Bulldogs stun No.1 Bluejays with 79-64 win in semifinals

Notre Dame coach Paul Hale said after Tuesday's quarterfinal upset over rival Central he was not sure how effective his team's press would be against top-seeded Charleston.

No one in the Show Me Center was questioning the press Thursday, as the Bulldogs posted their second straight surprisingly easy win -- a 79-64 upset over the Bluejays in the semifinals of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament.

The No. 5 Bulldogs (10-1) will play No. 2 Jackson 7:30 p.m. tonight in the championship game. Charleston (8-3) will play No. 3 Bell City in the third-place game.

"For us to be affective it has to [be]," Hale said of the press. "That's the only way can play, to make it a full-court game. I like our guards. They're quick and they can disrupt plays."

Senior guards Frankie Ellis and Xavier Delph again were all over the court, forcing turnovers and picking up steals. Ellis finished with 17 points, and Delph added 15.

Notre Dame took its first lead at 10-9, then led by a basket after the first quarter and held a slim 36-30 lead at halftime. Less than a minute into the third quarter, the Bulldogs had pushed the lead to 40-30, and Notre Dame's lead did not drip below 10 the rest of the way.

"We've played well the whole tournament," Hale said. "I'm so proud we're going to play all four days, and that we get to play in the championship game. These kids are growing up, and they're getting better all the time."

Sophomore forward Ryan Willen had his best game of the season, leading the Bulldogs with 23 points. Willen did much of his damage in the post, but added a pair of 3-pointers as well.

Senior post player Alex Ressel added 16 points for the Bulldogs.

The largest crowd of the tournament through the first three days was up in arms as the Bulldogs pulled off the biggest upset of the day and the tournament. Now the Bulldogs will try to bring home one more upset and take home their first championship trophy since 1986.

"It's fun to play in front of crowds. It's something these kids will always remember," Hale said.

Jamarcus Williams led the Bluejays with 30 points, and Justin Clark added 10.

This will be the third straight year Charleston will not appear in the championship game. Charleston holds the most Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament titles with 15, but has not won a championship since 2002.

"We'll learn from our mistakes, but Notre Dame just wanted the game a lot more," Charleston coach Danny Farmer said. "They played hard, they made their free throws, they just did everything they had to do to win the game.

"We didn't do the fundamentals. We didn't block out. We tried to press but didn't cut the sidelines off to double team. We just weren't there mentally. The mental toughness edge goes to Notre Dame tonight."

Notre Dame 79, Charleston 64

Notre Dame 15 21 18 15 -- 79

Charleston 13 17 21 13 -- 64

NOTRE DAME (79) -- Ryan Willen 23, Frankie Ellis 17, Alex Ressel 16, Xavier Delph 15, Logan Haines 2, Kirk Boeller 2, Lucas Dirnberger 2. FG 29, FT 19-28, F 12 (3-pointers: Willen 2. Fouled out: none)

CHARLESTON (64) -- Jamarcus Williams 30, Justin Clark 10, Antonio Riggens 9, Tavis Hamilton 9, Jerrell Quinn 2, Shawn Sherrell 2, Jerquawn Sherrell 2. FG 26, FT 7-9, F 19 (3-pointers: Riggens 3, Clark 1, Hamilton 1. Fouled out: none)