Bishop McNamara was firing on all cylinders in a dominant home win on Monday.

The Fightin’ Irish (9-13, 3-3 Chicagoland Christian Conference) set a new season high in points in a 67-27 conference win over Chicago Christian, with a stifling defensive performance fueling the high scoring.

The Irish killed most Chicago Christian possessions before they could begin by forcing more than 30 turnovers on the night, most of which came either directly on inbounds passes or within a couple seconds of the ball being put into play.

Junior forward Keneyce Davis had 12 points and eight rebounds while also guarding the ball on many of the inbounds plays where the Irish defense wreaked havoc.

She also helped force three five-second calls, including two on consecutive Knight possessions during the third quarter.

“On the defensive end, I feel like we’ve been working really hard in practice,” she said. “I feel like this game shows how much we’ve been working on that.

“...With those five-second calls, it’s just being on you toes at all times and being aware of your surroundings.”

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Girls Basketball: Bishop McNamara vs. Chicago Christian Bishop McNamara's Mahlyia Johnson, center, reaches for a rebound during the Fightin' Irish's 67-27 victory over Chicago Christian on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (Tiffany Blanchette)

The turnovers forced by the Irish, sometimes coming on four or five Chicago Christian possessions in a row, helped fuel a few decisive runs.

The first was a 16-0 run that bridged the first and second quarters that turned an 8-6 lead to 24-6 advantage.

Leading 27-16 at halftime after the Knights pushed back a bit, the Irish opened the third quarter on an 11-2 run before slamming the door with a 20-0 run across the third and fourth quarters that grew an already-commanding 43-23 lead to 63-23.

The win was the third in four games for the Irish, with all three wins coming in CCC play and seeing their opponents score 27 or fewer points.

Head coach Khadaizha Sanders said she was happy to see the defense not only start strong, but maintain the pressure as the lead continued to grow.

“We tried to get some ball pressure and make them make lollipop passes or make them scramble, and it worked in our favor,” she said. “...We learned our lesson and we blew a couple leads in some games, so we wanted to make sure they couldn’t get back into the game.”

Junior forward Trinitee Thompson scored a game-high 20 points, 10 of which came in the first quarter to get the Irish off and running.

She said she has been happy with how she and the team played Monday, and how they have continued to grow as a team, especially as of late, as they’ve won three of their last four games.

“I feel like we all played together and had good energy throughout the whole game today,” she said. “I feel like we’ve definitely improved a lot since the beginning of the season.”

She stpped into a heightened role this season with the departure of the program’s all-time leading scorer, Trinity Davis, and Sanders said Thompson is rising to the occasion.

“She knows that we’re going to rely on her heavily, and she understands what she means to us and what she has to do on a night-in and night-out basis for us to be successful,” Sanders said. “...She’s done a good job stepping up and in the last probably eight or so games, has really shown up and come through for us a lot.”

Dylan Pallisard finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and seven steals. Eliana Isom had eight points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals while Jaide Burse had seven points and nine rebounds.

The Irish have one conference game remaining in the regular season, a road matchup with Marian Central Catholic on Feb. 2, as they look to finish above .500 in conference play for the fifth straight season, and third straight in the CCC following back-to-back 7-0 seasons.

They could have been up the conference standings, with two of their three conference losses coming by three total points, but Sanders said the team has to opportunity to make up for those tough losses.

“Some of those losses have come by one point or two points, and that hurts,” she said. “...But like I told (the team), it’s not necessarily about what’s going on now. When the postseason starts everyone is 0-0. It’s about doing what you need to do now to prepare for the end of February and beginning of March.”