National power overwhelms Notre Dame girls

Facing its first real test since his nationally ranked team suffered its initial loss of the season Monday, Incarnate Word Academy coach Dan Rolfes wondered how his team would respond Saturday evening against Notre Dame.

Any questions about the Red Knights' resilience were answered early and clearly. Incarnate Word put on a defense and shooting clinic as it built a 23-8 first-quarter lead and went on to a convincing 58-27 win against the Bulldogs in the final game of the Notre Dame Shootout.

Incarnate Word was 15-0, ranked No. 1 in the state's Class 5 poll and No. 14 in a national publication's rankings before losing to Whitney Young of Chicago 52-49 on Monday. The Red Knights held a double-digit lead in that game before fading late.

"It was a really physical game," Incarnate Word's Jazmin Hitchens said about the loss. "We had them by 10, but we ran out of gas."

The Knights routed a struggling Hazelwood East team 71-12 on Tuesday, meaning that Notre Dame, which had given Incarnate Word a tough game in a 49-35 loss in the finals of the Farmington tournament in December, would be their first good challenge following the loss.

Notre Dame's Meghan Dohogne muscles up shot while being fouled by Incarnate Word's Julia Kohnen during Saturday's game. (Tim Brumitt)

Incarnate Word used a high-octane defense and made 9 of 19 3-point tries as it nixed any hopes of a Notre Dame upset. Five of the nine treys came in the first quarter as the Knights built a 23-8 lead and never looked back.

"They did a great job of taking us out of our game early," Bulldogs coach Renee Peters said about the Knights, whose defensive quickness frustrated Notre Dame all evening and forced 23 turnovers. "When they hold your best player [Jane Morrill] to four points, it's hard to win."

Incarnate Word was able to stop Notre Dame from passing to beat its press, forcing the Bulldogs to dribble the ball out of the back court.

As soon as the ball crossed half court, a pair of tall Knights, usually Hitchens and an accomplice, were ready to slap on the trap.

While giving credit to Incarnate Word, Peters said that fatigue may have played a role in the lopsided margin. It was the third tough game of the week for Notre Dame, which won by two at Poplar Bluff on Monday before losing by a bucket to St. Joseph's Academy, ranked third in Class 5, on Wednesday.

Notre Dame's Jane Morrill, left, is guarded by Incarnate Word's Jazmin Hitchens during their game Saturday at Notre Dame.Tim Brumitt photos@ semissourian.com

Rolfes said his team's hot shooting was the biggest difference between Saturday's game and the much closer first encounter between the two schools in December.

"Our kids have been shooting the ball really well," said Rolfes, whose Knights shot just under 50 percent from the floor Saturday. "The first time we played we didn't shoot well at all."

Brittany Carter, who had three of the five first-quarter 3-pointers for Incarnate Word, finished with five treys and 18 points.

Hitchens added 14 points for the Red Knights, who improved to 17-1.

Brooke Bohnert scored 12 points to lead the Bulldogs, who fell to 12-4.

Notre Dame's Katherine Blasiney, left, looks for an open teammate during Saturday's game against Incarnate Word. (Tim Brumitt)

Incarnate Word 23 11 22 2 -- 58

Notre Dame 8 8 9 2 -- 27

INCARNATE WORD (58) -- Brittany Carter 18, Jazmin Hitchens 14, Chloe Nelson 11, Brianna Puni 5, Nia Roth 4, Lateesha Deloach 2, Julia Kohnen 2, Teresa Scannel 2. FG 22, FT 5-9, F 16. (3-pointers made: Carter 5, Hitchens 2, Nelson 2. Fouled out: none)

NOTRE DAME (27) -- Brooke Bohnert 12, Meghan Dohogne 6, Jane Morrill 4, Katherine Blasiney 4, Madison Huckstep 1. FG 10, FT 6-13, F 12. (3-pointers made: Blasiney 1. Fouled out: none)