First program win at MSHSAA’s top flight sees Boeller, Notre Dame girls upend Oakville

ST. LOUIS — In a must-win battle at the highest level of Missouri basketball, Notre Dame girls basketball won its Class 6 debut with an impressive 56-48 victory over Oakville on Thursday, March 6, to advance to the Class 6 District 1 semifinal stage.

Opening March’s tallest tournament with a hard-fought victory over one of St. Louis’ largest public powers in Oakville, the Bulldogs notched their first Class 6 victory in school history as they upset No. 4 to survive and advance.

Veteran coach Kirk Boeller, amped about the monumental victory, credited a hard-working defensive effort as the Bulldogs mustered up the strength to take down a school with an 1,100-student advantage; Oakville’s listed enrollment is over four times that of Notre Dame’s 333, per MSHSAA.

“It was good for the girls to get that thought of, ‘We’re way too small of a school to win’ out of their heads,” Boeller said. “They were pretty happy after the game tonight.”

Leading the charge for the Bulldogs was Eliza Barnette, the talented senior who remains one of the veteran anchors of the team. Her 16 points and 12 rebounds created a powerful double-double push to surge past the Tigers at Lindbergh High School.

“Eliza played incredibly hard,” Boeller said. “I don’t think we took her out at all. She was awesome on the boards, she finished down low really well.

“She was a huge key tonight.”

Joining Barnette in double digits were Skylar Craft with 12 points and Mia Panton with 11. Nearly half of the Bulldogs’ 56 points came via the 3-ball, as they buried eight triples to drown out the Tigers from distance.

Where the impact can’t be quantified, on the back end, is where Boeller most lauded his squad. The effort presented Thursday night held Oakville below Notre Dame’s average defensive scoring threshold for the year to keep the season moving on.

“I thought defensively, from start to finish, that was one of our defensive games of the year, so far,” Boeller concluded.

The victory punched the team’s ticket to the district semifinals, contested by none other than archrival Jackson High School. Having lost to the Indians twice this season, the Bulldogs are seeking revenge for the recent undoing of a streak once mightily in favor their way — not very long ago, either.

Jackson ended a 13-game losing streak to Notre Dame earlier this season, the same game the Indians upended the ‘Dawgs’ title streak in the SEMO Conference Tournament championship game.

Matching up with the Indians in the postseason for the first time at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 8, Notre Dame looks to turn back to basics and make good on its wonderful history in this rivalry with a punctual victory for a spot in the Class 6 District 1 championship game.

Will that be easy against the top-seeded Jackson Indians, winners of 16 consecutive games and a team that has not tasted defeat for three months? No, not really. But the Bulldogs march on.

“Jackson is a tremendous team,” Boeller said. “Very talented, very dangerous. We're gonna have to have another game where we can walk away saying we played well enough defensively to keep us in it.

“It'll be a good one. It's exciting. It’s always fun playing Jackson.”