JACKSON GETS HEALTHY REVENGE AGAINST ND

JACKSON -- Last season, Jackson High's girls basketball team finished second in Class 4A. Notre Dame placed second in Class 2A.

When the teams met in the HealthSouth Holiday Classic last month, Notre Dame dealt Jackson its first loss this season. Entering Thursday night's rematch, the Lady Indians had won 10 successive games -- but the streak wasn't enough to quash the memories of that lone blemish.

Before a large, boisterous crowd at Jackson Gymnasium, Jackson exacted a hefty measure of revenge in a battle of two state-ranked teams: a 77-44 disposal of the Lady Bulldogs.

Ron Cook, Jackson's coach, usually isn't especially vociferous. But when he sensed Notre Dame was staggering early in the second quarter, he exhorted his team to swing for the knockout.

Those shouts led to increased defensive pressure and sent Jackson on a 14-2 run to start the second quarter. Notre Dame, ranked No. 7 in 2A, trailed 29-10 3 minutes 55 seconds before halftime and never recovered.

"We were wanting to put pressure on the ball and be more aggressive," said Cook, whose Lady Indians are ranked third in 4A. "We haven't been aggressive enough in the past, but our press was more aggressive today."

Said Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim: "We ought to be used to (the defensive pressure) with some of the teams we play. But we just did not react very well tonight. It's the mental area that I really think we let down on tonight. Mentally, we've got a lot of work to do."

After Jackson (16-1) sprung to a 10-0 lead with 4:24 left in the first quarter on a basket inside by Melissa Palmer, who finished with a game-high 22 points, Notre Dame, which committed eight turnovers in the first quarter and 21 for the game, trailed 15-8 entering the second period.

Jackson scored 14 of the first 16 points in the second quarter and led 33-16 at halftime. Notre Dame shot just 25 percent (7 of 21) in the first half.

The Lady Indians' advantage was 50-29 after three quarters and peaked at 34 points after a 16-0 run in the middle of the fourth period.

"Jackson's got an excellent team," said Grim, whose team fell to 12-5. "We were lucky enough to beat them the first time. You just can't expect that twice in one season. We're the only team in the state that's beat them. We knew that they were going to be out for blood."

Especially thirsty was Palmer, a 5-foot-10 junior, who dominated inside -- in large part because she remained upright.

"(Melissa) kept good balance underneath the goal," Cook said. "Tonight she didn't fall to the floor when she was shooting. She made some strong moves, and the other girls did a good job getting the ball to her."

Christa Millham scored 16 points and Chrissi Glastetter added 11 for Jackson. For Notre Dame, Jill Huber, Randi Senciboy and Rachael Schlosser each finished with 10 points.

While the Jackson contingent should be buoyant because of the Lady Indians' current 11-game win tear, the Notre Dame faithful should keep the faith: Odds are, there won't be any teams like Jackson in their team's journey back to the state tournament. Notre Dame's losses have been to Poplar Bluff (twice), Jackson, Cape Central and Perryville, all quality 3A or 4A teams.