QUINCY — New year, new approach for Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball after a couple of disappointing losses to close out 2025 in the John Wood Rumble on the River Shootout.
The Lady Raiders came away with their second win in two days on Saturday afternoon at the Pit, defeating Havana 57-24.
“Something we emphasized over Christmas break was getting our mojo back, getting our confidence back,” said QND senior guard Ari Buehler. “Coach (Eric) Orne said today that he think we have our mojo back.”
QND had defeated Mendon Unity 70-31 on Friday night with four different girls reaching double figures in scoring.
Orne had some good practices over Christmas break to help QND get back on track.
“I thought last night that we came out and established ourselves, and it carried over today to a really good Havana team,” said Orne. “I just thought we were relentless on both ends of the court. Our defense set the tone and we probably shot the ball as well as we have all year, which was great to see.”
The Lady Raiders had three players in double figures on Saturday, with Buehler leading the way with 18 points and fellow senior guard Jenna Durst racking up 13 points and senior forward Tristan Pieper adding 12 points.
“I think me and (Durst) have been working on finding each other in those moments,” said Buehler. “The trust that we have in each other really helps create our shots to make.”
Durst had her shot going well early on, scoring 10 points in the first quarter to help take a 22-9 lead going into the second quarter.
Buehler heated up with eight points in the second quarter, with Pieper adding six points, which propelled the Lady Raiders to a 42-14 lead by halftime.
“We always try to get that three-headed monster going,” said Orne. “Ari does a great job of distributing, attacking and scoring a lot more. Obviously, Jenna is known for outside shooting, but establishing Tristan early in the game was a big key to making sure that everybody else was open today.”
QND was able to get a lot of their bench players into the game in the second half with a comfortable lead.
“That was one of our best outings of the year,” said Orne. “That’s what we’ve been looking for. It was just a lot of energy, quick stepping and anticipating. I just thought we were forcing them into some tough situations.”
QND’s defense held Havana to a season-low 24 points, with sophomore guard Jenna Brooks scoring a team-high seven points and senior forward Kaydi Miller finishing with six points.
“Matt (Pugh) definitely helped us,” said Buehler. “He had missed the last few games that we played, and I think having him here just brings a lot more energy to the team. I think we were communicating well and we were flying around. Ellie (Bozarth) was saying I have ball, and her saying that just brings an extra layer of intensity.”
Up next for QND (11-2) is a home game against Camp Point Central (6-7) at 7 p.m. on Monday.
That will be followed by a road game against Beardstown (10-7) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and a game against Nashville (12-2) at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday in the Breese Central Shootout.
“We have two conference games this week, and obviously defending state champion Nashville on Saturday, who may be one of the best overall teams in the state,” said Orne. “It will be a challenge that we want to be ready for on Saturday.”