C4D1 Boys: Notre Dame takes care of Pirates in postseason opener

DEXTER – Though the Notre Dame High School boy’s basketball program has labored to consecutive losing seasons for the first time since… well, a loooooong time, the Bulldog coaches and players still have had enough success in the past to know how to dismantle a squad in the postseason that they should beat.

That was precisely what Notre Dame (9-18) did to Perryville (5-23) on Monday in the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 Boy’s Basketball Tournament at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter.

Notre Dame methodically pulled away, handling the occasional rallying effort by the Pirates, to easily win 61-35.

“We just couldn’t score,” first-year Perryville coach Brett Hale said. “We couldn’t find the bottom of the basket.”

No Pirate player epitomized that frustration more so than sophomore shooter Jake Cissell.

Cissell is known “as a pretty good shooter,” according to Hale, but the Notre Dame defense limited him to just one basket and four points total.

“He had some open looks,” Hale said, “but couldn’t put one in.”

The Bulldogs jumped out to an 11-6 lead at the end of the first quarter and stretched it to 26-18 at halftime.

Perryville was within single digits early in the third quarter, but Notre Dame senior Greg Dennis began to get aggressive and tormented the Pirate defenders.

The 6-foot-2 athlete led his team with 16 points total, with 10 of those coming in the third quarter, as Notre Dame built a 45-29 margin.

“It makes it hard on your defense,” Hale continued, “when you’re not putting balls in the basket.”

Notre Dame had dropped nine of its final 10 regular-season games but played well in a late 56-53 win over a 10-win Farmington squad, and now has some mojo heading into its C4D1 semifinal game with Doniphan (17-9) on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Bulldog sophomore Will Henry Steward added 13 points in the win, while sophomore Logan Landewee (eight), sophomore Kolton Johnson (six), and junior Carson Essner (six) also contributed.

Perryville was paced by seniors Ethan Blythe and Ben Hotop with eight points each, while junior Jack Fritsche chipped in seven points.