CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Sophomore Jaidyn West and junior Elijah Goodman combined for 60 points as Notre Dame collected an 80-68 win over sectional rival Trinity at Angelo Basile Court.
West scored 20 points in the first half and added 19 in the second half for a game-best 39 points. Goodman added 21 more to pace the Irish.
“We need (Elijah) to play like this,” said Notre Dame head coach Jarrod West. “He came out tonight and had a huge first quarter, which is huge for us. It allows us to find a happy medium between inside and outside. He has been fighting all year defensively and rebounding. It is nice to see the offense get going.”
Notre Dame took a lead they would not relinquish with a 10-0 run late in the first quarter. The Irish led 20-16 after the opening eight minutes and extended that cushion to 43-29 at halftime. West scored 12 of his 39 point from the foul line, connecting on all twelve attempts.
“He can look to be aggressive for himself but be a decoy sometimes to get other people involved. He has done a pretty good job of that this year.”
Fletcher Hartsock led the Warriors (6-8) with 33 points. Seth Goins and Carter Anderson each added 11 points for Trinity.
Both the Irish and the Warriors advanced to the state tournament last season and these teams could likely meet again in the sectionals.
“We want to solidify the top seed in our section,” West said. “We have bigger goals but this was a huge game. They have improved since we played them last. If we see them again in March, we know it will be another dog fight.”
Notre Dame improved to 9-3 and they have won eight of their last nine games.
“We needed the first eleven or twelve games to see who we were, define some roles and gets some confidence for the kids. Hopefully the back nine will be better than the front nine.”