Both the Hawken Hawks and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin Lions girls basketball teams are building special identities this season.
Game photos click here.
Both the Hawken Hawks and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin Lions girls basketball teams are building special identities this season.
The process doesn’t always show up in victories. But when the teams clashed Jan. 9 at NDCL, defense was the storyline: the Hawks used 13 steals on defense to thwart the Lions on offense for a 52-36 victory.
“This is a defining win for us this year,” Hawken Head Coach Brittney Matuschek said. “You can also say it’s a statement win because we played good team basketball that focused on our defense. That’s where we want to be strongest, and the girls really stepped up tonight. We’ve been waiting for a really competitive game. NDCL is always tough, so this win shows how we are coming together more.”
Beside the 13 steals, the high pressure floor coverage for the Hawks (5-7) pushed the Lions into another 17 unforced turnovers.
The Lions had only 27 shots in the game while struggling for consistency, hitting on 10.
They were deadly from the foul line, though, hitting on 15 of 19 for the game.
Aubriana Hills scored six points in the opening quarter to spark the Lions to a 14-13 edge.
Her 16-point night included an eight of 11 effort from the line.
Hawken’s defense was tight when the Lions tried to go to the basket, though, especially to forward Ava Baeslach. She did score seven to go with six rebounds, but getting the ball inside to her was too big a task.
Carmen Cicerini led the defense with five steals, Lizzie Kent added five, and Kate Bollinger, the only remaining varsity starter from last season’s Hawken team, chipped in with three thefts.
“Our offense is getting better now,” Bollinger said. “At the same time, we’re working hard to make defense , which is a tradition here, our main focus. This was a big game because you know you always will get a battle from NDCL.”
Finishing plays also came up huge for Matuschek and company. Of their 10 first half baskets, nine had assists, and for the game, of 19 successes from the floor, 13 had recorded helps. That is a winning ration. Cicerini had six assists, Bollinger had 4 to add to the mix.
Balance in the scorebook was evident.
Eight Hawks scored, with Bollinger’s 13 the only double digit effort. They were sharp from long range too, hitting on seven bombs. The capper in the game came at the final buzzer when Mila Grossman got a pass on the right wing and had the ball in midair as the horn sounded. It hit nothing but net.
NDCL Head Coach John Kamkutis made no excuses as his team falls to 3-7 on the season.
“Our last game with Lake Catholic was a big game for us,” he said. Asked if his girls may have had a letdown from that emotional contest, which his team fell by only five points, the emotions of his team’s recent schedule may have played a role.
“We’ve had a busy week,” he said. “We had tough games on Wednesday and Saturday and played well,” he said. “The bottom line tonight was that we didn’t take care of the ball as well as we want to. It’s been like that all season , there just hasn’t been the consistency you need to control the ball. Much of it is also the need to just be more mentally strong in our approach. We played tonight without our point guard (Melissa Greenlee), who sprained her ankle. That means other girls need to step up, and our effort tonight was good, but still needs work.”
The 16 points Hills scored was the only double digit effort, but the battle of the boards was even for the mostpart. As younger Lions get into the fold of action, their efforts will show more in outcomes. Sophomore Emma Clayton was big on the boards in extended action with 11 rebounds , including six on the offense glass.
That means more shot opportunities.
That’s where taking care of the ball comes in, and the Hawks put those steals to good use to stop the Lions attacks.
