The defensive tenacity displayed by freshman Javeah Myricks helped propel Notre Dame to its first Division II-A state tournament berth in four years, as the 5-foot-9 small forward was relentless in Monday’s 52-38 region quarterfinals home win over Knoxville’s Concord Christian.
Myricks consistently provided pressure on the ball and also turned her defense into offense as she finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, and a game-high six steals to help the Lady Fighting Irish improve to 24-6 overall and win for the 18th time in their last 20 contests.
“Javeah is a tough one to prepare for because until you actually line up against her, I don’t think you understand the tenacity she plays with on the defensive end,” Notre Dame head coach Jason Hill said before being thrown a party in the school’s cafeteria after the big win on his birthday.
“She gets her hands on nearly every ball that flies into the air,” Hill added. “She is great at causing a deflection, or a steal, or altering the angle of the pass. Her mindset all year has been to create havoc defensively. If she creates a bad pass, we are going to jump it. She takes the other team out of their comfort zone and out of position. Javeah has come such a long way, and we couldn’t do what we do without her.”
A slim 21-19 halftime lead for Notre Dame quickly turned into a third-quarter breakaway as intense defensive pressure helped ignite a 24-point quarter for the hosts, with senior Erin Spurgeon leading the way.
Spurgeon drilled her third 3-pointer of the third quarter with 47 seconds left to take a 43-25 lead. The sharpshooter scored 13 of her 15 total points in the period, which she closed with a heads-up offensive rebound and putback off the glass.
Sophomore MiMi Lee set the scoring pace in the victory as she led the Lady Irish with 19 points. Lee has combined with Spurgeon and senior Callie McCormick for 198 3-point makes this season. Spurgeon leads the way with 69 long-range makes while shooting over 40 percent from long range.
“Erin has confidence in her shot, and when she is in rhythm, she can just pull up off the dribble and knock them down,” Hill said. “She has the green light at any time but also understands when to take her shots. She really took over in that third quarter and made some big-time plays and shots.”
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Notre Dame had runs of 11-0 and 8-0 in the third quarter, while Emory Thomas accounted for all 16 of Concord Christian’s points over the second and third quarters. Thomas led all scorers in defeat with 22 points.
After having their season ended the past three years by The King’s Academy in the region quarterfinals, Hill and the Lady Irish are excited to host this weekend’s region semifinals — against CAK at 4 — and would also host Saturday’s finals.
“Losing this game last year was tough. It stung for a while,” Hill said. “To be able to follow back up this year with a new team, with fresh life, and for us to get past this game on my birthday, it is special. Our girls really got rolling in the third quarter.
“We will celebrate for a little bit and then get right back to work and be ready for the weekend.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.
