LADY BULLDOGS TRY TO PLROTECT HOME TURF IN 2A TOURNAMENT

The Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs will have the luxury of playing their Class 2A sectional game tonight against the East Carter County Lady Redbirds in their home town.

The contest, starting at 6:30 p.m., will be played at the Cape Central Fieldhouse. But Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim wasn't ready to say his team will have a great advantage over the Lady Redbirds.

Why?

Because East Carter, out of Ellsinore, will likely bring a large gathering of fans to Cape Girardeau to cheer both its girls and boys teams. The Cardinals also advanced into sectional action and will play Scott City following the girls' game.

Grim is expecting a tough test from the Lady Redbirds, who won their first district title in 12 years and enter sectionals with a shiny 21-4 record.

"They matchup pretty well with us," said Grim. "They like to play man (defense), they have decent size and they have some kids that can shoot the ball."

Grim is most concerned about the inside game of East Carter.

"They like to get the ball inside to their big people," he said. "That might give us some problems."

But the Lady Bulldogs have faced tough tests all year long on their way to a 19-9 record. They also appear to be peaking at the right time. Last week, on their way to the District 2 title in Bloomfield, the Lady Bulldogs beat three opponents by an average of nearly 40 points per game.

It was the third district title for Notre Dame in the last five years. The last time the Lady Bulldogs won their district (1995), they made it to the 2A championship game in Columbia.

"We've got some girls that have played in Hearnes," Grim said, referring to the Hearnes Center in Columbia, sight of the Final Four.

"I don't know if we have the look of a Final Four team but we've played a pretty tough schedule," he said. "Most of our games have been against 3A and 4A schools and we've been (competitive) in most of our games."

The key to this year's Lady Bulldogs team has been balance. Grim said his starting five of seniors Tracy Blattel and Amanda Lange, juniors Melissa Maurer and Rachael Schlosser, and sophomore Randi Senciboy all produce equally on the court.

"Believe it or not, they all average about the same," Grim said with a chuckle. "They all average about eight to 11 points."