by Parma Heights, OH- Holy Name put on a show to defeat Buckeye 54-8 behind 19 points from Claire Coljohn while allowing single digit points for the first time in 12 years.
The first quarter started off as a defensive battle for both teams. Both Holy Name and Buckeye forced turnover after turnover and travel after travel. Shortly after the halfway point of the first quarter, MaryElise Rispoli opened the scoring for the Green Wave on a field goal. This opened the floodgates as Holy Name went on to post 13 points in the final 4 minutes of the opening period. Leading the scoring for the Green Wave was Coljohn with 7 trailed closely behind by Rispoli who posted 6 of her 8 total points in this quarter. This gave Holy Name a 13-0 lead to take into the second quarter.
Things went similarly for the Green Wave in the second quarter as the scoring dried up again for a time. Only 6 points in the following 4 minutes saw them up 19-0. However, an offensive explosion of 11 points in the final 4 minutes before the half saw Holy Name reach the 30-point mark. However, the shutout ended as Ellen Steppenbacker sunk 1 of her 2 free throws with 1:59 left in the first half to give the Bucks a point while simultaneously ending Holy Name’s 21 point kill shot. This led to a score of 30-1 going into the break.
The third quarter was the closest of the game. Buckeye was only outscored by 7 points. However, Holy Name began to heat up from beyond the arc as Sarah Abraham and Bre Minch both drilled triples. This would give Holy Name their final two 3’s of the game, bringing their tally to 5 on the night. Steppenbacker drilled a 3 for the Bucks to record their first bucket not from the free throw line while Bella Cirone added 1 point from the line. This led to a scoreline of 41-5 entering the final frame.
Holy Name would go on a 13-3 run to close out the night. Kelsey Metter posted Buckeye’s only points of the quarter as she drilled the Bucks’ second 3 of the night. For Holy Name, a combination of Honesti Williams, Sophia Szymczak, Natalie Stibley, and Layla Rudolph contributing to the cause. However, it will be Maura Mihalik’s bucket that will resonate with Namer Nation. This marks her first career bucket as a member of the Green Wave. This helped add the final points to the impressive 54-8 victory.
This marks a historic night for Holy Name. The 8 points they allowed is the lowest tally allowed in a game by the Green Wave since December 3, 2011, in a 65-7 win over St Peter Chanel in their penultimate school year before they closed in 2013. The 12 they allowed against Horizon would’ve held up until December 8, 2012, when Holy Name beat Chanel 57-10. Two weeks prior, Holy Name beat Valley Forge 52-12 on November 24, 2012. The historically good defense of Holy Name returns as they improve to 4-2. They host Normandy on Saturday afternoon. Buckeye falls to 0-8 and will travel to Parma to battle against Normandy next Wednesday.
Buckeye Key Players:
#11 Ellan Steppenbacher: 4 Points
#15 Maddy Kost
#21 Kelsey Metter: 4 Points
Holy Name Key Players
#00 Emmalee Majoros: 7 Points
#10 MaryElise Rispoli: 8 Points
#35 Claire Coljohn: 19 Points
Player of the Game: Claire Coljohn
