By Nicholas Huenefeld

Special to the Sentinel-Tribune

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — After an All-American career at Owens Community College where she helped lead her team to a national championship, Lake graduate Hayley St. John adjusted her game on the court this season at Notre Dame College.

“Hayley brought experience to our program and was impactful for our team this season,” Notre Dame coach Lauren Macer said.

“She was able to put the ball on the ground and attack while also making her presence known on the defensive end. Hayley was able to guard a multitude of positions, and her ability to defend helped our team get deflections and steals, which brought energy to our team.”

Just one year ago, St. John led Owens to a second-consecutive National Junior College Athletic Association Division III final four appearance. She averaged a team-best 13.2 points as a sophomore along with 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals over 27 games while earning First Team All-American recognition.

At Notre Dame, St. John had to become less of a scorer and more of a facilitator for the NCAA Division II school, averaging 2.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in just under 15 minutes per contest.

“It was definitely a switch up from previous years where I was more of a scorer,” St. John said. “Here I had to be defensive oriented. I adjusted. I got to know the game better. I wasn’t just a one-on-one player and had to make more difficult passes. I think I grew my knowledge of the game of basketball overall.”

St. John led her team to a four-win improvement from the previous season, and she produced four points and six rebounds in the team’s opening round win over Glenville State in the Mountain East Conference Tournament.

Along the way, St. John helped Notre Dame knock off teams such as Glenville State, which was ranked in the national poll during the season, and West Liberty. Against Charleston on Feb. 14, she scored a season-best 10 points.

“It was a good moment,” she said of the double-digit scoring effort. “I was kind of down about not scoring as much as I’m used to. That was a good moment.”

The year became even tougher when Notre Dame announced the closure of the college at the end of the year. Rumors persisted that it was going to happen during the season, and it eventually became a reality, but St. John saw a silver lining.

“I think us being the last team to play at Notre Dame is an eye opener,” she said. “It was sad, but it was a proud moment. We were the last ones here and did better than people thought we were going to do.”

After leading the Lake High School girls basketball team to a regional tournament appearance, St. John originally planned on playing basketball at Lourdes University. But a summer coaching change halted those plans, and St. John took the JUCO route.

In her two seasons, St. John averaged 11.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game while leading the Express to a combined 47-11 record. In that time, she produced 36 games with double-digit scoring efforts, which included 11 double-doubles.

“I loved it there, honestly,” St. John said. “I would go JUCO all four years if I could. I loved the small atmosphere. I loved living at home, and I loved the girls. It was definitely better than some people would say it is (at that level).”

St. John twice earned all-league recognition at Owens, including First Team All-Ohio Community College Athletic Conference honors as a sophomore. As a freshman, she was even named the NJCAA Division III Player of the Week on the national level and scored 12 points in the national title game win over Hostos Community College, which helped her land a spot on the all-tournament team.

“At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal, or even real, but after a while, people still mention it,” St. John said of winning a national championship. “It doesn’t happen to a lot of people. I got a ring, and it’s a great feeling.”

A 2021 Lake graduate, St. John eclipsed the 1,000 point plateau, earning Honorable Mention All-Ohio recognition.

Now, with the announced closure of Notre Dame College, St. John gets to look back at a basketball career while deciding whether to continue playing or focus solely on academics.

“It’s definitely been a fun experience,” St. John said. “I’ve played on every type of team. I knew coming here they didn’t have the best record and that it would be different than Owens. The past two years was more smooth sailing.

“This year was difficult, especially at first. During the middle of the season, I was kind of down, but I realized these moments will end someday. It happens to everyone, and you have to make the most of what you have.”

A criminal justice major, St. John plans on going to state highway patrol school in December and graduating six months after that should she not continue her basketball career. If she does play her final season, she will finish out her bachelor’s in criminal justice and see where it takes her.