After nearly two months of searching for an identity on the basketball court, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish needed less than a half in Thursday's opening boys' game of the Times Free Press Best of Preps tournament to begin reestablishing how good they can be.
With all-state wing Cole McCormick sidelined by a fractured wrist since early November, the Irish had struggled. But just minutes into the 6-foot-3 senior making his season debut, the team began playing with a renewed confidence, rallying from an early deficit to beat Brainerd 52-40 and advance to a semifinal against McCallie at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Chattanooga State.
The Blue Tornado defeated Signal Mountain 70-52 to set up their third meeting with Notre Dame this season.
McCormick entered midway through the opening quarter with his team trailing 7-0 and kick-started an impressive 26-10 run that helped the Irish take control. After Gaas Herman's 3-pointer finally got Notre Dame on the board, McCormick continually found ways to help spark his team.
After driving the baseline for a layup later in the first quarter, the University of Alabama in Huntsville signee helped the Irish take the lead for good early in the second quarter during a 10-3 run.
"It felt so great just to be back out there, but when I got that first bucket, that's when I really felt like I was finally back," said McCormick, who finished with nine points. "Basketball is a big part of everything I do, so when that got taken away, I just had to find ways to be a good teammate.
"The toughest part was sitting and not going crazy."
In the final two minutes of the second quarter, McCormick connected on a 3-pointer, grabbed a rebound and quickly made a long outlet pass to start a fast break that ended in a layup, then handed off an assist on a Herman layup.
"His value as a player is his versatility," said coach Jonathan Adams, who guided Notre Dame to a runner-up finish at the TSSAA Division II-AA state tournament last season. "Beyond that, it makes everybody else comfortable when he's out there. You've got a guy who was all-state and a college signee, so just his presence, as much as any stats, makes us feel whole as a team.
"As his coach, it felt great to see him back out there enjoying himself again and getting to be a part of the team, because anybody who's been hurt for an extended amount of time, you know there's an anxiety that comes with missing the chance to be out there with your brothers."
(READ MORE: Parker Robison’s playmaking sends red-hot McCallie to Best of Preps semifinals)
Notre Dame (3-12) was led by Herman's 21 points, including 10 during the 17-6 second-quarter surge, while Braylon Hammond added 12. The Irish connected on 15 of 21 free throws.
"Gaas has carried us through some tough times. He's making plays for other people and has been a steady force all season," Adams said. "They put a lot of pressure on you by driving to the rim, but our zone helped us to hold them to one shot a lot during that second-quarter stretch and then get some easy looks offensively.
"Getting this first win in a tournament is so big because you feel like once you get that first one, you sort of get in a rhythm. The way this tournament is set up really helps prepare you for the postseason because of the toughness of having to come back and play another good team again on back-to-back days."
The Panthers (3-8) were led by Ashton Munson's 14 points, and Trea Shaw added nine. After being called for his second foul early in the second quarter, Munson missed a significant portion of the rest of the half, opening the door for Notre Dame's run.
"We're a different team when (Munson) isn't on the floor," Panthers coach Levar Brown said. "We weren't the same when he has to sit.
"We were still getting the shots we wanted, we just couldn't get anything to fall. I thought we were still playing solid defense, but when the shots aren't falling, the kids can get frustrated."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.