Bulldogs' payback is 1-point win over Mules

More than a month after receiving a heart-breaking one-point loss to Poplar Bluff in the HealthSouth Holiday Classic, Notre Dame's girls basketball team decided to make it a gift exchange.

Trailing from virtually the opening tip Monday night, Notre Dame scored the final 10 points of the game for a stirring 45-44 victory over SEMO Conference rival Poplar Bluff.

"We really wanted to beat them bad because they beat us by one on a last-second shot," said Notre Dame junior Sommer McCauley, who scored eight of her 16 points in the final quarter. "Even though we beat them by one, it still feels good."

Not only did Notre Dame (7-7, 2-0) accomplish the mission, they did it in identical fashion.

In its loss to Poplar Bluff, Notre Dame built a 15-point second-quarter advantage and never relinquished the lead until one second was left. The basket put the Mules in the tournament final with a 55-54 victory.

On Monday, Poplar Bluff (11-4, 1-2) went ahead 3-0 in the opening minute of the game on a Maggie Welchhance 3-pointer and led into the final minute of the game.

In between, Poplar Bluff led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter and still led 44-35 with 4:34 left in the game after a pair of free throws by Francis Kalich. The Mules, who had already held off several Notre Dame challenges and looked to be re-establishing control, never scored again.

"I guess turnabout is fair play after what they did to us at the Christmas tournament," Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim said.

Like several comeback attempts earlier in the game -- the deficit was trimmed to one point late in the second quarter -- Notre Dame's final charge looked like it may fall painfully short.

"These kids never give up," Grim said. "They don't always play smart necessarily, but they always play hard. And it's paid off for us, and it will again. These are great games for the postseason."

Katie Palmer took a pass from Ashley Millham to score her only two points and start the game-deciding run with 4:17 left. Momentum built when McCauley, a 5-foot-7 guard, pulled down a rebound, missed her putback but gathered the rebound and scored while being fouled. She completed the three-point play to narrow the gap to 44-40 with 3:58 left.

"She not very big --she's got good up -- but she's just a strong kid," Grim said.

The deficit was trimmed to three points on a Sierra Ellis free throw with more than three minutes left and cut to 44-43 with 2:42 left on a pair of McCauley free throws after another Bulldog offensive rebound.

After Poplar Bluff misfired on a pair of shots its next trip down the floor, Millham was fouled on the rebound and had two attempts to complete the comeback. Her attempts with 1:30 left followed the theme to that point as both found iron and Poplar Bluff controlled the rebound.

Notre Dame's half-court pressure then forced a critical Mule backcourt violation and Millham atoned for her missed free throws by hitting a turn-around jumper in the lane with :55 left.

The turnover was one of four made by Poplar Bluff on its final eight possessions.

"They put a tremendous amount of pressure on us, and we didn't handle it well," Poplar Bluff coach Kirk Chronister said.

The basket gave Millham a game-high 18 points and a little relief.

"That was frustrating," Millham said of her misses. "You just have to ignore the mistakes and realize you've got to keep going. We didn't give up, that was the key."

"She's a gamer," Grim said. "If there's anybody that hates to lose it's her. None of us like to lose, but she hates it."

Poplar Bluff missed badly on a shot, and Notre Dame had a chance to extend its lead but missed a pair of free throws with 21 seconds left. The Bulldogs survived, weathering two Nicole Johnson shots, the latter a 15-footer that bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

Tierra Johnson led Poplar Bluff with 14 points while Francis Kalich had 12.

"We ended up pretty decent, but we started off slow," Grim said.

Poplar Bluff got off to a 15-4 start and took a 17-11 advantage into the second period. The Mules led 27-23 at halftime and 35-30 entering the fourth quarter.

jbreer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 124