There is a magic number for the Notre Dame girls’ basketball team this season — 40.
Actually, the number is a little lower than that, but as long as the Lady Irish don’t see that figure on the opponents’ side of the scoreboard, they feel pretty good about their chances to win.
And with good reason.
The Lady Irish have jumped out to a 13-4 record, which includes a 4-0 mark in District 7-AA. Their staple has been defense. They’ve allowed only 33 points per contest — 29.1 in their 13 wins. When they’ve allowed 40 or fewer, they are 13-1.
Coach Wes Moore, in his second season at Notre Dame, has put a lot of responsibility on his team on the defensive end. The Lady Irish might not have the quickness of some of their opponents, so they’ve applied a number of variations of zones to slow other teams.