Notre Dame hoping for a three-peat at state

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Notre Dame enters the state tournament as the two-time defending champion, trying to make it a three-peat. That would be a first for the program.

“I think we knew from the beginning of the season that we had a target on our back. I think that doesn’t do anything to us, we just have to play our game,” Tritons junior Trista Fayta said. “As long as we do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll be okay.”

“We’re excited. It’s our third consecutive trip to state. So just having the mindset that we’ve been here before, we know what it takes to win a state championship,” Notre Dame junior Gracie Grzesk said.

“I think it’s exciting. Obviously every time I think there will be nerves. There’s different teams, it’s a bigger venue, a lot more people, but I think having that experience of being there will obviously be helpful,” NDA head coach Sara Rohde said.

The Tritons enter the weekend 27-1, and in those victories, they beat their opponents by almost 48 points a game on average. So yeah, they’ve shown dominance this season.

“One, how balanced we are, how unselfish the girls play, how hard they play. I just think we have some really great basketball players, athletes. They’re just playing really well together,” Rohde said.

“Everyone having a piece of the energy, everyone bringing as much as they can, and then us playing as a team, so it all works out,” Fayta added.

Notre Dame is the No. 2 seed and will face No. 3 seed McFarland on Friday in the D2 semifinal.

“I have a lot of confidence in this team and just the leaders we have on this team and the experience. I’m very confident,” Grzesk said.

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