HINGHAM — Notre Dame (Hingham) discovered itself in a novel spot Wednesday, locked in a dogfight. Yet, the Cougars nonetheless discovered a method to accomplish what they do finest — win.
Junior Ava Orlando erupted for 25 factors, whereas her sister Elle Orlando completed with 10 factors as third-seeded Notre Dame staved off a scare from No. 19 Nashoba, 52-40.
“I thought it was team-oriented,” Ava mentioned. “They brought my energy up, got me really excited to play this game. At first, it was shaking up the nerves a little bit. But once we got in a groove, I feel like we just kept going.”
All season lengthy, the Orlando sisters have wreaked havoc for opposing faculties. Despite being heavy underdogs, nonetheless, Nashoba merely wouldn’t relent. Notre Dame (21-1) failed to realize a lot separation, and was clinging to a 22-18 edge on the half.
It was a novel scenario for the juggernaut program.
“We switched up our full-court defense,” mentioned Notre Dame coach Nickie Orlando. “Which we extended a lot with our ball pressure. That helped with containing them in transition, falling back into our defense there. It came down to ball pressure, making sure we grabbed our rebounds.”
The Wolves continued their pursuit, tying the rating at 32 on the midpoint of the third quarter.
Then, Orlando and her squad tightened up their protection.
“Take it play-by-play,” mentioned Orlando. “We’re a very defensive-oriented team, so we start on defense, and then we go from there. Defense makes our offense, and we just have to hone in on being aggressive.”
The junior star and her teammates stay composed.
The Cougars launched into a 9-0 run, and so they have been proper again on observe. With 6:47 to play, Notre Dame was in management with a 41-32 edge.
With about three minutes remaining in regulation, Effie Giannopoulos drove to the basket, ending a layup as she was fouled. She hit the following free throw try, sealing issues as Notre Dame made it a 47-37 contest.
In addition to the Orlando sisters’ performances, Giannopoulos added 9 factors for Notre Dame Academy.
Kiersten Lynch and Maddy Cotter powered Nashoba (12-10), every ending with 9 factors apiece themselves.
Notre Dame advances to face sixth-seeded South High Community subsequent.
“This has been a great season,” mentioned the coach. “Especially for our captains, and the leadership they’ve had. So, to go to this extent? 21-1? It’s a testament to how hard they’ve worked. We’re excited for the next round. Keep moving on.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com