The Notre Dame girls basketball team is moving on to play in the Far West Regionals after defeating the Elba Lancers at Cal-Mum on Tuesday night 44-31 in the Class D qualifier game.
The Lancers clawed their way back into the game with Notre Dame holding an 17-11 lead with three minutes left in the 2nd quarter.
By the end of the first half the Lancers held a 19-18 lead, after Madison Howard put in two with 13 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The Lancers scored 15 points in the quarter.
In the third, the two teams kept the game close, but Elba’s Tatiana Draper hit a three point shot to put the Lancers up 26-22, but Notre Dame’s Callie McCulley and Emma Finch answered, each scoring two to tie the score 26-26 with 1:44 remaining.
In the fourth, it was the Margaret Sutherland show.
Sutherland scored early and often in the fourth. With about 6 minutes left in the game the Irish were able to shut down the Lancers offensively while putting up 15 points in the quarter.
Sutherland finished with 16 points.
McCulley had 13 points on the night and Morgan Rhodes had 9 points to lead the way for the Lady Irish.
Elba’s Emily Reynolds and Maddie Muehlig had 7 points on the night while Tatiana Draper had 6 and Madison Howard had 5 points.
The Lady Irish will now play Panama at Buffalo State College this coming Saturday at 3:00p.m. in the Far West Regional quarterfinal.