03-04-2012, 10:05 AM
One of the casualties of Notre Dame Academy's 13-8 first-round win over Highlands in Tuesday's Ninth Region girls' basketball tournament slow-down was playing time for Pandas senior guard Jourdan Rahschulte, who did not get in the game as Notre Dame stuck with its starters throughout the contest.
Rahschulte, the Pandas' main spark off the bench, did not have that problem Saturday while scoring a team-high 11 points in 16 minutes of action as Notre Dame upset Ryle, 53-44, in the semifinals at Bank of Kentucky Center.
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"You try not to think about past things," said Rahschulte, a senior. "This game could have been my last and I just wanted to get in there and play well."
Rahschulte played a key role as the Pandas held off the Raiders. She hit the first basket of the fourth quarter to give Notre Dame a 34-26 lead and converted three free throws in the final minutes.
"She played very well," Pandas coach Nicole Levandusky said of Rahschulte. "It's probably one of the best games of her career. Perfect timing."
Notre Dame (25-5), ranked third in the final Enquirer Northern Kentucky coaches' poll, led the entire way against second-ranked Ryle (27-6), which had its season ended by the Pandas for the second straight year. Notre Dame surprised Ryle in last year's first round.
The Pandas, aided by a relentless defensive effort Saturday, are in the regional title game for the first time since 2008 when they lost to Conner. They play Boone County in Sunday's 3 p.m. championship. Notre Dame, which last won a regional title in 2007, lost to the Rebels by five in January.
"We're going to take our opportunities (against Boone)," Levandusky said. "We're not going to rush anything. We're going to take good shots and make good decisions."
Notre Dame junior Olivia Voskuhl scored 10 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds against the Raiders and teammate Elly Ogle also scored 10. Payton Schilling and Hannah Thelen added eight points each for the Pandas and Chandler Clark had six points, two steals and two blocks.
"We all contributed equally. We played as a team." Rahschulte said. "It was really good because we lost to (Ryle) during the season."
Senior Jenna Crittendon scored a team-high 13 points and senior Ashley Cheesman added 10 in their last game in uniform for Ryle, which was held to 10 first-half points and one field goal in the second quarter.
The Pandas outrebounded Ryle, 41-29, and outshot the Raiders. Notre Dame converted 46.5 percent from the floor while Ryle hit on 31.4 percent. The Raiders were just 3-for-24 from the floor (12.5 percent) in the first half.
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Rahschulte, the Pandas' main spark off the bench, did not have that problem Saturday while scoring a team-high 11 points in 16 minutes of action as Notre Dame upset Ryle, 53-44, in the semifinals at Bank of Kentucky Center.
⢠Enquirer's Recruiting Trail blog
⢠Enquirer high school sports blog
⢠Check us out on Facebook
⢠More prep coverage
"You try not to think about past things," said Rahschulte, a senior. "This game could have been my last and I just wanted to get in there and play well."
Rahschulte played a key role as the Pandas held off the Raiders. She hit the first basket of the fourth quarter to give Notre Dame a 34-26 lead and converted three free throws in the final minutes.
"She played very well," Pandas coach Nicole Levandusky said of Rahschulte. "It's probably one of the best games of her career. Perfect timing."
Notre Dame (25-5), ranked third in the final Enquirer Northern Kentucky coaches' poll, led the entire way against second-ranked Ryle (27-6), which had its season ended by the Pandas for the second straight year. Notre Dame surprised Ryle in last year's first round.
The Pandas, aided by a relentless defensive effort Saturday, are in the regional title game for the first time since 2008 when they lost to Conner. They play Boone County in Sunday's 3 p.m. championship. Notre Dame, which last won a regional title in 2007, lost to the Rebels by five in January.
"We're going to take our opportunities (against Boone)," Levandusky said. "We're not going to rush anything. We're going to take good shots and make good decisions."
Notre Dame junior Olivia Voskuhl scored 10 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds against the Raiders and teammate Elly Ogle also scored 10. Payton Schilling and Hannah Thelen added eight points each for the Pandas and Chandler Clark had six points, two steals and two blocks.
"We all contributed equally. We played as a team." Rahschulte said. "It was really good because we lost to (Ryle) during the season."
Senior Jenna Crittendon scored a team-high 13 points and senior Ashley Cheesman added 10 in their last game in uniform for Ryle, which was held to 10 first-half points and one field goal in the second quarter.
The Pandas outrebounded Ryle, 41-29, and outshot the Raiders. Notre Dame converted 46.5 percent from the floor while Ryle hit on 31.4 percent. The Raiders were just 3-for-24 from the floor (12.5 percent) in the first half.
http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...303030087/