The Notre Dame Academy girls’ basketball team kicked off their title defense on Saturday with a 67-60 victory over the Pewaukee Pirates in a matchup of two top five teams.

The Tritons came in ranked #1 in Division 2, while the Pirates came in ranked at #4.                                     

The main question for the Tritons this season is how to replace high-caliber players like Sammy Opichka, Georgia Gregoire and Charley Apple, but the program knew they had a lot more talent returning.

Coming into the season, having returned several key players from last year’s team, we felt confident going into the game,” sophomore Gracie Grzesk said. “Pewaukee is a really good program, and we knew they would give us a good game.”

Grzesk, who has received multiple D-I offers, was named both all-conference and all-state in just her freshman season.

Another all-state returner is senior Sarah Hardwick, who recently committed to play basketball at UW-Oshkosh.

Hardwick averaged 11.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in her junior campaign, along with almost two steals per game.

The game started slow for the Tritons, as Pewaukee quickly jumped out to a 12-5 lead. 

Things also looked grim in the foul category as Hardwick and returning all-FRCC defensive team recipient Trista Fayta had both picked up two quick fouls. 

They were able to claw back to a 27-26 deficit but were unable to get a last second shot to fall before the halftime buzzer, after multiple offensive rebounds. 

The Tritons also struggled in the first half at the free throw line, shooting just 33.3%.

“Going into the second half, we talked about making our free throws and really focusing on having our hands up on defense to stop their 3’s,” Hardwick said. “We also talked about being smart with our fouls and knowing how the refs were calling the game.”

Recognizing what needed to be changed in the second half, it was all Notre Dame. Junior Hope Barington scored 12 of her 23 points in the last 18 minutes and Hardwick dropped all 9 of her points in the second half as well.

For Pewaukee, they were led by freshman twin duo, Amy and Anna Terrian. The Terrian twins combined for 34 points, shooting 7-13 from behind the arc.

At the end of the day, the Tritons’ calling card of tough defense and conditioning helped secure the close victory, extending their active winning streak to 27, dating back to last season.

That streak will be on the line this Tuesday, as the Tritons take on D1 #1 Appleton East on the road.

The Patriots boast two major D-I commits in Lily Hansford, an Oregon State commit, and Emily La Chappell, a Marquette commit.

The last time the two squared off was in 2020 at the Triton Center, where the Tritons came away with an 82-66 victory.

Notre Dame knows the task at hand if they want to keep their streak alive.

“I think some keys for Tuesday’s game will be our defense, especially on LaChapell and Hansford making them take tough shots,” Grzesk said. ”I think executing on offense and staying out of foul trouble are other big keys.”