Elba extended their winning streak to 40 games after defeating Notre Dame, 56-41.
The Lancers have come away victorious 40 games in a row since their last loss on March 7, 2010 in the Class D qualifier. They have also won 29 consecutive Genesee Region League games dating back to February 8, 2010, when Notre Dame came away with a three point victory, which was also the last time they lost a home game.
“It’s something that down the road, whenever it does end, we’ll be to reflect on unbelievable it is to win that many games,” said Elba head coach Tom Nowak. “We never talk about it in practice. We just come out one game at a time and go from there.”
After leading by only five with three minutes to play, the Lancers went on a 13-3 run to end the game, beating the Lady Irish for the second time this year.
Elba started the game hot, opening up with a 10-2 run, including three-point field goals from both McKenzie and Kelsey Bezon.
However, Notre Dame would fight back. They went on a 12-2 run of their own, capped by a three by senior Riley Norton early in the second quarter.
The Lancers would score seven straight to take a 25-18 lead with two minutes left in the half before the Irish got back-to-back baskets from sophomores Emma Francis and Emily McCracken to cut the lead to 25-23 at halftime.
Elba would win the free throw battle in the game, attempting 17 to Notre Dame’s 6. In fact, Laurie Call headed to the line with 5:23 left in the third quarter for the Irish’s first trip to the line all night.
After Call’s free throws gave the Irish a two point lead, the turning point of the game would come on a play where Elba’s Jamie Marshall and Notre Dame’s Shea Norton got tangled up going for a rebounding, resulting in Norton receiving a technical foul.
McKenzie Bezon would make one out of two free throws and assist on a Missy Engle jumper from the elbow to give the Lancers the lead for good.
Bezon would finish with a superb all-around game, scoring a game-high 16 points, grabbing 9 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists.
“She’s been unbelievable all season, but tonight she just had a magnificent game,” said Nowak. “She has had to sacrifice her scoring a little bit to make sure she is keeping everybody involved. She is a true team player, that she has sacrificed her individual stats for the good of the team.”
After a Melanie Taylor free throw cut the Elba lead to five with 3:11 to play in the game, Elba freshman guard Alex Reigle connected on back-to-back three pointers from the corner within five seconds to send the Lancers on a 13-3 run before Bezon hit her fourth shot from beyond the arc to seal the game.
“It’s amazing,” Bezon said. “When I was little I couldn’t wait to play varsity for Elba and have undefeated seasons. Now that’s happened it’s unbelievable.”
Reigle had a strong game for Elba (15-0), scoring 12 points, while Marshall chipped in 7 points and 8 rebounds.
“It’s a huge win because I have a lot of respect for Notre Dame,” Nowak said. “To beat a team of that high caliber is always very special to us.”
Riley Norton led the way for Notre Dame (13-2), scoring a team-high 15 points and grabbing 6 rebounds, while Taylor chipped in 14 points and 9 rebounds.
