Lady Bulldogs nab second in tourney

P Notre Dame falls to Poplar Bluff in tough Farmington event.

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- The Farmington Invitational girls basketball tournament lived up to its billing.

In an eight-team field featuring several of the state's premier teams, top-seeded Poplar Bluff captured the championship by slipping past second-seeded Notre Dame 53-50 Saturday night.

Lisa Millham scored 21 points as she broke her own school record by hitting seven 3-point shots, but it was not enough as the Lady Bulldogs fell to 2-1. Deana McCormick added 15 points for Notre Dame.

Ashley Williams paced Poplar Bluff with 23 points.

"Notre Dame got off to a fast start, leading 18-8 after one quarter. The Lady Bulldogs were ahead 27-22 at halftime and 38-37 entering the final period.

"It really was a good tournament," said Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim. "A tournament like this will definitely make us better."

The third-place game also went down to the wire as No. 3 Jackson edged No. 5 Farmington 49-47.

Jenna Leet paced the Lady Indians (2-1) with 12 points and Ashley Bartels added nine.

Jackson trailed 12-8 after one quarter but came back to lead 25-24 at halftime. The Lady Indians carried a 37-33 edge heading into the final period.

"It was a real good tournament," said Jackson coach Ron Cook. "On the last day, no game was decided by more than three points."

Friday night, Notre Dame won a semifinal thriller from Jackson, 46-43 in overtime. Millham scored 19 points for the Lady Bulldogs and Leet had 20 for the Lady Indians.

In the boys division of the tournament, No. 3 Notre Dame lived up to its seeding by defeating No. 4 Farmington 63-57 in the third-place game.

The Bulldogs (2-1) received 19 points from Nathan LeGrand and 13 from Scott Wittenborn.