To say the least, the Notre Dame girls’ basketball team has been dominating their opponents this season. 

When I say “dominate,” I mean in their 21 wins, they have won by an average of 40 points. Their one loss came early on in the season against D1 #1 ranked Kimberly by just 8 points. Since that game, they have been on a 19-game win streak, most recently topping Pulaski 85-23 on Friday night.

After starting out only up 5-3 early in the first half, the girls rode a 41-13 run into the half, behind 17 first half points from Sammy Opichka.

“I thought we initially lacked the energy we needed when we came out,” Varsity Head Coach Sara Rohde said. “I think we picked it up around the 14-minute mark, and our girls really got after it.”

Opichka ended the game with 19 points. Opichka is said to be a finalist for the state Miss Basketball award, which is given to the best senior girls’ basketball player in the state. 

“She just makes our team a whole lot better in so many ways,” Rohde said of Opichka. “She rebounds well, she finishes, she makes the easy pass. I think that’s what makes her such a special player because that’s what great teammates do.”

On the other end of the totem pole, the freshman class brings a bright future for this Triton program. Gracie Grzesk, who received a scholarship offer from Green Bay before her high school career even began, scored 13 in the win. 

As well as Grzesk, the freshman class includes Trista Fayta and Sydney Whitehouse. Fayta scored 10, while Whitehouse made her varsity debut in the win, scoring 4.

“It was nice to see Syd get back on the court again tonight. Obviously she’d been out this whole season with the injury,” Rohde said. “Trista, Gracie and Syd are a tough group of kids. Same goes for Hope, Sarah and Caroline. They all work really hard, and I really like how they play together.”

The Tritons finish out their regular season with a Saturday trip to De Pere to take on the 21-2 Redbirds for a chance at the outright FRCC title. The last time these two teams met, the Tritons won handily with a 73-47 victory. 

“I feel good going into that game,” Rohde said. “The girls know what we’re trying to accomplish. If we continue to do what we’ve been doing, I feel confident about the outcome tomorrow.”