Notre Dame claims Classic title as the sixth seed

~ Notre Dame upset top-seeded Farmington 49-40 in Friday's championship game.

With its double-digit lead having dwindled to just two points with less than a minute to play, the Notre Dame girls basketball team seemed to be showing its youth.

But after Farmington's Taylor Jensen missed the second of her two free throws with 53 seconds remaining, Farmington decided to test Notre Dame's mettle from the free-throw line.

While the Knights went into a scoring drought, the Bulldogs hit six of their next seven free throws and rebounded the only miss to pull away for a 49-40 victory Friday night in the championship game of the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic.

"Time stood still for many seconds there," Notre Dame first-year coach Renee Peters said. "Being a young team, we knew we'd have to beat some good teams to earn some respect, and we did that here this week."

Notre Dame freshman Allyson Bradshaw looked for room to move around Farmington defender Taylor Jensen Friday night, December 21, 2007, during the championship game of the St. Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic at the Show Me Center. (Kit Doyle)

Notre Dame (8-3) captured its first tournament title since 2001 and second overall and did so by avenging a 15-point loss to the Knights in the Farmington Invitational. The previous night, Notre Dame had avenged another loss at that tournament by stomping Jackson 52-34.

This outing against Farmington, a Class 4 state-ranked team that fell to 6-2, was nearly as impressive.

The Bulldogs scrapped with Farmington in the first half and went to the locker room with a 22-21 lead. And just like the previous night, they shut down their opponent in the third quarter, limiting the Knights to four points and building a 35-25 lead.

"I knew we would tire their guards out with our guard rotation," Peters said. "With Jane [Morrill] back there, we know we can go out and pressure their guards a little bit because she's going to pick up any loose ends.

"For a sophomore, she's smart and very disciplined and she knows how to handle her body really well."

Notre Dame's Meghan Dohogne passsed along the baseline around went Farmington defender Ashley Jenson in the St. Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic championship game Friday night, December 21, 2007, at the Show Me Center. (Kit Doyle)

Morrill came up with six blocked shots without getting into foul trouble, and she led the Bulldogs in scoring for the second straight night -- this time with 19 points.

Listed as a 5-foot-11 sophomore, Morrill was selected along with junior guard Alex Fowler to the all-tournament team and stood eyeball to eyeball at midcourt with Central's 6-2 all-tourney selection Wendi Zickfield.

"I give her all the praise in the world," Notre Dame senior forward Paige Schumer said of Morrill. "She works so hard."

Schumer added 10 points, while freshman Allyson Bradshaw had 11, including the game's only 3-pointer.

Bradshaw was the player fouled on the seventh team foul as Farmington committed four in 9 seconds beginning with the rebound of Jensen's miss.

Notre Dame freshman Allyson Bradshaw looked for room to move around Farmington defender Taylor Jensen Friday night, December 21, 2007, during the championship game of the St. Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic at the Show Me Center. (Kit Doyle)

Bradshaw hit her two free throws for a 44-40 lead with 41 seconds to go. After a Farmington turnover, Bradshaw was fouled again. She missed but snared her own rebound and fed to Fowler, who was fouled with 25 seconds to play and hit both for a 46-40 lead.

"Watching us go from a No. 6 seed to No. 1 is a surprise, but we've worked hard and we deserve it," Bradshaw said. "We've gotten so much better in the first few weeks of the season."

Notre Dame had just the shaky stretch in the fourth, as Farmington kept fighting back from 10-point deficits. Morrill scored five of Notre Dame's first seven points in the period, including a lay-in that restored a 42-32 lead with just 2:42 to go. But Farmington scored seven points in 50 seconds by turning up its full-court pressure.

The Bulldogs recovered, and Schumer, the lone senior on the team, hit three of the final four free throws to close out the game. She said she had faith in her young teammates being able to stand up to the pressure.

"We all had a few key mistakes, including me, but I think we all really just stepped it up handling the ball," she said. "When we step on the floor, there really isn't any grade level."

Notre Dame's Jane Morrill (23) shot over several Farmington defenders Friday night, December 21, 2007, in the championship game of the St. Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic at the Show Me Center. (Kit Doyle)

CHAMPIONSHIP

NOTRE DAME 49, FARMINGTON 40

Notre Dame 13 9 13 14 -- 49

Farmington 12 9 4 15 -- 40

Notre Dame (40) -- Alex Fowler 6, Amanda Pleimann 3, Jane Morrill 19, Paige Schumer 10, Allyson Bradshaw 11. FG 17, FT 14-18, F 13 (3-pointers: Bradshaw 1. Fouled out: none)

Notre Dame's Meghan Dohogne passsed along the baseline around went Farmington defender Ashley Jenson in the St. Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic championship game Friday night, December 21, 2007, at the Show Me Center. (Kit Doyle)

Farmington (49) -- Molly Barnes 7, Taylor Jensen 9, Kelsey Detring 9, Holly Russell 13, Kaitlin Knox 2. FG 14, FT 12-17, F 17 (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: Erin Littrell)