Defending champ ND goes down with a fight

SIKESTON -- There was no miracle finish for Notre Dame this time.

The Bulldogs' best game wasn't enough to derail top-ranked Sikeston from a 49-47 victory in the Class 4 District 1 boys basketball championship at Sikeston Fieldhouse.

Sikeston senior Michael Porter's steal and layup with 25 seconds to go accounted for the only scoring in the final 2 minutes of a dramatic contest between the two rival schools. Notre Dame had two chances to tie or win in the final seconds -- one in which senior standout Austin Greer drove to the basket but lost possession, and another with junior guard Nick Koeppel harassed before taking a shot that missed just after the buzzer.

"It was the best game I thought we played all year," Notre Dame first-year coach Kevin Roberts said. "We fought from the very beginning, and we battled, and we rallied around everybody."

Notre Dame, the defending Class 4 state champion, finished its season 19-9.

Sikeston, ranked No. 8 in the state, improved to 24-3 and meets Farmington at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Mineral Area College in Park Hills.

Porter, who missed Thursday night's win against Perryville because he has been bothered by illness all week, scored 20 points to lead Sikeston.

DAVID JENKINS ~ Sikeston Standard Democrat Notre Dame's Alex Bader guards Sikeston's Juqualin Wiggins during the second quarter of their Class 4 District 1 championship game Friday night in Sikeston.

"They upset me sophomore year, and I just think it's kind of one of those payback deals," Porter said, calling this the biggest win of his high school career. "I'm just happy we did it for the team, the coaches and the whole city of Sikeston. We got this district after all.

"It could have been my last game."

Notre Dame built a 43-38 lead with just 5 1/2 minutes to play, but Porter knocked down his second 3-pointer of the game and then scored a putback on his first rebound of the game, tying the score with 4:23 to play.

Sikeston never trailed after Juqualin Wiggins made a layup to give it a 45-43 lead with 3:20 remaining. Notre Dame's Jacob Tolbert hit two free throws to tie it, then Porter scored another putback basket after two Sikeston misses. Greer's jumper knotted the score 47-47 with 2:13 to play.

The teams traded misses before a steal by Jacob Tolbert gave Notre Dame possession with less than a minute to go. But Porter, a three-time all-stater, wasn't worried.

In fact, running through his mind: "We got this."

Really?

"It was," Porter said. "I'm not cocky, I'm just confident. I have a lot of faith in this team, and we did it. We pulled it out."

Porter intercepted Notre Dame's pass to the wing and took it the basket for the go-ahead basket while being fouled by Joseph Tolbert.

"Obviously, that's the change in the game right there," Roberts said. "He's one of the best players in the state."

After Porter missed the free throw, Notre Dame was able to get Greer, also an all-stater last year, heading down the lane with about 12 seconds to go.

"That's what we designed," Roberts said. "He's been our leader the whole time and there wasn't going to be anybody else to take that shot at the end. The ball just bounces some ways, and I don't know. You couldn't ask for a better last couple seconds -- Greer guarded by Porter -- and the ball just didn't go our way at the end there."

Greer suggested the ball had a bit of a push. As he drove to the basket, four Sikeston defenders closed on him, Porter knocked the ball away and several players dived to the floor, where Darryl Howard came out of the scrum with it.

"I would like to quote Bobby Hatchett, but I'm not going to say that," Greer said, referencing Sikeston's controversial 86-85 win against Scott County Central at the Show Me Center this year. "I had three guys, and I just don't fall for anything. I stay on my feet most of the time, but that's just the way it happened and it didn't go in my favor.

"I thought I had it. Michael checked me, Eli [Jackson] checked me and there were two others in the paint I didn't really see. I just know my jaw hurts, that's for sure."

Roberts stomped onto the court, untucking his shirt and protesting the call as Howard was fouled.

He missed the free throw, and Notre Dame had one more crack at it with junior guard Nick Koeppel taking it to the baseline, but he was unable to get a clean look. His shot just after time expired was off the mark and Sikeston began celebrating its first district title since the state runner-up season of 2006.

"It's a hard place to come down here and play," Greer said. "They definitely let them get physical tonight, and we don't have the bulk that they do, but I thought we fought to the best of our ability. You can't blame the game on the officiating."

After the game, Porter sat exhausted at midcourt for a period of time before being helped to the locker room.

"He's had a bad week," Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield said. "It's been tough. He's been throwing up, but just like the player he is, he showed up and played his heart out, I thought."

Sikeston had known only disappointment at district time the last two years in one of the area's best rivalries.

Notre Dame won the 2007 district championship meeting 67-65 on Abe Dirnberger's 25-foot 3-pointer in the closing seconds and went on to finish second in the state. Last year, Notre Dame lost twice -- without Ryan Willen in the lineup -- to Sikeston in the regular season, but hammered Sikeston 59-36 in the district final en route to the state championship.

Notre Dame had lost twice this season to Sikeston by double digits, but those were without Koeppel in the lineup.

Notre Dame fell behind 18-10 in the first half and trailed 27-21 at halftime by limiting Porter to five points. But Notre Dame also had concerns with senior point guard John Unterreiner rolling his ankle late in the first half.

Joseph Tolbert, who scored 14 to match his brother Jacob for team-leading honors, caught fire in the third period with three 3-pointers to keep Notre Dame in striking distance. Koeppel hit back-to-back baskets in the paint -- one a goaltending call -- to give the Bulldogs a 39-38 lead after three periods.

The Bulldogs extended the lead to five with Unterreiner hitting a layin and Greer scoring inside.

"I thought Notre Dame was outstanding, and I thought they had a great game plan," Holifield said. "Those guys are such winners."

"We did a lot of things right tonight," said Greer, who had nine points. "We maybe could have made a couple more shots."

@z_agate_HSbasketball_linescore:

Notre Dame 8 13 18 8 -- 47

Sikeston 12 15 11 11 -- 49

@z_agate_no tab_no indnt_bld ld:NOTRE DAME (47) -- Nick Koeppel 4, John Unterreiner 6, Austin Greer 9, Jacob Tolbert 14, Joseph Tolbert 14. FG 20, FT 3-4, F 14 (3-pointers: Jo. Tolbert 4. Fouled out: None)

SIKESTON (49) -- Juqualin Wiggins 4, Niquavious Dixon 6, Darryl Howard 11, Cal Lane 2, Michael Porter 20, Eli Jackson 6. FG 21, FT 3-7, F 10 (3-pointers: Porter 2, Dixon 1, Howard 1. Fouled out: None)