Victory over Indians enables Raiders to take some mojo with them to holiday tournament

PAYSON, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team’s 65-37 victory over Payson Seymour left Aden Genenbacher satisfied, but not necessarily overjoyed.

“We’re still trying to find our identity,” said Genenbacher, a 6-foot-4 senior guard who scored a game-high 21 points Thursday night.

The victory came after back-to-back losses for QND (6-4), which is idle until Dec. 27 when it makes its annual pilgrimage to the State Farm Classic in Bloomington-Normal

Genenbacher, who buried six of Notre Dame’s 10 successful 3-point field goals, said there was one constant throughout the game against Payson (4-8). 

“Definitely, it was our defense,” he said.

Genenbacher said QND’s pressure approach had a smothering effect around the perimeter. That was a major key in forcing numerous Payson floor errors that were turned into relatively easy baskets.

“We wanted to be aggressive,” said Genenbacher, who credited assistant coach Brady Frericks for much of the night’s defensive look.

Notre Dame was never threatened, bolting to a 19-10 lead by the end of the first quarter that grew to a 34-15 halftime edge.

The only negative for QND was some streaks of sloppy floor play, resulting in 24 turnovers, one more than Payson. 

“Overall, I think we’re happy with where we are right now,” said Genenbacher, who with teammates Jace Allensworth and Alex Dance each hauled in four rebounds to lead QND to a 28-20 advantage on the boards.

Noah Lunt (13) and Dance (10) were Notre Dame’s other double-figure scorers.

“It’s nice to get back into the win column,” QND coach Kevin Meyer said. “Tonight, I think, was about toughness. It was important to come out and play like we did after losing two in a row (to Camp Point Central and Quincy High School).

“Our length was another big factor, because I felt it frustrated Payson’s shooters.”

Lunt, at 6-foot-3, was especially active near the basket and along the baseline. He felt there’s an intangible that holds the key to the Raiders’ success.

“Unselfish play is very important to us,” Lunt said.

Lunt noted he is only as effective as he is because of his teammates getting him the ball, mostly in and around the paint. Five of his six field goals were converted from in close. 

Payson, which has dropped seven of its last nine starts, could never establish any sort of inside game. The Indians ended with just one double-figure scorer in junior Blake Schwartz, who scored 17 points, thanks to a strong outside touch.

“We did not handle Notre Dame’s physicality very well,” Payson coach Tyler Duschinsky said.

Payson’s only true inside threat, 6-foot-2 senior Wyatt Neisen, led all rebounders with seven but was held to six points by QND’s tall and physical inside defenders.

“Wyatt does everything for us, and we’re going to be looking to take a little off of his plate,” Duschinsky said. “We’re still trying to figure out some roles.”

Duschinsky said much of the last two weeks have been spent on evaluation and the best approach toward the second half of the season.

“We’re still looking for more consistency on offense,” Duschinsky said.

QND’s victory over Payson was its fourth in a row since the series resumed during the 2019-20 season.