Notre Dame wins in overtime

By Greg Seubert

On paper, it looked like an intriguing late-season matchup between two of the state’s top girls’ basketball programs.

That’s exactly what fans of both teams ended up getting.

Hortonville hosted Notre Dame Feb. 4 for the Polar Bears’ final nonconference game of the season. Although Hortonville took a 16-point lead into the locker room at halftime, the Tritons came back in the second half, outscored the home team 12-4 in overtime and returned to Green Bay with a 74-66 win.

It was the 19th straight win for the Tritons, the state’s top-ranked team in Division 2, while Hortonville, the No. 2-ranked team in the latest Division 1 state poll, fell to 18-2.

Mikayla Werner scored Hortonville’s first seven points and the Polar Bears later used a 14-0 run to turn an 11-9 deficit into a 21-11 lead.

Hortonville eventually had a 17-point lead in the first half before taking a 36-20 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Tritons opened the second half with a 9-2 run that cut the lead to 38-29, but didn’t tie the game until Gracie Grzesk’s basket made it a 50-50 game with seven minutes remaining.

Notre Dame regained the lead at 60-59 with 2:40 left in the game on another basket from Grzesk.

Rainey Welson’s two free throws with 1:36 on the clock gave Hortonville a 62-60 lead, but Grzesk forced overtime with a basket in the final minute. The Tritons had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Trista Fayta missed a shot and the teams headed to overtime tied at 62-62.

The Polar Bears never led in the extra period.

Welson led all players with 28 points and Werner added 18 for Hortonville.

Fayta led the Tritons with 22 points, while Grzesk and Peyton Musial finished with 17 and 15, respectively.

First place in the Fox Valley Association will be up for grabs as the Polar Bears head to Neenah Friday, Feb. 10, for a rematch with the Rockets. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.