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Notre Dame's domination lasts from start to finish

Notre Dame never trailed and dominated from start to finish for a 61-35 win over Milton in Friday's Division 2 state semi-final.

The Tritons held a solid 17-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, then blew things wide open in the second. After a pair of free throws by Milton's Elizabeth Westrick made it 17-9 just 11 seconds into the period, Notre Dame went on a 19-0 run to end the half.

About the only negative for Notre Dame was an ankle injury to star junior Allie LeClaire late in the half. She would return in the second half but was able to get plenty of rest late in the game as the Tritons cruised to the final buzzer.

LeClaire was highly efficient while in the game, scoring a team-high 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting. Eliza Campbell (13), Brianna Byrne (12), and Sabrina Rapisarda (10) all hit double figures as well.

Notre Dame's defense was outstanding all day, limiting Milton senior standout Morgan Blumer to 13 points on just 4 of 17 shooting. Elizabeth Westrick led the way for the Red Hawks with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

After shooting just 9.5% in the first half (2 for 21), Milton managed to connect at a 38.5% clip (10 of 26) in the second half, but it wasn't enough. They finished just 25.5% for the game (12 of 47).

On the other hand, New London kept their torrid shooting up all game, finishing at exactly 60% for the contest (21 of 35).

Milton's season comes to an end as the Red Hawks finish 19-8 overall. Notre Dame advances to the Division 2 state title game on Saturday.

On way to blowout loss, New Berlin Eisenhower rallies for dramatic comeback victory

Down by 15 points early in the second quarter to two-time defending state champion New London, things appeared bleak for the New Berlin Eisenhower girls basketball team. However, as they say, it was darkest just before dawn, as a dramatic comeback resulted in a back and forth affair that wasn't decided until the final buzzer.

When New London's last gasp three-point attempt banged off the backboard and fell harmlessly to the ground, Eisenhower's 48-47 victory was complete and New London's 68-game winning streak was over.

Few would have predicted an Eisenhower win, let alone a close game after the Lions trailed 21-6 with 5:50 left in the second quarter. From that point on, it was a different Eisenhower team, led by the defense. From the 5:50 mark in the second quarter, New London was held scoreless until 4:07 remained in the third period, and didn't convert a field goal until Brenna Heise opened the fourth quarter with a three-point basket.

The second half was a back and forth affair, as the lead changed hands 9 times, with 10 ties as well. Neither team led by more than 4 points in the fourth quarter. That 4 point lead was for New London at the 1:13 mark, but Eisenhower senior Jenny Weiland answered quickly with a three-pointer.

The teams traded baskets and free throws until New London was up by one point with 25 seconds to go. Junior Amber Pethke had an open layup to give her team some breathing room, but couldn't covert. However, Eisenhower turned the ball over on an out of bounds throw-in, and New London took a 2 point lead with 17 seconds left when Mickey Rolland hit one of two free throws.

Erin Ganzke, who was huge all day for head coach Gary Schmidt scoring a career-high 16 points, converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 7 seconds left to give Eisenhower a 48-47 lead. After advancing to the front court and a couple timeouts, New London ended up with an in-bound under their own basket with .8 seconds remaining. The final shot by Cambria Fitzgerald bounced harmlessly off the backboard, giving Eisenhower the improbable 48-47 win.

Jenny Weiland led the Lions with 17, followed by Ganzke's 16. New London senior Brenna Heise scored a game-high 19 points in her final high school game. Junior Mickey Rolland added 11 points to go with 14 rebounds.

Note:  Attendance for the afternoon D2 session was 6,777.