Whatever it does the rest of the season, the Bishop Ludden girls basketball team will never enjoy a start comparable to what it pulled off in last Wednesday’s game at Hannibal. To propel itself to an 82-29 romp of the Warriors, the Gaelic Knights went out and, in the first quarter, forced a litany of Hannibal turnovers that led to easy baskets on the other end. By the time the period ended, Ludden had a 30-2 lead, and though it would cool off, the matter was already settled. In all, five Gaelic Knights scored in double figures. Molly Byrne led the charge, with 19 points, with Ashley Cianfriglia adding 14 points and Katie Sierotnik adding 13 points. Jenny Jeffery and Bridget Musto claimed 10 points apiece. In Saturday’s make-up of a snowed-out Jan. 10 game with Marcellus, the Gaelic Knights continued to be hot, toppling the Mustangs 60-42. Byrne enjoyed the most complete performance of her varsity career. She sank jump shots, played defense, and ate up the board on her way to a rare triple-double of 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 steals. That helped push Ludden to a 22-10 edge through one quarter, and Byrne’s defense made sure the Gaelic Knights got over a second-quarter slump to outscore the Mustangs 34-21 in the second half. Aside from Byrne, Sierotnik produced big numbers, with 12 points, and Cianfraglia added 11 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. Sarah Holden, with 21 points, had half the Mustangs’ output. Ludden will take a 12-8 record into the Section III Class B playoffs, which start later this week.