Holy Name Rallies Past Padua with Dominant Second Half

Holy Name used a dominant second half and a game-breaking third quarter to storm past North Coast Conference rival Padua, 64-49, on Monday night at Holy Name High School, handing the Bruins their first league loss and pulling even at the top of the conference standings.

The matchup featured Padua entering at 11-3 overall and 5-0 in conference play, while Holy Name came in 9-4 and 5-1 in the league. Padua looked every bit like the frontrunner early, erasing an initial 4-0 deficit to take an 18-8 lead after the first quarter. All eight of Holy Name’s first-quarter points came from senior forward Layla Rudolph, who kept the Green Wave within reach while the Bruins controlled the opening eight minutes.

Padua continued to apply pressure to start the second quarter, pushing its lead to as many as 12 points before Holy Name began to settle in defensively and chip away. The Green Wave outscored the Bruins 14-11 in the second quarter, tightening up on the perimeter and finishing possessions on the glass to trim the deficit by halftime and set the stage for a decisive turnaround after the break.

The third quarter belonged entirely to Holy Name. The Green Wave outscored Padua 24-6 in the frame, flipping the game behind a surge from junior Claire Coljohn, who had been limited to just two points in the first half. With 4:03 left in the third, Coljohn buried a 3-pointer off a kick-out from Nalani Simon to give Holy Name its first lead since the opening minutes. On the next possession, sophomore Jordan Cremona jumped a passing lane for a steal and, in transition, threaded a pass between a Padua defender’s legs to hit Coljohn, who was fouled going up for a layup. The third quarter closed with Cremona drilling a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, and the Green Wave never trailed again.

Coljohn finished with a game-high 22 points to go with 10 rebounds and three steals, continuing her strong play just days after surpassing 1,000 career points on Saturday. Rudolph provided critical early offense and steady interior work throughout, posting 20 points and eight rebounds; her 20 points marked a career high. Cremona added nine points, seven rebounds and three steals, impacting the game on both ends and punctuating the third-quarter run with her buzzer-beater from beyond the arc.

Holy Name’s ability to lock in defensively after halftime proved to be the difference, mirroring the team’s key conference win over Elyria Catholic two days earlier, when the Green Wave staged a second-half comeback and held EC to just two fourth-quarter points, both on free throws. Against Padua, the third-quarter defensive effort and rebounding turned the tide, and the Green Wave carried that momentum into the fourth quarter to close out the 15-point victory.

With the 64-49 win, Holy Name moves into a tie for first place in the North Coast Conference with Padua and continues a midseason surge built on second-half adjustments, balanced scoring and increasingly stingy defense in key league games.

Holy Name Green Wave JV also won, moving their record to 14-0!

Game Stats:

Claire Coljhon-22 Pts; 10 Rbs; 3 Stls

Layla Rudolph- 20 Pts; 8 Rbs

Jordan Cremona- 9 Pts; 7Rbs; 3 Stls; 2 Asts

Nalani Simon- 8 Pts; 2 Rbs; 2 Stls; 1Chg

Emmalee Majoros- 6 Pts; 2 Rbs; 2 Asts

Bri Barker- 2 Pts; 3 Rbs; 2 Asts