Summer Brinkmann projects a confident and poised demeanor. She rarely looks rattled or startled on the court. There’s hardly any celebration coming from the Nashville sophomore guard.
But before Saturday’s IHSA Class 2A state championship game, she felt the nerves. The magnitude of the moment started to set in.
“I was so hyped the entire time,” Brinkmann said. “I wasn’t talking or anything; I was nervous.”
The nerves didn’t manifest on the court as Brinkmann delivered a 13-point, five-steal performance to blowout Class 2A defending champion Peoria Notre Dame 55-29.
The game was a rematch of last year’s championship game, which Peoria Notre Dame won on a last-second game-winner by sophomore guard Emy Wardle.
Nashville (34-3) was on a mission to return to this game, but with a different result. During the last week of the regular season, coach Layne Langholf sensed his team was loose. He said “everybody’s joking at practice and having a good time.”
He thought about squashing the fun but let it fester because he saw his team was connecting. But for a team that was carefree and joyous, the Hornets sure knew how to flip the switch. Because in Saturday’s win, Nashville was almost militant in its approach. They knew the state championship was on the line and wanted to send their lone senior, Avery Reeder, off with a win.
“This is all I’ve ever wanted,” said Reeder, who scored eight points. “I always wanted to end my last game on a win. On Thursday, I said, ‘I wanted to squash them,’ and that’s what we did.”
Nashville’s defense was relentless against the Irish. Every drive was cut off; the Hornets blew up the Irish’s pick-and-roll by switching everything and were disruptive.
The Hornets scored 22 points off 16 Irish turnovers.
“They were hungry,” Langholf said. “They’re great competitors.”
Nashville disrupted Peoria Notre Dame (33-5) from the opening tip. On one possession in the third quarter, Samantha Brinkmann leaped in the air and stole an inbounds pass from Peoria Notre Dame, one of her three steals. That one play encapsulated how Nashville won on Saturday
Nashville completely neutralized Peoria Notre Dame’s high-scoring offense by making the Irish uncomfortable. The Irish’s 29 points were their third-lowest scoring output of the season.
But the Hornets also took care of the ball. They didn’t have any miscues that could lead to easy fastbreak buckets for Nashville.
The game was dictated on the Hornets’ terms. They slowed the pace down and kept it the Irish from thriving in the open floor. Bad shots were seldom seen. Every offensive performance was intentional. The Hornets had multiple possessions that ate up at least a minute of game time, forcing the Irish to chase them all over the court. Samantha Brinkmann led the charge. She exudes a calm demeanor that permeates throughout the entire team. Nashville had a business-like approach.
The Hornets are 68-7 over the last two seasons. But after ending last season on a sour note, Nashville is relishing this victory. Langholf was even surprised by the margin of victory.
“Our girls played hard, and I’m just so proud that we got the opportunity to come back, and we had a much better showing this time,” Langholf said.