“They just took over the game,” said Conner head coach Kim Warfield.  “That’s what I told them to do at halftime...to start taking it to the hole and that was the difference.”

The Lady Cougars led 51-44 entering the final quarter and went on a 12-4 run to take a commanding 63-50 lead with five minutes left in the game.  But the Pandas fought back and cut the lead to 70-64 with 55 seconds left on a Casey Jackson 3-pointer.  In the final 1:03 Long made 6-of-6 free throws and Hodges 3-of-4 and Notre Dame never got closer than six.

“This just feels awesome,” said Long, who scored 23 points in the second half.  “We worked so hard as a team all season long and now it’s almost surreal to think that we won it.”

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half and Conner had trouble with a pressing Notre Dame defense that forced several turnovers.  Conner ended the first half on a 7-0 run to take a 27-23 lead into halftime.  Long had just 2 points and Hodges 3.  Jackson, Notre Dame’s leading scorer on the year, was quiet as well with just 4 points.

That all changed in an explosive second half that saw the Lady Cougars put 52 points on the board and Notre Dame 40.  Jackson warmed up with 18 second half points en route to a team-high 22.  Molly Johnson added 20 points for the Pandas.

Sophomore guard Devin Beasley (11 points) and junior forward Gela Hayes (10) complimented Long and Hodges with solid games of their own.  Hodges was named tournament MVP.

Notre Dame (21-11) was playing for their third straight regional title.  It was the second time this year that the Pandas lost to Conner.

Warfield led Conner to two regional titles as a player in 1986 and 1990 and said she will use that experience to help this current group of players.

Conner is scheduled to play on Thursday, March 13 at 12 p.m. against the Region 2 winner at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green.