COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — For the first time in program history, Notre Dame's boys have reached a TSSAA basketball state title game.
Kenny Hammond's performance Thursday is a big reason the Fighting Irish will take the court one more time Saturday.
While the senior's role at point guard means he typically serves as a key distributor for the Irish, Hammond did more on offense while helping lead them to a 68-62 victory over Bell Buckle's Webb School in the Division II-A semifinals of the BlueCross Basketball State Championships at Tennessee Tech.
Hammond scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, which included a 3-pointer from the top of the key in the third quarter, and he helped secure the victory for coach Jonathan Adams' team with three made free throws and a layup in the final minute.
"Coach challenged us to come out here and be our absolute best," said Hammond, who entered Thursday with per-game averages 3.2 points, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals this season.
"I knew there was a chance today I would have to step up with my shot with extra attention going to Cole (McCormick), Gaas (Herman) and DJ (Brown). Usually I just get them the ball and get them in the best spots possible. Today I had the opportunity to shoot it, and I knew I had to come out and knock down big shots."
Herman, a sophomore guard and first-year starter, followed Hammond's lead by getting in on the closing act. Herman scored the first 11 of Notre Dame's 29 points in the fourth quarter, when he generated 15 of his game-high 24 points. He was 3-for-5 from 3-point range in the game and finished with a team-leading eight rebounds while committing just one turnover.
"I was out there playing my game and just having fun with my teammates," said Herman, who has flourished as a go-to scorer as the Irish have won 14 of their past 15 games to earn a shot at a treasured TSSAA trophy. "We want to bring home a gold ball. Getting to the state championship game was the only thing on our minds today."
Notre Dame (23-9) will take on Goodpasture (31-2) at 2:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday at Tennessee Tech. In Thursday's second DII-A boys' semifinal, Goodpasture won 48-47 against Clarksville Academy (26-9) as Vanderbilt signee Isaiah West hit the winning free throw with 0.1 second left.
All but one point scored by Notre Dame came from its starting five — in addition to Hammond and Herman, McCormick scored 12, Benjamin Houston nine and DJ Brown eight — who each played at least 23 of the game's 32 minutes. The Irish were ahead for 25:51, with four ties and five lead changes in the game.
Webb went on an 11-0 run in the third quarter, with the Feet taking a 35-32 lead on Taveon Comage's three-point play at the 3:39 mark.
However, Notre Dame fought right back. Herman made a contested layup after driving down the right baseline, and McCormick took the lead back with a nifty spin move for a score shortly after the junior blocked a shot on the other end.
Brown, a senior guard, provided more energy when he broke free downcourt after a missed dunk by Webb that turned into a three-point play for Brown, who had three of Notre Dame's eight steals.
McCormick had seven rebounds and a game-high four assists, half of which came off long passes after grabbing a rebound. The Irish won the battle of the boards 27-23 despite going up against a 6-foot-8 standout in Stephen Olowoniyi, who finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.
"This is a crazy moment for all of us," said McCormick, who helped make his birthday memorable. "Coach Adams is always giving us the credit, but we would definitely not be here without him. He doesn't give enough credit to himself. We are all here because of him and the way he has challenged us to be great."
Houston helped the Irish start strong, with the senior scoring their first five points on a 3 from the right wing and a pull-up 10-foot jumper. Hammond grabbed one of his two offensive rebounds to create a 12-7 lead off a putback basket with 2:59 left in the first quarter.
The Irish led 25-19 at halftime and, led by Herman, put on a shooting clinic in the second half, when they were 14-of-22 from the field (63.6%) and 12-of-17 on free throws (70.5%).
Thursday marked the program's fifth appearance in a state semifinal — and first in 20 years — but the first four trips went no further. Now, despite not being ranked at any point this season, Notre Dame is one of the final two standing in its division.
"This is hard to put into words," Adams said. "I keep telling the guys we want to be the absolute best and to not shy away from that. I am proud of them. Great players carry coaches. I have great players who were ready for this moment and have carried us to the state championship game."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.