~ The Bearcats stopped the Bulldogs for the third straight year with a 65-58 win

The championship game between the Dexter and Notre Dame girls basketball teams in the Class 4 District 1 bracket was a rematch of two heavyweights.

Like the previous three years, the Bearcats came out on top.

However, this toe-to-toe encounter between state-ranked teams featured an extra round.

Dexter fought off the pesky Bulldogs and captured their fourth consecutive district crown with a thrilling 65-58 victory in overtime Friday night at Central High School.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game coming into it," Dexter sophomore Makayla Waldner said. "I don't think any of us really thought it would go into overtime. We kind of all pulled together as a team and just worked through it."

Waldner played a key role, arguably the biggest role, in pushing Dexter over the top in the overtime period.

The sophomore had back-to-back steals early in the period and drained all four of her free throws.

"That late in the game we substitute offense for defense, and Makayla stepped up and did an unbelievable job defensively," Dexter coach Chad Allen said. "Notre Dame kept on getting the ball in the middle, so we subbed and Makayla took that away and got a few turnovers and got fouled and got to the line and hit her free throws -- big free throws for a sophomore."

Dexter won the tip in overtime and ran off nearly a minute of the four-minute clock before Hannah Noe was called for an offensive foul going to the basket.

The Bulldogs received possession, but Shelby Beussink missed a pull-up shot in the lane and Dexter's Alison Jarrell buried a 3-pointer from the left corner to give Dexter a 55-52 lead.

"Overall, offensively, we didn't have a good night, and AJ definitely didn't start out having a good shooting night," Allen said. "I told her on the bench before I put her back in there, 'You're going to hit a big 3 for us.' She hit the biggest three of her career during that overtime."

Notre Dame's Halle Lynch cut the lead to 55-54 with a basket inside and Noe missed a shot at the other end. The Bulldogs earned a jump ball on the rebound for a chance to take the lead.

Waldner had other ideas.

The sophomore tracked down a loose ball on the ensuing inbound pass that led to a Noe basket. She stole a pass on Notre Dame's next possession.

Waldner was fouled after the steal and buried two free throws to make it 59-54 with 1 minutes, 43 seconds remaining.

"Maykala -- big, big steals for us there at the end for sure," Noe said.

Notre Dame managed to cut the lead to 59-56 with two Annie Siebert free throws, but the Bulldogs never got closer.

"We forced overtime, and I just really thought we had a chance with this group of girls," Notre Dame coach Renee Peters said. "Dexter's a really well-coached team, a good team. I just really thought we'd be able to hang with them.

"In overtime we got the ball in the hands of Annie, Shelby -- two turnovers -- Halle turnover. We got the ball where we wanted it to be, it just wasn't meant to be."

The Bulldogs completed a furious rally to force the overtime period.

Dexter took a 47-41 lead with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter before Siebert and Beussink hit back-to-back baskets to cut the deficit to two points.

Jarrell buried a 3-pointer to extend the lead to five, but Kaitlyn Welter answered with a 3-poiner at the other end and Notre Dame tied it a possession later on two Lynch free throws.

It was the first time Notre Dame forced a tie the entire game.

"We wanted to get the lead late in the game," Peters said. "We never got the lead once in this game."

After both teams traded turnovers with just under two minutes left to play, Noe hit a basket to give the Bearcats a 52-50 lead.

Dexter came up with a block on the defensive end, but Noe missed a basket and the Bulldogs got another chance to tie the game.

Siebert hoisted a 3-point shot with just over 30 seconds left and was short, but Karsen Powers tracked down the offensive rebound and buried a game-tying jumper with 27 seconds left.

Dexter had the ball and a chance to win in regulation, but Noe's shot at the buzzer was well off.

Noe was a force all night. The senior point guard was not only a scorer but a calming force in the midst of a sometimes chaotic game.

"Hannah's one of our better point guards we've had in the past," Allen said. "She keeps her composure so well. She plays great in big games like this and looks to take over."

Noe consistently made big plays throughout the game and scored eight points in the fourth quarter and overtime combined.

"I brought them all in a huddle before the overtime started, and I was like, 'We just have to hold our composure right here,'" Noe said. "'Just pull it out, play smart and don't rush anything.'"

Dexter threw the first punch of the game, racing out to an 11-3 lead two minutes into the contest.

The Bearcats forced seven Notre Dame turnovers in the opening eight minutes.

A bright spot for the Bulldogs in the first quarter was Powers. The senior point guard scored the Bulldogs' first seven points and finished with nine in the quarter to help the Bulldogs close Dexter's lead to 16-15 after the first.

"Notre Dame, they play with a lot of heart and passion. Those eight seniors have worked their tails off and improved so much," Allen said. "They definitely didn't want to lose. We just had to scrap and claw and battle our way through this game."

Dexter appeared to be running away with it in the second quarter with an 11-4 spurt to make it 34-25 with 2:14 remaining in the half.

Two subs turned the momentum for Notre Dame.

Madeline Rosenquist and Kayce Landewee, both senior guards, were huge for the Bulldogs in the second.

Landewee made a 3-pointer and two free throws, while Rosenquist chipped in four points, including an acrobatic falling-out-of-bounds shot with three seconds left to cap an 8-0 run and make it a 34-33 game at the half.

"We talked about it, 'You're not just a sub, we have eight starters out here, you have to contribute,'" Peters said. "'Whether it's a rebound, a steal or a shot, you have to contribute,' and they did. They know their roles and accept their roles."

Noe led all scorers with 27 points, while Powers paced the Bulldogs with 13 and Welter finished with 12.

The Bulldogs will graduate eight seniors, including all five starters.

Notre Dame 15 18 6 13 6 -- 58

Dexter 16 18 9 9 13 -- 65

NOTRE DAME (58) -- Kaitlin Welter 12, Annie Siebert 10, Karsen Powers 13, Shelby Beussink 4, Halle Lynch 8, Taylor Feeney 2, Madeline Rosenquist 4, Kayce Landewee 5. FG 20, FT 13-15, F 20. (3-pointers: Welter 2, Powers 1, Landewee 1, Siebert 1. Fouled out: none)

DEXTER (65) -- Hannah Noe 27, Melanie McKuin 9, Alison Jarrell 6, Erika Cobb 9, Paige Patterson 10, Makayla Waldner 4. FG 21, FT 18-22, F 20. (3-pointers: Noe 1, Jarrell 2, Cobb 2. Fouled out: none)