The Notre Dame boys basketball team took a trip to Atlanta back in late November for a game against CSAS at spacious State Farm Arena, the home of the Atlanta Hawks.
The Fighting Irish made a statement that night with a big win over the Patriots as “they beat us pretty bad,” CSAS coach Zach Dragoo remembered.
These same two teams squared off at CSAS on Monday night and the result was the same, but much closer this time, as Notre Dame rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Patriots by a 62-59 final.
The Fighting Irish improve to 16-8 overall with their sixth straight win while the Patriots are now 18-7 as their four-game winning streak just got snapped.
Notre Dame coach Jonathan Adams wasn’t real crazy about the first half, but he issued a stern challenge to his team at the break and they responded, which made the veteran coach feel much better.
“They came out and punched us in the mouth at the start as they were playing with a lot of confidence. They were certainly the aggressor in that first half,” Adams began after exiting the Notre Dame dressing room.
“I told my guys that we had to start guarding one on one in the second half. I really challenged them and it worked as our guys stepped up.
“Andrew Fillauer normally doesn’t get a lot of playing time, but he stepped up and gave us some huge minutes,” the coach praised after his scrappy guard scored all of his nine points in the frantic fourth quarter, including a couple of 3s that put Notre Dame up 56-48 with 5:38 to play.
“I always like our effort, but I was really pleased with how we played in the second half as we had to play smart basketball. And it seemed like they pressed us from start to finish. That gave us problems at times, but it was a great test for us,” Adams added.
CSAS coach Zach Dragoo liked the way his team started, but felt like fatigue played a role at the end when the game was on the line.
“This is our fifth game in the last eight days. We made some mental mistakes we normally don’t make, but we missed 10 free throws and had at least seven turnovers,” the veteran coach suggested.
“Notre Dame always plays hard and we just left the door open for them as we just got tired at the end. In the past, we wouldn’t have answered the bell, but we just came up a little bit short tonight.
“I’m pleased with our effort, but our execution could have been better. But it seems like our games with Notre Dame are always a battle and tonight was no different,” he nodded.
The lead changed hands four times in the first quarter, but a 3 from the wing by Cole McCormick with 14 seconds left allowed the Fighting Irish to hold an 18-16 lead at the first break.
Jack Daniel sank the second of two free throws with 6:38 left in the second for a 21-20 Irish lead before the Patriots scored 10 straight points for a 30-21 lead following a three-point play by Chris McDonald with 4:27 left.
Two free throws by McCormick with 1:50 left in the half cut the CSAS lead to 32-26, but the Patriots scored four points in the final 30 seconds for a 36-26 lead at the break.
McCormick, who sparked the Irish with 13 points in the first quarter, added 13 more in the third when the Irish erased that halftime deficit.
Notre Dame’s Gaas Herman sank a short jumper in the lane as the clock was winding down to knot the
Score at 46 with one quarter remaining.
Back to back buckets from Fillauer and Herman at the start gave the Irish a 50-46 lead with 6:33 to play before Fillauer hit back-to-back 3s a minute later to extend the lead to eight points.
It got close in the final five minutes, but the Patriots couldn’t get any closer than 60-59 after Chase Pride sank the first of two free throws with 7.2 seconds left.
McCormick hit the second of two charity tosses with 5.1 seconds to stretch the lead to 61-59 and Fillauer sank the second of two with less than a second remaining for the final three-point margin of victory.
McCormick torched the nets for 29 points to lead the Irish scoring parade while Herman added 15 and Fillauer nine.
Justin Brown was tops for CSAS with 16 points while McDonald finished with nine.
CSAS had an unofficial 36-22 advantage in rebounds as Louis Bell grabbed eight to lead the Patriiots. Brown was next with seven while Alex Lowry and Pride both claimed seven.
McCormick was tops for the Irish with 10.
NOTRE DAME GIRLS 65, CSAS 14: Callie McCormick scored 17 points and Miriam Gaines 16 as the Lady Irish built a commanding 29-point lead at halftime before cruising to victory.
Dayonna Perryman and Maliyah Maples were also in double figures for Notre Dame with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Kendall Grudzinski was tops for the Lady Patriots with 11 points while T’Asia Moore had the other three.
GIRLS SUMMARY
NOTRE DAME 18 25 12 10 -- 65
ARTS & SCIENCES 9 5 0 0 -- 14
NOTRE DAME (65) – Miriam Gaines 16, M. Steere 5, S. Brown 2, Dayonna Perryman 13, Maliyah Maples 10, D. Brown, Callie McCormick 17, MacDougall, E. Steere 2.
CSAS (14) – Stinson, Jones, Whiteside, Kendall Grudzinski 11, Moore 3, Mitchell.
3-POINT GOALS: Notre Dame 9 (Gaines 4, M. Steere, Perryman, McCormick 2); CSAS 2 (Grudzinski, Moore).
BOYS SUMMARY
NOTRE DAME 18 8 20 16 -- 62
ARTS & SCIENCES 16 20 10 13 -- 59
NOTRE DAME (62) – Kelley, Hammond, Cole McCormick 29, Daniel 3, Houston 2, Gaas Herman 15, Fillauer 9, Roberts, Brown 4, Flowers.
CSAS (59) – Gaines 4, Pride 7, Cameron 2, Justin Brown 16, Smith 6, McDonald 9, Moss, Lowry 7, Wheeler 2, Bell 6.
3-POINT GOALS: Notre Dame 6 (McCormick 3, Herman, Fillauer 2); CSAS 1 (Lowry).
(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)