SportsFebruary 5, 2000
Notre Dame was greedy and unselfish all in the same ballgame. The Bulldogs committed just four turnovers and distributed the ball as well as it has all season as Notre Dame pretty much locked up the second seed in its district with a 69-50 win over Woodland Friday night...

Notre Dame was greedy and unselfish all in the same ballgame.

The Bulldogs committed just four turnovers and distributed the ball as well as it has all season as Notre Dame pretty much locked up the second seed in its district with a 69-50 win over Woodland Friday night.

"For the first time this year, we passed the ball like a good team does," said Notre Dame coach Chris Neff, whose team improved to 11-8. "We were very poised. It's just one game, but I hope it turns into a string of games."

"It was one of those nights where everything they did went right," said Woodland coach Jennings Wilkinson. "Notre Dame just played really well."

Indeed Notre Dame did most things well.

The Bulldogs shot 48 percent from the field and committed just one turnover in the second half. The Bulldogs led just 27-25 at halftime before putting the game away midway through the fourth quarter.

Woodland, meanwhile, didn't play all that bad. It just couldn't match Notre Dame's fury.

Woodland committed a respectable 13 turnovers and also shot 48 percent from the field.

Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!

"We played hard, we just weren't physical enough," said Wilkinson. "They played extremely physical, probably the most physical game I've ever been involved in. When it is so difficult to get a shot off, I think the kids kind of get down mentally."

Woodland's Jason Greer was the only Cardinal who could get consistent shots off. Greer, who is known for his accurate 3-point shooting, had to work mainly in the paint to get his game-high 21 points. Greer was one of just five players to find the scoring column. Jared Houchins scored 12 points for Woodland, followed by C.W. Stacy with 10.

Notre Dame was led in scoring by Super Sub Adam Obermiller. Obermiller, arguably the most productive sixth man in the area, scored 18 points.

Obermiller's trademark is scoring easy transition baskets by beating the other team down the floor and he did the same on several occasions Friday night.

"If you beat your opponent down the floor, you either get great position or get a layup," said Neff. "And Obey really understands that. So much of the game is played between the free-throw lines."

Josh Eftink added 15 points for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame went on two runs which decided the game, the first starting at the 5:27 mark of the third quarter. That's when Notre Dame started a 10-2 run and earned its first double-figure lead of the game, 41-31.

Woodland cut that lead down to six again, but the Bulldogs pulled away in the fourth, outscoring the Cardinals 23-14 over the last eight minutes.

Derrick Schlosser, a 6-foot-3 forward who made a rare start Friday night, punctuated things when he threw down a one-handed, fast-break dunk with 2:55 left to make the score 61-44.

Connect with the Southeast Missourian Newsroom:

For corrections to this story or other insights for the editor, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To learn about the Southeast Missourian’s AI Policy, click here.

Advertisement
Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!