TOWN AND COUNTRY – It was fitting that Kate Rubel stood at the free throw line with a chance to clinch victory.
The Cape Notre Dame sophomore had navigated full-court pressure, guarded both perimeter and post players, delivered cross-court assists and collected tough rebounds.
There was only one thing she had not done.
Score.
Rubel completed a brilliant, all-around effort by sinking two free throws with 12 seconds remaining to secure a 49-47 victory for Cape Notre Dame over Ursuline on Saturday in the opening round of the Visitation Christmas Basketball Tournament at Visitation Academy.
Cape Notre Dame (6-1), which placed fourth in Class 5 last season, advanced in the winner’s bracket and will face Incarnate Word (6-0) at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Buder Gym.
Ursuline (9-2) will face Westminster (0-6) on the consolation side at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Marion Gym.
Rubel made several impactful plays throughout the game in addition to her seven rebounds and four assists.
After Ursuline mounted a 13-0 run midway through the second quarter, Rubel stole a pass in the midcourt and sent sister Brie Rubel for a breakaway layup to swing momentum.
Throughout the second half, Kate Rubel’s ability to handle the Ursuline pressure in the back court supplemented her stellar defense on Bears’ dynamic forward Evelyn Shane in the post.
“She’s evolving into one of those do-it-all players,” Notre Dame coach Kirk Boeller said. “We can trust her to bring the ball up the court in a press, we can trust her to post up, we can trust her to guard bigs and little guards. I thought she played really well and absolutely contributed on both sides of the floor.”
The explosive first step of Shane, the dribble penetration of Brooklynn Williams and the three-point sharp-shooting of Abby Walsh propelled Ursuline to a 24-16 lead, which included 13 consecutive points early in the second quarter.
“The first half, we really pressured the ball and got beat off the dribble. They were able to dump it down and get some easy layups, kick and get some open threes,” Boeller said.
Even when the Notre Dame defense was sound, Shane used her lightning-quick first step to get to the rim. The 5-foot-10 sophomore led all scorers with 20 points, including a pair of three-pointers.
“That’s every day in practice, she does not take a play off,” Ursuline coach Jeff Stevens said of Shane. “What you see in a game is what I see every day. I’m glad she’s successful on the court because she works very hard.”
Late in the second quarter, the Rubel sisters began to dissect the Ursuline full-court press and created scoring opportunities in transition. A putback by Eliza Barnette was wedged between three-point bombs from Brie Rubel and Mia Panton as Notre Dame trimmed the deficit to 30-29 at halftime.
“At the end of the second quarter, we weren’t really getting matched up well out of the press and they had some wide-open threes,” Stevens said. “We were trading two for three and the lead that we had was slowly fading away.”
In the second half, Cape Notre Dame decided to fade its original defensive plan. The Bulldogs sagged off the Ursuline guards and cut off dribble penetration lanes, thus making it hard for the Bears to squeeze entry passes into the post to Shane.
Notre Dame deflected passes, won 50-50 balls, retrieved long rebounds and were quick to dive on the floor. The result was a stifling defensive performance that held Ursuline to five points in the third quarter and propelled the Bulldogs to a 39-35 advantage heading into the fourth.
“We just really communicate, and we’ve learned how everyone moves with each other,” Kate Rubel said of the Bulldogs’ defensive effectiveness.
Offensively, the second half belonged to 6-foot-2 sophomore Nevaeh Lucious, who scored nine of her team-high 11 points in the final two quarters.
First, Lucious corralled a blocked shot and drained a 12-foot baseline jumper to increase the Notre Dame lead to 41-36. Then, she blocked a shot on the defensive end and beat everyone down the floor to earn a pair of free throws. Finally, her smooth, lefty scoop shot put Notre Dame ahead 45-36 with three minutes remaining.
“We’re growing together as a team, getting closer,” Lucious said. “We lost some key seniors but we’re still a special group, and we’ve been helping each other and pushing each other.”
After being held to six points over the first 14 minutes of the second half, the Ursuline offense pushed the right buttons in the final two.
A deep triple by Ana Schueler, a steal and layup by Williams and two interior baskets by Shane cut the Ursuline deficit to 47-45 in the final minute. But with a chance to tie, Williams’ bounce pass in the lane squirted through a teammate’s grasp and into the hands of Kate Rubel with 12 seconds remaining.
Rubel took the long walk to the free throw line, having seen none of her few shot attempts drop through the net during the first 31 minutes and 48 seconds.
“I know who’s around me. I know the guards can hit a three, I know Nevaeh is posting up as hard as she can. I know I rely on other people, so I relax with scoring,” Rubel said.
And when the result of the game hung in the balance, Rubel looked quite relaxed in sinking both free throws and sending Cape Notre Dame to a first-round victory in its first-ever appearance at the Visitation Christmas Tournament.
“We’re honored that Viz invited us in this year. It’s something we’ve wanted to do for several years and finally got the opportunity, so we’re very fortunate and thankful that we’re in it,” Boeller said. “It’s four days of phenomenal basketball against some of the best teams in St. Louis and the surrounding areas.”
Lucious added, “It’s definitely special. We wanted to come here, play some great competition and get better.”
Visitation Christmas Basketball Tournament Schedule:
Championship Bracket
Tuesday, Dec. 26:
No. 4 Lift for Life vs No. 5 Hickman – 3:30 p.m. Buder Gym
No. 1 Incarnate Word vs. No. 8 Cape Notre Dame – 5:00 p.m. Buder Gym
No. 3 Cardinal Ritter vs. No. 6 Pattonville – 6:30 p.m. Buder Gym
No. 2 John Burroughs vs. No. 10 Eureka – 8:00 p.m. Buder Gym
Consolation Bracket
No. 11 Parkway West vs. No. 14 Visitation – 12:30 p.m. Buder Gym
No. 9 Ursuline vs No. 16 Westminster – 1:00 p.m. Marion Gym
No. 7 Cor Jesu vs. No. 15. Nerinx Hall – 2:00 p.m. Buder Gym
No. 12 Edwardsville vs. No. 13 Highland – 3:00 p.m. Marion Gym
Semifinals will be played at 6:30 and 8 p.m. Wed., Dec. 27
Championship game will be played at 8 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 28