NOTRE DAME GIRLS DODGE CAPE CENTRAL

The Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs keep finding ways to win.

Cape Central keeps finding ways to the emergency room.

Notre Dame (15-3) defeated Cape Central (11-8) for the second time in three tries Thursday night, 38-36, in a slow-paced game at Tiger Field House.

Neither team led by more than six points and the outcome came down to Central's last possession where the Lady Tigers had three shots but missed them all, including an offensive putback by Heather Jenkins that fell off the rim as time expired.

"It's not the prettiest game we've ever played," said Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim. "But I told the girls I'd rather be lucky than good and we were lucky tonight."

The Lady Bulldogs got 79 percent of its offense from two players. Deana McCormick, who sat much of the game due to foul trouble, and Ashley Millham scored 15 points each.

McCormick pretty much scored at will once she got the ball.

"When she got the ball in the paint they couldn't stop her from scoring," Grim said of Notre Dame's 6-foot center. "But the last couple of games, she's had a tendency to foul when she comes up to deny. If she just fronts, nobody is going to throw it over the top of her and she'll stay out of foul trouble."

The Lady Tigers, meanwhile, suffered more than a two-point loss, as starting freshman point guard Megan McDonald injured her ankle and was taken to the hospital.

McDonald's injury is just the latest of a series of injuries for Central and now, after Central's other point guard quit a couple of weeks ago, the Lady Tigers are left with some question marks as to who will handle the ball.

"This loss hurts because the girls really wanted it," said Central coach Mark Ruark. "But when a kid has the potential that Megan has, you just worry about the individual. I just hope it's not anything that requires surgery or takes a long time to heal. But, yeah, this was a double whammy."

Central just got center Jenkins back from injury and the Lady Tigers are still playing without their other center, Kate Richards.

"It's frustrating," said Ruark. "It's nothing like I've ever been through before as a coach."

Notre Dame, after jumping out to a 10-4 lead, led 12-10 after the first quarter. Central held Notre Dame to just one basket in the second quarter and took an 18-16 lead into halftime.

McCormick scored 10 points in the third quarter and Notre Dame led 29-17 going into the fourth quarter.

Notre Dame led 35-29 with 5:57 to go but the Lady Bulldogs didn't protect their lead very well. Sarah Hyslop hit a three and a two on consecutive possessions to narrow Central's deficit to 35-34.

Then, after McDonald's injury, Central struggled to score as Notre Dame missed three of its six free throws in the final 1:14.

Hyslop led the Lady Tigers with 11 points. Katie Dougherty added 10.