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Published: 2/26/2008 | Updated: 1/23/2009
By BRIAN SHOEMAKER
Herald-Whig Sports Writer
Through its first five games of the season, Quincy Notre Dame’s offense clicked on all cylinders.
But when it doesn’t, it’s nice to know that defense can pull the Lady Raiders through.
QND overcame a sluggish first-half shooting performance with tenacious defense, scoring 16 points off turnovers, and solid work on the offensive glass, scoring another six from offensive rebounds, to hold off Macomb in a 56-51 victory at The Pit.
“We bent a little bit, but we didn’t break tonight,” said QND coach Eric Orne, whose team remained undefeated at 6-0.
The Lady Raiders trailed 14-9 early in the second quarter and shot just 38 percent in the first half on 12 of 31 shooting. Macomb (7-3) kept up with QND’s fast-paced tempo, scoring its own baskets in transition and finding Western Illinois recruit Lyndi Thorman for 10 of her 12 points, to trail only 27-26 at halftime.
But when Renita Bunte nailed a 3-pointer to begin the second quarter, QND was able to set its full-court press and rattle the Lady Bombers. Macomb committed 12 turnovers in the second period.
With the pressure on and Thorman resting on the bench, the Lady Raiders went on a 9-0 run, scoring six points off turnovers and capping the run with a jumper from Janell Vermeire to regain a four-point advantage, 18-14.
Vermeire finished with eight points. Bunte said the QND bench played a key part in the win.
“This just shows our depth,” said Bunte, who finished with 10 points. “(Vermeire) came off the bench and gave us a lot of energy. It shows that we’re a tough team and that we’ll be all right when people put pressure on us.”
QND kept up the pressure into the second half. Karlee Gengenbacher scored six of her team-high 12 points in the fourth quarter and found Vermeire off a steal to give the Lady Raiders their biggest lead of the night at 44-36.
With just over three minutes remaining, Macomb made its last stand on five unanswered points from Courtney Lawyer to cut the lead to 49-46. But crafty dribbling and passing kept the next possession in QND’s hands for more than a minute while the Lady Bombers failed to pick up the intended foul to send the Lady Raiders to the free-throw line.
Macomb coach Jeff Thorman said too many turnovers and too many second chances took away hopes of a Bombers victory. Macomb committed 23 turnovers, while QND had 12 and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds in the second half.
“Their kids really battled and got those second shots,” Thorman said. “Our defense was very good at times, but then when you get them to take the shot you want and don’t block someone out, then give up a putback it’ll really break your back.”
Orne said while his team struggled early, it stayed sharp in crucial possessions down the stretch.
“We were put in a couple of situations where we had to protect the ball,” Orne said. “We were in situations where we had to have a good possession and we did.”
Chloe Barnes finished with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Natalie Siebers added seven points.
—sports@whig.com/221-3365
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