BULLDOGS DISPLAY MULTIPLE WEAPONS, STOP MALDEN 68-64

The Notre Dame Bulldogs proved Tuesday night in their final home game of the season against Malden it's nice to have a "go to" player, even if you possess a variety of weapons.

The Bulldogs (8-16) rode the inside scoring of senior Dirk Dirnberger in the first half, then got contributions from a host of players in the second half to squeeze past Malden (12-12) for a 68-64 Senior Night victory.

"This was a big win for us," said Bulldogs' coach Chris Janet. "We beat a very good basketball team with a lot of athletic kids that can flat-out play the game."

Dirnberger and Green Wave junior Josh Blaylock hooked up in a shooting match right from the start as both led their respective teams in scoring. Dirnberger ultimately finished with 26 points while Blaylock netted 20 points, including six 3-point baskets.

From the opening tip, Dirnberger was the focus of the Bulldogs' offense as he positioned himself inside for several easy scores. The 6-foot-5 senior scored 12 of the Bulldogs' 18 points in the first quarter but Blaylock drilled three 3-pointers on consecutive tries to help push the Green Wave to a 24-18 lead after one quarter.

In the second quarter, Dirnberger continued to get inside position for eight more points to push his halftime total to 20. Blaylock and the rest of his Green Wave teammates went cold from the field as the Bulldogs pulled ahead 35-32 at the half.

With Dirnberger scoring over half of Notre Dame's points heading to the second half, Malden concentrated its efforts to stopping the Bulldogs' leading scorer with a swarming double-team down low. The defense slowed Dirnberger's production but then Bulldog sharp-shooter Nathan McGuire got hot.

Janet said his team didn't panic when Malden took away Dirnberger's scoring production. If anything, the double-team appeared to open up the Bulldogs' offense a little more.

"Nathan hit a couple big threes for us and Nick (Dannenmueller) came in and hit a couple of 10-foot jumpers," Janet said.

McGuire scored seven points in the third quarter including a 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs up 40-35 early. McGuire finished with 16 points.

But Blaylock started to heat up again for the Green Wave, knocking down three more long-range three's in the quarter to eventually knot the score 50-50 entering the final quarter.

Malden opened the final quarter in a full-court press that caught the Bulldogs by surprise and put the Green Wave up 54-50. Janet called a quick timeout to settle his team and from there the Bulldogs outscored Malden 18-10.

Blaylock was held scoreless in the fourth quarter by the Bulldogs' zone defense that extended further to the perimeter to keep the Green Wave bomber from getting a clear look at the basket.

Trailing 62-59, Dirnberger scored the last of his game-high 26 points to start a 7-0 run that put the Bulldogs up 66-62 with less than a minute left

Ben Gosche sealed the win by making two free throws with only 12 ticks on the clock and the Bulldogs escaped with the narrow victory.

"This is a great way to end a very frustrating season," Janet said as the Bulldogs set their sites on districts next week. "If any team in Southeast Missouri needs a fresh start it's the Notre Dame Bulldogs."