CHARLOTTESVILLE — Coaches have often talked to their teams about getting out of their comfort zones.
For Class 2A No. 2 Eastern Hancock to come from behind and defeat Class 4A Indianapolis Cathedral Saturday, the coach had to get out of her comfort zone, too.
A traditional man-to-man defensive team, the Royals girls basketball team helped flip the scoreboard by going into a different zone, a zone defense.
It proved to be a big key in a 56-53 win over the Irish.
Eastern Hancock improved to 10-0 with the win.
“Coach Doud had to go away from her signature working teams with man-to-man defense and go zone,” Eastern Hancock coach Shari Doud said. “They were just getting too many things inside, cutting through us on the drive. The difference of when the shift (in the score) started to happen is when we switched from man-to-man to a 3-2 (zone). We were able to contain their guards better and we were able to double the post better.”
Down nine, 26-17, with 2:50 remaining until halftime, Doud’s Royals changed defenses and it changed the game.
Eastern Hancock, which led by five on two occasions in the first quarter, finished the second period on a 10-1 run to tie the game 27-27 at the break.
Doud said her team hasn’t worked a lot on playing zone defense, but they showed Saturday they knew enough to play it well.
“That’s what started igniting us at the end of the first half.” Doud said. “That played a huge role (in eliminating) the nine-point deficit. We also started taking it at them offensively. We were trying to be patient, but we also realized they had gaps in their defense and we were able to get to the line a lot.
“(Freshmen point guard) Kenzie Koch made a living at the line in the first half. We began attacking them more offensively, and our matchup zone was phenomenal. We had only practiced it for a couple of days, so they really absorbed what we needed to do if we had to go that route. We did have to go that route and they were wonderful.”
There was still work to be done in the second half.
Big buckets at big times came from players up and down the lineup.
Sammie Bolding opened the second half with a 3-pointer to give Eastern Hancock’s its first lead since early in the game.
When Cathedral regained the lead, 35-33, Eastern Hancock 6-1 center Ruby White answered to tie the game. It started an 8-0 run to end the period.
Koch, who had a team-high 21 points, scored 16 in the middle quarters, much of it came in the final minutes of each period.
Her buzzer-beating bucket after a turnover gave Eastern a 41-35 lead heading into the fourth. She scored five on that quarter-ending 8-0 run.
Cathedral scored two quick baskets to start the final eight minutes, but Brooklyn Willis answered with her first field goal of the game, a 3-pointer to put the Royals back up 44-39. She had attempted only one other shot in the first three quarters.
“She’s a confident kid and that was a pivotal 3,” Doud said. “She launched it right in front of me. I knew how it lined up it was good and we needed that. Nice to have a kid like that that isn’t afraid or timid in a situation like that. That offensive balance shows you unselfishness and a team that is hard to match up with because we have so many capable scorers.”
The Irish kept battling back. They tied it at 44 and 46 and took the lead, 48-46, on a basket from junior guard Jaeda Wilson, who led all scorers with 22.
Willis evened it with a 2-point field goal and, trailing 50-48, Eastern’s Bolding got a steal and bucket to tie the game 50-50 with 3:15 remaining.
Off an inbounds play with 2:20 to go, Koch hit her lone 3-pointer of the game, giving Eastern Hancock the lead for good.
On the defensive side, Makenzie O’Neal — who along with Bolding made key free throws down the stretch — and White each had steals in the final minute.
Following Koch’s 21, Bolding scored 14. White had 10 and Willis contributed seven. O’Neal had four points, all at the free-throw line in the second half.
For Cathedral, off the bench, Tatum Triggs added 12 points.
Eastern Hancock’s tough stretch of games continues Tuesday with a matchup at Class 2A No. 5 Lapel.
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Eastern Hancock 56, Cathedral 53
Cathedral;14;13;8;18;—;53
Eastern Hancock;13;14;14;15;—;56
Cathedral (3-7): Reaghan Gilmore 1 0-0 3, Abby Beasley 2 0-0 4, Taylor Lewis 2 0-0 4, Tianna Guy 3 1-1 8, Jaeda Wilson 8 5-6 22, Tatum Triggs 6 0-0 12, Sammie Frizzell 0 0-0 0, Arynn Garrard 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 6-7 53.
Eastern Hancock (10-0): Brooklyn Willis 2 2-2 7, Makenzie O’Neal 0 4-6 4, Ruby White 5 0-1 10, Kenzie Koch 7 6-10 21, Sammie Bolding 4 4-4 14, Sydney Springman 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 16-23 56.
3-point goals: Cathedral 3 (Gilmore, Guy, Wilson). Eastern Hancock 4 (Bolding 2, Willis, Koch).
