The high school girls basketball postseason continued Thursday night with sectional semifinal matchups across Northeast Wisconsin.
At Appleton North High School, Notre Dame outlasted Kimberly 54-48 in a tightly contested Division 1 game.
The teams traded baskets throughout the second half. Kimberly briefly took the lead when Haylie Dulas scored inside, and Ava Van Vonderen later knocked down a 3-pointer to keep the Papermakers within reach.
Notre Dame responded with key plays of its own. Kaia Waldrop scored on a putback to give the Tritons a 32-31 lead, and senior Destiny Webster provided a strong offensive presence. Webster finished with 18 points.
With about four minutes remaining and Notre Dame holding a five-point lead, Kimberly’s Emily Urban converted an and-one to keep the Papermakers close.
But the Tritons held on down the stretch, hitting free throws and coming up with key rebounds to secure the win.
“We knew it was going to be a grind,” Notre Dame head coach Sara Rohde said. “They’re very physical, and we knew that we had to be the tougher team tonight, and I thought we were. We played really strong, got better shots down the stretch, defended well and came up with big rebounds and 50/50 balls. Those are all the things you need to do to win big games.”
For Webster, the victory carried extra meaning.
“Just making it here and beating them is like everything to me,” Webster said. “It’s what we worked for all season, and I can’t wait to keep going and see what’s next.”
Elsewhere in the sectional round, top-seeded Xavier held off West De Pere 42-39 in a matchup played at Seymour.
Hailey Hafner opened the scoring with a drive to the basket for Xavier, and Annika Heimann later connected from the corner for three. West De Pere answered with a three-pointer from Alexa Rattray to take a six-point lead during the first half.
The Hawks ultimately pulled away late to secure the three-point win and advance.
