NDA senior Althoff's strong late push helps hold off St. John Villa, 55-46

Notre Dame Academy senior guard Kacey Althoff stepped up down the stretch Thursday night to lead the Gators to a hard-earned 55-46 CHSAA basketball victory over host St. John Villa.

Althoff finished with a game-high 23 points in a physical game that wasn’t designed for the faint of heart inside the lane. Senior guard Elena Sanchez added 16 points as NDA’s veteran lineup withstood a strong push from the host Bears.

When Villa pulled to within 45-38 on freshman Gianna Kroczynski’s jump shot in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Althoff took over. The three-year starter hit a driving layup and then a 3-pointer from the top. She capped the 10-2 run with another 3-pointer and the Gators could breath easier with a 55-40 edge.

“We were fouling them too much and then rushing things on offense,” said NDA coach Lou Terrusa. “We needed to slow down and Kacey provided that tempo. She let the game come to her in the second half.”

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Althoff gets this game ball with her 23 points and nine rebounds. She sank 4-of-5 shots from 3-point range, including the two late bombs.

“We didn’t panic late,” said Althoff. “When we panic everything kind of falls apart. I knew it was my job to slow it down in the fourth quarter.”

Villa coach Liz Blanchard, whose rotation includes two freshmen and two sophomores, wasn’t surprised by Althoff’s crunch-time heroics.

“She’s an extremely smart, talented player who can control the game and her team,” said Blanchard. “They feed off her. You can tell she’s like a coach on the court.”

WHAT THIS GAME MEANS

NDA needed a win to get on the winning track after opening 0-2 in league play and improved to 3-3 overall.

“We got the job done,” said Terrusa.

SHOT OF THE GAME

Villa’s Sammi Becerra connected on a shot just past the half-court line at the first-quarter buzzer.

That brought the visitors to within 18-10 in a bumpy first quarter.

STATS CORNER

Jess Salerno paced Villa with 11 points and Becerra added 10, including a pair of 3-point shots and 4-of-5 free throws.

Jackie Cali grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and Haley Fitzpatrick had nine in a winning effort, while Villa sisters Vanessa and Tiffany Smith combined for 14 points and 15 rebounds.

QUOTABLE

“I know Villa well and they are always going to be a team that plays hard and is never going to fold or quit,” said Terrusa of his opponent.

WHAT’S NEXT

NDA hosts Bishop Kearney in a 7 p.m. Saturday game at St. John's University, Grymes Hill, while Villa faces a 2 p.m. road test at Cardinal Spellman on Saturday.