The third-seeded Eagles easily dispatched the 30th-seeded Lancers in the first round of the Class L state tournament. Abigail Corning scored 21 of her 26 points in the first half to lead the Eagles to a 57-32 win in front of their home fans Monday night.
Wethersfield hosted No. 14 Farmington, a team it beat in the CCC tournament quarters, in the second round Thursday night after the paper went to press.
Corning dropped 16 in the second quarter, when Wethersfield outscored Notre Dame 21-6. The Eagles opened up a double-digit lead they would never relinquish and led by 22 at the half.
"We definitely got pumped up a little more than normal," Corning said, "but we wanted to come out and still play our game; not let the pressure get to us. We know it's one-and-done now so there is the pressure to win. But then again, we didn't want that to overcome us and not have us be able to play like we usually do."
After two quick baskets gave the Lancers a 5-0 lead, the Wethersfield's full-court press took over. Notre Dame turned the ball over, leading to transition offense for the Eagles. They forced more than 20 turnovers in the game.
When they weren't off and running, the Eagles were running players off screens in their set offense, leading to open jump shots or open lanes to the basket.
Though Morgan Murphy only had four points, she was involved at much of the set offense. Her teammates fed her in the post or at the top of the key, where she looked to make a move to the hoop or found an open teammate.
"I liked the way that we got people open," Wethersfield coach Brian Fanelli said. "We actually did a pretty good job of running certain things. [There were] a lot of good things that I hadn't seen in awhile."
Fanelli was also pleased with the team's defensive effort. When the Eagles were not turning the Lancers over, they stayed aggressive in their half-court defense.
"I was happy with the way we played post defense," Fanelli said. "They had a really tall post kid in there. We did a nice job of fronting it and the girls on the weak side did a nice job of helping."
Notre Dame's best offensive friend was the three as seven of the team's 10 field goals came from beyond the arc. All five of Annie Sutila's baskets were treys. The junior guard led the visitors with 15 points.
Corning was the only Eagle in double-figures but Audrey Hilchuck and Brenna Verre both finished with nine points. Christina Curnias added six.
Wethersfield benefitted from the return of senior guard Amanda Cormier. Though she did not return to the starting lineup, she saw significant minutes and allowed the starters to get some rest during the game.
The quintet of Corning, Verre, Hilchuk, Murphy and Curnias had been playing virtually all of the minutes in Cormier's absence. With Cormier back, Fanelli now has an experienced sub ready to come off the bench and provide a boost.
"We gave everyone a breath tonight,' Fanelli said, "and that's because Amanda's back. Forget that part, she gives us a spark right off the bench [at both ends of the court]. Offensively, she's always looking to run. It's a pleasure to have her back."
Corning echoed Fanelli's sentiment.
"She is that spark that we missed," she said. "But then again, we need another sub because we do get tired. Thirty-two minutes of straight pressing and going crazy like that is tough on us."