Takin’ care of business: Raiders use blistering run to pull away from Crimsons in regional semifinals

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The scoring run impressed Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne, but he was even more pleased with the attitude and approach that enabled the Raiders to go on that run.

“We knew we had to come out here and just take care of business,” Orne said.

That is exactly what the Raiders did.

After QND’s Class 3A Jacksonville Regional semifinal game against Jacksonville was tied at 2 early in the first quarter, the Raiders rattled off 38 straight points over a nine-minute span and ran away with a 76-20 victory at the Jacksonville Bowl.

“I didn’t even know it was that much,” Raiders junior forward Jenna Durst said of the Raiders’ 38-0 run. “I’ve never seen anything like that. It’s a good way to start our first postseason game.”

That run came after the Raiders missed their first seven field goal attempts. Junior guard Ari Buehler sank a 3-pointer with 6:30 left in the first quarter, then the rout was on. The Raiders scored 28 more points by the end of the first quarter and notched the first seven tallies of the second. They reached the 50-point mark on an Ellie Bozarth 3-pointer with 1:45 left in the first half. The Raiders made eight 3-pointers in the first half and 11 in the game.

“We found our rhythm,” Orne said. “I thought we were a little anxious because it was the postseason. Sometimes you have that early on. I hope that was a good game to get some of that anxiousness out.”

QND senior guard Sage Stratton, who scored 16 of her game-high 19 points in the first quarter, emphasized the importance of keeping the same good habits that allowed the Raiders to go 28-3 in the regular season and reach No. 3 in the Associated Press state poll entering the postseason.

“We’ve played enough of these games to know that we know we need to stick to our morals,” Stratton said. “It’s not going to be this easy for our regional championship or if we go on to sectionals. We keep pushing.”

Durst echoed Stratton, noting that each of QND’s potential regional final opponents — No. 6 seed Jerseyville and fourth-seeded Springfield — were watching the Raiders from the stands.

“It’s definitely really important, especially with teams that we’re going to play out here watching us,” said Durst, who finished tied for second on the Raiders with nine points. “We’re making sure that we’re playing Notre Dame basketball, like Coach Orne always says, and just staying together.”

When the Raiders face Springfield at 6 p.m. Thursday in the regional final — the Senators defeated Jerseyville 52-32 in the other semifinal — Buehler said they need to carry over the defensive intensity that forced 17 Crimsons turnovers in the first quarter and the crisp ball movement.

“You never expect to go on that big of a run, but I think our defense played a big part in that, and working the ball on offense, making the extra pass,” Buehler said.

All five starters sat out the entire second half after the Raiders took a 52-7 lead into halftime. Each of the 15 players on the QND roster saw playing time and 12 scored at least two points.

“I’m definitely glad they could get out there, and I’m glad we could play well enough for them to be out there,” Durst said. “They deserve all the time they get. They’re all good basketball players, and they definitely still represent Notre Dame basketball well. I’m proud they got out there, and I like cheering them on. It’s just fun.”

All those different players scoring meant the opportunity for Durst, Stratton and others to cheer on their teammates and break out their personalized celebrations.

“We’re just cheering on our girls, being extra loud for them,” Stratton said. “We come up with our little celebrations when they make a free throw or a 3-pointer. That’s always fun.”

The Raiders’ dominant first half also gave the regulars some physical and mental rest, which Orne said could pay dividends in later rounds.

“You want to be fresh, and you want to be mentally fresh, too,” Orne said. “I think that’s a big key this time of year because the pressure starts to mount each round you go. We’ve shown maturity this year. We know we just have to come back here to The Bowl and be ready to play.”