ND adds No. 1 Jackson to streak

After chewing on a sixth straight opponent, it may be time to officially acknowledge the state champion Bulldogs have replaced some missing teeth.

On Thursday night, Notre Dame's girls basketball team paid back Jackson -- No. 1 in the SEMO Top 10 -- for two losses earlier this season and assumed first place in the SEMO Conference with a 52-42 homecoming victory.

The win stretched the Bulldogs' winning streak to six games and improved their record to 11-7, 4-0 in the conference. The Bulldogs have avenged losses to Poplar Bluff and Farmington in the streak and thumped Park Hills Central -- previously ranked in the Southeast Missouri Top 10 -- by a stunning 65-13 score Monday.

Notre Dame started the season 2-6 after losing three starters -- two all-staters -- from last year's 29-2 team.

"I think maybe we've learned from our mistakes," said senior guard Ashley Millham, who finished with a game-high 23 points. "We just got some experience. We needed to play together more. We got more practices, and we got more games. The more games and the better we got."

Millham, who scored a career-high 32 against Sikeston on Wednesday, and forward Ali Tyson are the two returning starters from last season. Erin Pfau, Sommer McCauley and Sierra Ellis have stepped into starting roles after the departure of Deana McCormick, Lisa Millham and Courtney Vickery.

"It took the first few games for them to realize that it's up to them now," Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim said. "You can't turn to Deana. You can't turn to Lisa. Somebody's got to handle the ball -- Courtney's not here. They had to realize that, and since Christmas they've stepped up."

Against Jackson (10-5, 2-1), Ellis added 14 points, including 10 in the second half.

"We're just getting used to playing with each other and getting a feel for each other," Ellis said. "It's just so much better now."

Pfau scored all six of her points in the second half when Notre Dame held off a Jackson charge.

"I'm thinking we're really shocking some people that didn't think we would be as aggressive or as good as last year," Pfau said. "We're just wanting to show some people we can hang."

Notre Dame shot 50 percent from the field for the game while holding Jackson to less than 33 percent.

The Bulldogs allowed Jackson to hold the lead for less than a minute. That came when Jackson senior Jenna Leet hit a 3-pointer for a 9-8 lead in the first quarter. Ellis returned the lead to Notre Dame the next trip down the floor and the Bulldogs were ahead for good. The basket started an 8-0 run that carried into the second quarter for a 16-9 lead.

Millham hit two of her three 3-pointers in the second quarter, including the final basket of the half for a 27-16 lead. The 11-point lead was the Bulldogs' biggest of the half.

"Ashley Millham played a heck of a game," Jackson coach Ron Cook said. "That's the strongest game she's had against us. She's getting the other girls involved."

Notre Dame committed just two turnovers in the first half but surpassed the total with five in the first three minutes of the third quarter. Jackson took advantage with an 8-0 spurt, capped when Whitney Werner put back her own miss, cutting the lead to 27-24.

Millham broke the run with a basket, then added a 3-pointer the next trip down the floor, part of a 9-0 spurt that had Notre Dame ahead 36-24 with 3:42 left in the third quarter. The Bulldogs took a 40-30 lead into the fourth quarter. Jackson closed to six points twice but never got closer.

"They're a lot more aggressive, that's the difference in their team right now," Cook said.

Leet, headed to Southern Methodist University on a basketball scholarship, finished with 15 points for Jackson, but was held to just four field goals.

"Anytime you can hold Leet on field goals to under 10 points, that's a pretty good feat, because she's a heck of a player," Grim said. "Ali Tyson did a great job on her."

Jessie Koeper added 10 points for Jackson.

jbreer@semissourian.com

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