Lady Jays top Notre Dame de Sion

In girls basketball Friday

These aren't the Jefferson City Lady Jays of the past few seasons.

"As far as team basketball, this was probably our best game," Lady Jays coach Kristie Douglas-Wiley said after Friday night's 66-48 win against the Notre Dame de Sion Storm at Fleming Fieldhouse.

"There were so many positives tonight and we're getting to the time of the year that you really want to see those."

One of the biggest of the positives was the play of Nicole Martin. The 6-foot-1 junior forward came off the bench early in the contest and never left the floor the remainder of the game, totaling 33 points and 10 rebounds.

"Nicole had a great all-around game," Douglas-Wiley said. "Offensively, defensively, rebounding, she was outstanding. That's what we need for her to continue to do. She can give us great energy on both ends of the court."

As impressive as her offensive numbers were, Martin was equally so on the defensive side.

Notre Dame de Sion junior Camille Keane hit 3-of-4 of her 3-point attempts in the first quarter, which ended with Jefferson City holding an 11-10 lead. That was before Martin was assigned to cover Keane for much of the rest of the game. She only attempted three more 3-pointers, hitting two of them.

"That was huge," Douglas-Wiley said. "When we moved Nicole over to cover (Keane), she did a great job of shutting her down."

Even without Keane, the Storm weren't shy when it came to shooting from beyond the arc. They finished 9-of-27 on 3s, while hitting just three of 10 2-pointers.

The Lady Jays, who ever trailed after the first minute, extended their lead to 24-18 at the half.

Martin took control in the third quarter, scoring 12 of Jefferson City's 23 points, as the Lady Jays took a 47-29 advantage into the final period. Jefferson City had runs of 8-0 and 6-0 in the final 3:22 of the quarter.

"We just went out there and played," Douglas-Wiley said. "When we do that, it's to our advantage."

Notre Dame de Sion got as close as 13 early in the fourth quarter. Jefferson City led by as many as 20 points late in the contest.

"We did a great job of helping out each other, supporting each other," Douglas-Riley said. "This was a great team effort. It's fun to see the girls play like that."

Keane finished with 23 points for the Storm, while Jenna Bolton added 13.

Megan Foster added 15 points for Jefferson City, which climbed above the .500 mark at 8-7. The Lady Jays are the second seed in next week's California Tournament, opening against No. 7 Southern Boone at 8 p.m. Monday.

In Friday's JV game, Jefferson City was a 36-32 winner in overtime against Notre Dame de Sion. McKenzie Gourley had 12 points for the Lady Jays.