Should the Bishop Ludden and Westhill girls basketball teams meet again with post-season stakes, they have an awfully good first chapter to follow.
The Gaelic Knights weathered both Danielle Rauch’s game-long foul trouble and a double-digit comeback by the Warriors to prevail 61-54 in overtime Tuesday night as two neighborhood powers, both ranked in the state Class B top five, met for the only time in the regular season.
They were supposed to play Dec. 22 before a weather postponement. As it turned out, the 3 1/2 weeks spent waiting for the game only added to the anticipation and hype.
Then the game managed up to meet those expectations – though not at the outset.
Ludden scored the game’s first 11 points, and would maintain a comfortable lead for most of the early stages. And it did so without any scoring contribution from the Michigan-bound Rauch, who instead found open teammates that converted.
Seventh-grader Amarah Streiff played a big role, too, notching eight points the rest of the half after fellow forward Aurora Deshaies went to the bench with two fouls in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, Westhill was cold from the field, missing shots long and short, which allowed the Gaelic Knights to breeze into the break sporting a 27-14 lead.
By now, though, Rauch had three fouls, and when she picked up a fourth foul and headed to the bench midway through the third quarter, the Warriors pounced.
Mackenzie Martin led the comeback, scoring 12 of her 20 points during the third period, capped by a strong move to the basket and a three-point play that tied it, 40-40, and capped off a 14-2 Westhill run.
Rauch returned in the fourth quarter. More importantly, Deshaies came back and, paired up with Streiff, proved unstoppable in the paint, especially after Brigid Heinrich fouled out.
It was Deshaies hitting back-to-back baskets that erased the Warriors’ 52-48 lead and tied it in the final minute of regulation. Ludden’s defense forced Martin to miss a long-range shot in the waning seconds, and though Deshaies’ possible game-winner rolled off the rim at the horn, the Gaelic Knights carried the momentum into overtime.
Defensively, Ludden controlled the four-minute extra period, holding the Warriors to a single field goal by Jenna Larrabee. Meanwhile, Deshaies made it 57-54 and Rauch finally hit her first field goal of the night with 37 seconds left, adding two free throws to seal it.
Rauch,despite all that foul trouble, dished out a season-best 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Deshaies finished with 18 points, 12 of them in the fourth quarter and OT, to go with eight rebounds.
Streiff finished with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Jenna Costello had 10 points and six rebounds. To help out Martin, Katilin Karleski put up 14 points for the Warriors, with Larrabee contributing eight points.
