After missing the first half of her final prep basketball season this winter, Notre Dame senior Violet Wright enjoyed a major triumph Friday night — both personally and for her team.
Wright was a steady force in the paint on both ends of the court at Silverdale Baptist Academy, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds (including four offensive) while helping lift the Lady Fighting Irish to a 46-39 victory over the host Lady Seahawks in the TSSAA Division II-A District 2 tournament final.
Her presence helped Notre Dame allow just six points in the second quarter and nine in the fourth for strong finishes to each half, and when Wright’s name was called in the postgame celebration as an all-district tournament selection, her teammates let out a massive roar for their 5-foot-11 forward, who just a year ago was nearly a walking double-double.
“Ever since I came back from my MCL injury, I had been struggling with my confidence,” Wright said. “That’s a tough thing, because basketball is 90% above the shoulders. Once you get injured off a great season, it is hard to come back from that. If I didn’t have the teammates and coaches I have, I wouldn’t have been able to do what happened tonight.
“Sometimes there are teams you want to be on and just win for them. Notre Dame is exactly that for me.”