Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
PORTSMOUTH — Matti Hayslip will never forget the closing seconds of Monday night’s contest at Notre Dame.
What seemed to have happened in a blur will surely withstand the tests of time.
Hayslip turned in one of the best plays in Green High School history and, in doing so, lifted the Bobcats to a feat they hadn’t accomplished in 25 seasons.
CREDIT: Sam Walsh/SOSA
With the game in a 56-56 tie, the Titans attempted to take a lead with less than 10 seconds left. But the attempt was no good and the ball was corralled by Green’s Mylee Brown.
The senior found Abbie Knapp, who received the basketball and immediately turned to find Hayslip sprinting towards the basket. Hayslip received the near full-court pass, scored with 2.1 seconds left and pandemonium ensued.
The Bobcats (17-1, 7-0 SOC I) are adding a number to a banner in the near future.
“We had a shootaround and a little practice [on Sunday] and it was a quick turnaround,” Green coach Melissa Knapp said. “We had to know that this team was not going to quit. Notre Dame, I mean they’ve had the top for a lot of years. The last game [the two met on Jan. 16] was a really good game. We knew they were coming for us. The biggest thing was just keeping the girls positive.”
Monday’s game played much like the two’s first meeting, which ended in a 57-54 final.
Defensive intensity and pressure on both sides denied both teams the ability to build any sort of lead early in the game.
Green was led by Abbie Knapp in the first quarter with a mix of putback buckets and crafty finishes in transition while the Titans (10-7, 3-2 SOC I) spread the ball around, seeing multiple players grace the scorebook.
The end result was a 14-14 tie heading into the second.
The Bobcats began to find their footing, though, as Hayslip drained back-to-back triples for a 20-14 score. Notre Dame hung around and was paced by Lauryn Trinidad, but the Bobcats took a 25-21 lead into the break.
“It was hard [to prepare for Notre Dame] because we played a four-game week last week,” Melissa Knapp said. “Abbie had her 1,000th point on Saturday and we had to leave that behind. That was special, but as soon as she got it, I told the team, ‘We’re done. We’re done with the hoopla.’ We had to prepare for what’s next and after that game, that’s what we did.”
By the time the third quarter had begun, both teams had found a rhythm offensively.
Trinidad, alongside Bree Hicks, Laney Strickland and Jaysa Bryant, took turns hitting important shots to produce an 8-0 run with 1:32 left for a 42-41 lead. However, the Bobcats were able to stop the run and go ahead 44-43 heading into the final eight minutes.
The Titans continued to scratch and claw in the fourth, taking a 53-51 lead late in the game, thanks to a 3 from Hicks. But Hayslip answered on the other end with a triple of her own, putting the Bobcats back in front at 54-53.
That all led to a 56-56 tie with less than 10 seconds remaining. And that’s when Hayslip stepped into the history books.
PHOTOS: Images from Green’s win over Notre Dame
“We just keep playing, I think,” Melissa Knapp said. “We used to think, ‘Oh my gosh, we have four games in a week.’ But I think it helps us. I think at this point, it’s like practice. I don’t mean to take any team lightly. That’s not what I’m saying. But it’s like, who’s better at playing defense against us than Notre Dame? So that’s how I look at it. Every day is a practice.”
Hayslip finished the night with a game-high 17 points while Knapp added 16 of her own. Elizabeth McBee also chipped in for Green, totaling nine points in the victory.
For the Titans, Hicks had 15 points, Trinidad had 12 and both Strickland and Bryant added 10.
CREDIT: Sam Walsh/SOSA
Notre Dame will attempt to get back in the win column on Thursday, hosting East. Meanwhile, the Bobcats look towards their final three-game stretch of the regular season — at Eastern and home dates with Coal Grove and East.
Then, it’s tournament time where they’ve earned a No. 2 seed in Division VII.
“When we’re done with the regular season, we’re back to 0-0,” Melissa Knapp said. “The tournament is a whole new season. You don’t know what’s going to happen come tournament time. We’re going to finish out the next three games and then we’ll regroup and figure out what’s next.”
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