Tolton girls basketball (7-12) fell to Notre Dame of St. Louis 77-46 on Monday night in Columbia. The Rebels utilized an efficient first quarter and stingy defense to hand the Trailblazers the defeat.
“We came out flat,” Tolton girls basketball head coach Sam Sexauer said. “(Our) energy and intensity was disappointing.”
The Rebels jumped out to a 22-6 lead within the game’s first eight minutes, led by senior guard Lillie Weber. She scored a team-high 25 points, including 10 in the first quarter alone.
Weber, a four-year varsity player, tallied the second-most points of her high school career. She was two points shy of the 27 points she scored against Melville earlier this season.
“(Weber) is one of our leaders,” Notre Dame coach Mark DeGreeff said. “She’s in charge any time she is on the court.”
A trio of Notre Dame players joined Weber in double-digits, as sophomore guard Jo Wozniak (10 points), sophomore guard Gwen Keeven (13) and senior forward Teresa Laramie (12) led the Rebels to their highest-scoring game of the season.
Notre Dame entered the contest having won two consecutive games, scoring 120 points over that stretch. Against Tolton, that high-scoring output continued, as the Rebels totaled 41 points in the first half.
“We’re attacking the basket and making shots, too,” DeGreeff said.
Junior guard Jillian Aholt and freshman guard Makaylin Viet countered in the scoring column for the Trailblazers, notching 13 points apiece.
“Several (players) had good moments,” Sexauer said. “Makaylin is probably the one that had a good game.”
Their efforts could not overcome the Trailblazers’ miscues : turnovers, rebounding and inefficient shooting inside the arc.
The Rebels ran a full-court press for most of the game, forcing Tolton into several turnovers before the team could even reach mid-court. That defensive pressure translated to the offensive end, where Notre Dame capitalized on several fast-break opportunities.
“I think our press is much better (than earlier in the season),” DeGreef said. “We may give up an easy basket here or there, but if we can get three easy ones, that’s what we want to do.”
Even when Tolton forced the Rebels into misses, Notre Dame rushed into the paint to grab offensive rebounds and earn second-chance opportunities. A pair of 6-foot senior forwards, Hayley Winkelmann and Laramie, corralled several rebounds and created additional offensive possessions throughout the game.
“(Laramie) is coming along,” DeGreef said. “She can contribute, so now we’ve got an inside game and an outside game too.”
Tolton did not go away quietly, however, turning a 19-point halftime deficit into an 10-point game midway through the third quarter.
Freshman guard Macie Reynolds, who finished with six points, and Aholt led the comeback effort, guiding the Trailblazers on an 11-2 run to begin the second half.
“It showed what they’re capable of,” Sexauer said.
The rally proved to be short-lived, however, as Notre Dame flipped the switch and outscored the Trailblazers 34-13 over the remainder of the game.
Tolton will look to bounce back against Fulton (4-14) at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday in Fulton.
“We just need to pick each other up ... and start how we did (in) the third quarter,” Aholt said, “the entire game.”