By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Area
*Click HERE for full video gallery.
*Click HERE for full photo gallery.Traffic concerns due to surrounding inauguration activities caused the tip-off between Holy Cross and O'Connell to be moved up 15 minutes on Monday afternoon.
And the Tartans made sure the result was secure before the original start time rolled around.
Holy Cross hit four of its six first-half three-pointers in the first quarter, jetting ahead to an early 16-point lead, en route to a 74-46 win -- its sixth in a row -- over O'Connell on the road.
"We were kind of on a losing streak for a while," said Tartan senior
Lia Henry, whose team had lost three of four before its current six-game conference streak. "But now that we're winning, I think everyone is working together a lot more.
"We had a lot of line-up adjustments. Working together, people that played well together, had a lot to do with how we're winning."
Added Coach
Russell Davis: "The whole month of December we used multiple line-ups. We tried to take a look at who was playing well on our team and we just started clicking."
That frequent rotation has paid dividends in January. With so many players getting minutes, Holy Cross is 6-0 this month, averaging 71.2 points per game, while allowing just 43.2 points.
And on Monday, two of the three Tartans with double-digit scoring -- seniors Henry (11 points) and
Stephanie Onya (11 points) -- came off the bench.
"We have experience coming off the bench," Davis said. "We have seniors coming off the bench and they've got leadership. I talked with our team, especially Lia and Stephanie since they're not starting, and they get the same minutes.
"They get the same minutes and it's hard for teams that we play against to match that experience off the bench."
Added Henry: "I know, our starters, they're under a lot of pressure. So for me to just come off the bench, there's really no pressure on me to come out and start off strong, even though I do that most of the time.
"I think it's nice to come off the bench, even though I'd like to start."
But given Holy Cross' piping hot start, the starters, sixth men and role players alike could breathe easy on Monday.
The Tartans led by 24 points at the half and never allowed the Knights closer than 16 after halftime.
And when O'Connell switched from a 2-3 zone to man-to-man defense to take away the outside shot, Holy Cross turned to senior forward
Natasha Thames -- who recorded her second double-double in the last three games -- to put the game away.
"I just had to pound it into the post," said Thames, whose 14 points and 15 rebounds were both team-highs. "I know that I needed to step up. I had to pound it in, be tough and aggressive."
The Tartans will need elevated efforts all-around if they are to stretch their streak to seven.
Holy Cross plays No. 10 Good Counsel (13-3) on the road on Friday. The Falcons handed the Tartans their last conference loss, 67-65, on December 14.
"I cannot wait to play them," said Thames, who scored five points in the early-season loss. "I'm so excited. We only lost by [a few] points, so we just need to pick it up, come out strong and ready to play."
Added Henry: "The key is probably going to be rebounding, making our shots and free throws. If we do all those things, we're going to be set."
E-mail: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
Holy Cross (10-6, 6-2) 22 17 14 21 -- 74O'Connell (10-6, 2-6) 6 9 18 13 -- 46Holy Cross - Thames 7 0-0 14, Anya 5 1-1 11, Henry 5 0-0 11, Williams 3 2-3 9, Johnson 3 0-0 8, Bethel 4 0-1 8, Mackey 2 0-1 6, Chase 1 2-2 5, Kabonge 1 0-0 2. Team Totals - 31 5-8 74.
O'Connell - Jones 2 11-14 17, Horvath 2 4-5 8, Bannigan 2 0-0 6, Culhane 1 2-4 4, Gadell 0 4-4 4, Lagos 1 0-0 3, Coppes 1 0-0 2, Tumelty 1 0-0 2. Team Totals - 10 21-27 46.
Three-Pointers - Holy Cross 7 (Johnson 2, Mackey 2, Henry, Williams, Chase). O'Connell - 5 (Jones 2, Bannigan 2, Lagos).