By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
She’s listed as a forward on the Ryle girls basketball roster, but Quinn Eubank played multiple roles in her team’s 51-36 win at Notre Dame on Tuesday.
The 6-foot senior led the Raiders in points, rebounds, steals and blocks in the victory that gave them a 4-4 record against teams ranked among the top 15 in the state in the latest media poll. Ryle’s overall record is now 18-8.
“She does it all,” Ryle coach Katie Haitz said of Eubank, a Belmont University recruit. “To be able to play the post, be that combo guard for us and be able to defend in the post, that’s what makes us successful.”
Eubank’s final stat line included 19 points, eight rebounds, four steals, three blocks and two assists. The fact that she stayed on the court after twisting her left ankle in the third quarter tells you how important getting a win against Notre Dame was to her.
“It’s always a big game against them,” she said. “They’re always really good and well coached, so it was fun.”
In last week’s state media poll, Ryle was No. 12 and Notre Dame was tied for No. 13, but the Raiders had a commanding 24-10 lead over the home team when the first half ended in Tuesday’s game.
At the halftime break, Eubank had 14 points, six rebounds and two steals. She was one of the reasons Ryle scored 13 points off 11 turnovers committed by the Pandas during the first 16 minutes.
“We knew they were going to pressure us like crazy, but we knew we had to do the same in return.,” Eubank said. “So we just tried to get them to (make) turnovers and I think that’s what also led us to a win.”
Ryle senior center Sarah Baker got into early foul trouble and spent much of the first half on the bench. But the Raiders’ aggressive full-court defense kept Notre Dame from taking advantage of her absence. The Pandas made just four field goals in the first two quarters.
Notre Dame opened the second half with a 7-0 run that cut the margin to 24-17. A field goal by Baker and 3-pointer by senior guard Kassidy Peters restored Ryle’s double-digit lead and they extended it 42-27 by the end of the third quarter.
A trey by senior guard Gracie Carrigan gave the Raiders their biggest lead of the night, 50-30, with 4:40 remaining. The Pandas made just two free throws and two field goals after that.
In the second half, Ryle sophomore Jaelyn Jones got eight of her 12 points and Baker provided eight points and five rebounds to help their team pull away.
“I thought Sarah did a great job with the foul trouble she was in and our bench did a great job of making their mark and doing what they needed to do,” coach Haitz said.
Ryle shot 42.9 percent (18 of 42) from the field compared to Notre Dame’s 32.6 percent (14 of 43). The Raiders ended up scoring 18 points off 16 turnovers, which included eight steals.
“I think what led us to the win tonight was really our energy,” Eubank said. “We’ve been lacking that a lot lately and we found it.”
Notre Dame’s scoring leaders were junior center Sophia Gibson and sophomore guard Emma Holtzapfel with nine points each. The Pandas’ record dropped to 19-6 with games against two state-ranked teams — No. 3 George Rogers Clark and No. 2 Cooper — remaining on their schedule.
NOTRE DAME 3 7 17 9 — 36
RYLE 8 16 18 9 — 51
NOTRE DAME (19-6): Collins 2 1 5, Resing 3 0 6, Holtzapfel 3 0 9, M. Lawrie 2 1 5, Burden 0 2 2, Gibson 4 1 9. Totals: 14 5 36.
RYLE (18-8): Eubank 8 2 19, Peters 1 0 3, Jones 2 6 12, Carrigan 2 0 6, McClain 1 0 3. Baker 4 0 8. Totals: 18 8 51.
Three-point goals: ND — Holtzapfel 3. R — Jones 2, Carrigan 2, Eubanks, McClain, Peters.