Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

If you had told St. Joseph Lady Flyers’ coach Bart Burcham his team held Portsmouth Notre Dame’s top two scorers to 8 and 5 points, he might have felt positive about his team’s chances.
While Ava Hassel got only 8 points and Taylor Schmidt 5 points, Isabel Cassidy scored 16 points as the No. 2-ranked Lady Titans beat the Lady Flyers 53-23 in a Southern Ohio Conference game on Thursday.
“We played good defense. Their two guards (Hassel and Schmidt) get 17 and 18 a game and we held them down, but (Cassidy) hurt us. We made them play their starters into the third quarter and that hasn’t happened very many times this season.
“I don’t believe in moral victories, but these girls play so hard. I am so proud of their effort. Notre Dame has a good team. They have more than two players who can hurt you.”
The second-ranked Lady Titans got a 3-pointer by Cassie Schaefer as four different players scored to make it 9-2 in the first quarter.
Chloe Sheridan’s basket was the only points for the Lady Flyers.
Notre Dame managed to extend the lead to 22-9 at the half as Claire Dettwiller scored 7 of her 9 points including 3-of-4 at the line and Schmidt hit a 3-pointer.
Bella Whaley hit a trifecta while Sheridan and Gracie Damron had 2 points each for the Lady Flyers.
Then came the third quarter.
Isabel Cassidy — scoreless in the first half — hit four 3-pointers and scored 14 of her points in the third quarter as Notre Dame outscored the Lady Flyers 23-7 to finally break the game open at 45-16.
Hassel added 5 points in the quarter.
Faith Mahlmeister scored all 7 of St. Joseph’s points in the quarter.
Mahlmeister 7 points and 5 rebounds, Bella Whaley 5 points and 6 rebounds, Chloe Sheridan 4 points and 4 rebounds, Kaitlyn Sheridan 6 rebounds and Damron 4 rebounds.
St. Joseph host Fairview on Monday.
Notre Dame 9 13 23 8 = 53
St. Joseph 2 7 7 7 = 23
PORTSMOUTH NOTRE DAME (14-0, 11-0): Taylor Schmidt 1 1 0-0 5, Ava Hassel 3 0 2-3 8, Cassie Schaefer 1 1 0-0 5, Olivia Smith 2 0 0-0 4, Annie Dettwiller 0 0 1-2 1, Chloe Delabar 0 0 0-0 0, Claire Dettwiller 2 0 5-6 9, Isabel Cassidy 1 4 2-2 16, Kamryn Bradford 0 1 0-0 3, Lauren Campbell 1 0 0-0 2. Totals: 10 710-13 53. Fouls: 9. Fouled out: None.
St. JOSEPH (8-8, 6-5): Kaitlyn Sheridan 0 0 0-0 0, Faith Mahlmeister 3 0 1-7 7. Rebounds: 29 (B. Whaley 6, K. Sheridan 6, Mahlemeister 5, C. Sheridan 4, Damron 4, E. Whaley 3, Sutton 1). Fouls: 8. Fouled out: None.