Notre Dame wins Villa's respect, 50-42

Notre Dame Academy basketball coach Mary Beth McNichol said some of her players felt they weren't getting the respect they deserved despite the team's great record.

So she told them a win over Villa Maria Academy in the Blue Chip Super Saturday showcase at Archbishop Carroll yesterday would be a good way to get noticed.

The Irish apparently took McNichol's comments to heart and went on to beat the Hurricanes, 50-42, behind 18 points from sophomore Devon Kane.

What was most impressive about the win, Notre Dame's 12th straight and 19th in 20 games, was the way they pulled away in the fourth quarter by holding Villa to six points and hitting 10 of 14 from the free line down the stretch.

"This was a great chance to establish ourselves," said McNichol, pointing out that her team beat defending Public League champ Central earlier in the week. Villa (14-4), which had won nine straight, is tied with Mount St. Joseph for the lead in the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies.

The game was also a great prep for two important Inter-Academic League games the Irish have coming up this week. They play Springside on Tuesday and meet Germantown Academy, the No. 2 team in The Inquirer's rankings, on Friday. The Patriots are looking for their ninth straight league title.

"Everyone did their role today," said Kane.

The 19-1 season start is the best for the Irish since they went 14-0 six years ago,

Villa and Notre Dame, two longtime rivals although they are in different leagues, matched basket-for-basket for three quarters. The teams were never more than seven points apart, entering the fourth quarter with the Hurricanes leading, 36-35.

Breanna Ockimey put Notre Dame in the lead for good at 37-35 with less than 30 seconds gone in the fourth quarter. The Irish then proceeded to hold Villa scoreless until Julia Trogele hit a pair of free throws with about three minutes to play. Her points cut Notre Dame's lead to 44-38, but the Irish were in the bonus for free throws and went on to take advantage of it.

Trogele, a 6-foot-2 senior, had been limited in action after picking up her fourth personal foul midway through the third quarter. When she fouled out after scoring 10 points with 1:13 to play, Notre Dame was in the double bonus.

"We were out of synch today," said Villa coach Kathy McCartney.

Notre Dame12 10 13 15 - 50

Villa Maria12 11 13 6 - 42

ND: Ashley Teti 5, Katie Kuester 8, Breanna Ockimey 8, Regina Burns 2, Devon Kane 18, Fiona Flanagan 3, Meghan McCullough 6.

VM: Lindsay Corcoran 8, Ellen Cannon 6, Allie Mongan 4, Julia Trogele 10, Chelsea McTigue 8, Alex Martin 6.