by Parma Heights, OH- Lake Catholic improves to 3-6 on the year following their 47-43 victory over Holy Name behind an overall team effort.
The first quarter started off with failed possessions for the Green Wave and Cougars. Lake Catholic would strike first as Carmella Sowers knocked down both of her free throws. She would add 4 more points from the field, taking her first quarter tally to 6. The other 3 points the Cougars scored in this quarter came from Ella Zampedro beyond the arc. With a 9-3 lead in hand, Lake Catholic slowed things down offensively and struggled to get their shots to fall. Holy Name broke out of their struggles as Claire Coljohn matched Sowers’ 6 points and Natalie Stibley matched Zampedro’s triple. The last of Coljohn’s points in the first came off a baseline inbound as she banked the ball in off the backboard. This made the game 9-9 heading into the second.
The second quarter was characterized by tough defense and minimal fouls. Holy Name got things going quickly as Noemi Cartagena knocked down a 3. The Cougars went on to turn the ball over to Alyssa Forgach of the Green Wave, allowing her to drill an uncontested 3. This propelled Holy Name to a 15-9 lead. For Lake Catholic, Ava Budrys Rini got things going offensively as she scored 6 points from the field. This kept things close as the majority of the second quarter was a 1 possession affair. In the dying moments of the half, Avery Budrys Rini knocked down a triple to give her Cougars the 20-19 lead heading into the locker room.
The third quarter continued with the theme of a close game. Both teams exchanged leads back and forth. With the game 25-25, the Green Wave went on a 10-2 run behind two triples from Bre Minch to give themselves a 35-27 advantage. However, the Cougars roared back with buckets coming from 5 different players. The highest scoring quarter of the game would result in Holy Name clinging onto a 35-34 lead.
The fourth quarter went back and forth while Lake Catholic controlled the tempo. Holy Name was able to get on the board with triples from Coljohn and Layla Rudolph. Another 2 from Coljohn took her tally up to a game high of 19 points. Sowers added 4 more points to her tally which gave her 12 points in the afternoon. With the game in the hands of Lake Catholic, Holy Name was forced to foul. This sent Avery Budrys Rini to the line to shoot two. She split the pair, but the Cougar defense held strong. Again, the Green Wave was forced to foul Budrys Rini. Avery missed the first but settled down and sank the second. With 3 seconds on the clock, Holy Name found Rudolph on an inbound pass as she took a 3. It was off the mark which ended the game as Lake Catholic won 47-43.
Lake Catholic continues their winning streak over Holy Name as the last time they lost to the Green Wave was in 2019. The Cougars get back to work on January 3, 2024 against Cleveland Central Catholic. Holy Name enters the new year at 6-4 and has Garrett Morgan up next on January 3, 2024.
Holy Name Key Players
#3 Bre Minch: 6 Points
#13 Nalani Simon: 4 Points
#35 Claire Coljohn: 19 Points
Lake Catholic Key Players
#15 Avery Budrys Rini: 10 Points
#40 Carmella Sowers: 12 Points
#44 Ava Budrys Rini: 8 Points
Player of the Game: Carmella Sowers
