Notre Dame girls basketball team runs the table en route to Stellar crown

Lexi McGivernLexi McGivern

45-38 win over Boyertown in the final of the

on Sunday wasn't the first summer tournament title under coach Josh Kopp, but emerging 6-0 from a field of 23 teams likely made it the most meaningful.

The Crusaders defeated Dieruff, Whitehall No. 2, Northampton, Northwestern and Boyertown (twice) en route to the 2012 crown.

Kopp's squad proved its mettle with a pair of wins at the buzzer -- including a 32-30 overtime win over Northampton on Saturday that spared Notre Dame a trip through the losers bracket in the double elimination format.

"That game in particular was the key to us having fresh legs," Kopp said. "If you win you only play one game on Saturday, but if you lose you can play a couple more times and then have to come back early on Sunday."

With the score tied at 30, the Konkrete Kids missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation with seven seconds remaining. The Crusaders got the ball in the hands of rising sophomore

who converted a contested layup as time expired.

Rising senior

scored 19 points in the championship game win over Boyertown in a game played at Parkland High School due to weather conditions at the Cedar Beach outdoor courts in Allentown.

McGivern led the Crusaders in scoring in four other games and was named MVP. She was joined on the all-tournament team by Boyertown's Kaitlyn Eisenhard and Brooke Mullen, Emmaus'

, Northwestern's

, Nazareth's

and Parkland's

.

"I was a little bit baffled that we only got one kid recognized on the all-tournament team," said Kopp. "I thought Gabby or Shannon (Moran) could have been recognized as well. But maybe that speaks to our balance."

Notre Dame won a June tournament at Holy Family in 2011 and is hoping the 2012-13 team can use the Stellar Tournament title as a springboard to success in the winter season.

"I think Lexi and the other two seniors set a goal to accomplish some things that this program hasn't -- such as winning at Stellar," Kopp said. "This should instill confidence that we can beat good teams. Schools that double our enrollment. It was certainly a great accomplishment for our team."

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