By, Drew Peltzman
January 6, 2023
TRENTON, N.J. – Undefeated in conference play, the Trenton Central (5-2) girls basketball team played host to Notre Dame Friday night, yet it was the Irish who showed up in the wire to wire victory, taking down the Tornadoes 54-37.
Notre Dame immediately set the tone defensively, holding the athletic Trenton squad to 5 points through the first quarter. Eventually, Trenton guard Gabby Smith got her team out of the immediate hole with a personal four point swing, but it was not enough for the stallworth Notre Dame defense.
“We forced them into a lot of tough shots,” head coach James Martinos said. “The girls are getting better every day, every week, every practice, and they are starting to play better together.”
Coach Martinos defensive strategy utilized a zone defense, which caused disconnect amongst the Trenton offense, ultimately leading to a total tally of 8 steals in the game as a team.
Senior forward Juliana Lynch lead the Irish in scoring with 12 points, and helped play staunch defense in the paint. Fellow senior Angelina Banas tallied 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals to facilitate the dominating victoy.
Coach Martinos detailed Lynch’s ability to bounce back after not having the strongest first half.
“Jules and Ang’ are the only two seniors we have, we’re very very young,” he said. “They have done a really good job – [they have been] really really effective.”
With the road victory on Friday night, Martinos won his 200th game as coach of the Notre Dame women’s basketball team. The win moved their record to (5-4) on the season, whereas Trenton’s first conference loss pushes them to (5-3).