Girls hoops: Eastside Catholic denies Liberty a state tourney qualification
The Eastside Catholic girls basketball team dominated the Liberty Patriots on Tuesday afternoon, winning 74-33. The win guarantees the Crusaders a spot at the 3A state tournament, while they advance to the district semifinals.
The Crusaders were clear favorites heading into the game, with a 16-6 record overall against Liberty’s 12-15.
Eastside Catholic opened the game up first, with Raquel Dunnam giving the Crusaders an early lead. Frequent rotations were used in the Liberty attack, but they were well read by Eastside Catholic. Crusader Amy Nduka was especially effective in the center against Liberty’s Aleah Tran, attempting many layups against her defender. The first quarter involved many fast breaks, forcing both teams to reorganize their defense quickly to prevent open space. Tatum Carter’s triple put Eastside Catholic 14 points ahead, with further points from Sa’FIne Sampson and Nduka giving them a massive 23-4 lead when the quarter ended.
The Crusaders used a man-to-man press while defending, sticking to the opposition and forcing shots under pressure. The second quarter started slow with limited scoring, with attempts missing the target from both sides. Liberty proved to be more clinical than before, finishing shots from drives and triples. They played more directly into the paint, leaving space within the Eastside Catholic defense. The quarter ended 42-22, Eastside Catholic.
The third quarter started as the Patriots’ Logan Neimi scored a layup, but was canceled out by Talia Cermak’s triple. Nduka’s layups and free throw put the Crusaders 28 points up, for her 16th point of the day. She used her frame and 6-foot-4 height to her advantage throughout the game against the shorter Liberty players. Cermak’s preceding triple put her on 16 points, along with Nduka. The Patriots only managed six points in the Crusader blowout, resulting in the quarter ending 63-28, Eastside Catholic.
Liberty’s overall offense was sloppy, with plays not being executed to standard. They were able to get on the score sheet, as Tran sank her three-pointer. The game opened up in the fourth quarter, as more space was allowed by the defenses on both sides. The Crusaders only conceded five points in the last quarter, with Nduka leading the defense in the center, again using her physicality to her advantage. Crusader Saniya Langdon scored a layup on the buzzer, ending the game 74-33, Eastside Catholic.
