Notre Dame routs NL

NORTHAMPTON — Northern Lehigh head coach Ken Shankweiler knew what to expect from Colonial League champion Notre Dame of Green Pond on Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs still had trouble slowing down the freight train that was the top-seeded Crusaders.

Notre Dame raced out to a 13-0 lead, and led 31-4 at halftime en route to its 51-17 victory over No. 4 seed Northern Lehigh in a District 11 Class 3A semifinal game.

“We knew what to expect,” Shankeweiler said. “We had a game plan. One of our biggest things is we struggled with their pressure the first time (during the regular season). Honestly, I thought we were OK with that tonight.

“We got into our offense and got shots, but they just didn’t fall.”

The Crusaders jumped in front 18-2 after eight minutes of play in large part to eight points from senior Cassie Murphy. A number of her buckets came on offensive rebounds, an issue Northern Lehigh struggled with for much of the game.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were held scoreless for over six minutes. Sophomore Emma Niebell, who led the team with 12 points, finally got Northern Lehigh on the board with 1:44 remaining in the opening quarter.

“We are big on help defense,” Shankweiler said. “But Lauren (Hoffman) couldn’t help on Murphy, because she’s helping other people. But it was probably all the offensive putbacks that bothered me most.”

Crusader junior Grace Medei opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, and Murphy assisted on the next two field goals that put them ahead 25-2.

Freshman Kaylee Wilk scored five minutes into the second quarter for Northern Lehigh, but that was the Bulldogs’ only field goal of the frame. They shot 2-for-13 in the first half, with nine turnovers.

“The things we tried to do is ball pressure, so they can’t get an easy pass inside,” Shankweiler said. “The second thing is you try to keep Murphy away from the basket as much as you can, which is easier said then done. And of course, you want to double it every time, but you can’t.”

A Crusader three-pointer to open the third quarter took two bounces and rolled in, giving them a 30-point lead.

“They are probably the team we had the most trouble with all year,” Shankweiler said. “No question. They are well-coached and they are deep. They have one big girl after another coming at you. And they all know how to play.”

Maya Santos and Murphy both had 10 points to lead the Crusaders.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR ND? ... The Crusaders will play No. 2 seed North Schuylkill in the Class 3A championship game on Friday.

PLENTY OF FIREPOWER RETURNS ... After a successful season, Shankweiler will graduate just one starter (Hoffman). The Bulldogs’ two leading scorers — Niebell and Madison Seier — will return. “There is a lot coming back,” Shankweiler said. “I think it looks good. We are turning the corner. That’s our feeling.”

NORTHERN LEHIGH

Wilk 1-0-0-2, Lear 0-0-0-0, Hoffman 0-0-0-0, Seier 0-3-4-3, Niebell 4-2-3-12, Hoffner 0-0-0-0, Bosch 0-0-0-0, Dougherty 0-0-0-0, Klimek 0-0-0-0, Peters 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 5-5-7-17.

NOTRE DAME-GP

Medei 4-0-0-9, DeFranco 3-0-0-8, Cooper 0-0-0-0, Bates 4-0-0-10, Murphy 4-2-3-10, Micklos 1-0-0-2, G. Hezel 1-0-0-2, Santos 0-0-0-0, Altmire 0-0-0-0, B. Hezel 1-0-0-2, Grim 2-0-0-4, Gormley 1-0-0-2, Atileh 0-0-0-0, Zambo 0-0-0-0, Pohl 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 22-2-3-51.

No. Lehigh 2 2 8 5 - 17

Notre Dame 18 13 10 10 - 51

Three-pointers: NL - Niebell 2; ND - DeFranco 2, Bates 2, Medei 1.