points.
Southwest (3-3, 0-1) didn’t score its first points until Alex Siudzinski got a basket 7 minutes, 56 seconds into the contest.
The Trojans — which were led by Addie Pytleski and Siudzinski, who each scored 10 points — responded with a 24-11 run late in the half.
With the lead down to 11 points, Rohde called a timeout.
“We had a dip in energy,” Rohde said. “We started settling for 3s when we were getting layups. We talked about because you are up, you can’t relax. We relaxed for a bit, and then we picked it back up after that.”
Rohde’s team went on a 16-3 run — that stretched into the second half — to put Notre Dame up 51-27.
Southwest didn’t threaten after its deficit ballooned.
Both teams will get into the heart of their conference schedule before Christmas as Notre Dame hosts Ashwaubenon Dec. 9, and Green Bay Southwest hosts De Pere Dec. 7.