ND captures 8th straight district title

After an epic fourth quarter in the Class 4 District 1 girls basketball finals Friday night at Notre Dame Regional High School, the Bulldogs had the possession arrow fall their way and edged Dexter 50-49.

Trailing 50-48, Dexter's Hanna Burleson went to the free-throw line with 10 seconds remaining to shoot a one-and-one. Burleson made the first but missed the second free throw. Sommer McCauley came down with the ball, but before she could put the ball on the floor she was tied up.

Notre Dame (18-8) got the ball back with the arrow, and despite turning the ball over on the inbound, Dexter was not able to get off a good shot before the buzzer. The win marked Notre Dame's eighth straight district title.

"It was a team win," Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim said. "No one player shined over anyone else."

For the Bulldogs, their eighth district title was a battle against the clock. Notre Dame shot out to a 24-5 first-quarter lead and remained ahead by double digits the rest of the first half.

Dexter began to climb back midway through the second quarter with Notre Dame starters McCauley and Katie Palmer on the bench with two fouls apiece. By halftime the Bearcats had cut the lead to 32-16.

"The first half we did all right," Grim said. "That second quarter Sommer came off the floor, and we turned it over a couple of times and they got back in it."

A Blunt statementThe third quarter belonged to Dexter star Rachel Blunt, who put the Bearcats on her back. Blunt, a junior who is orally committed to Southeast Missouri State University, scored nine of her game-high 17 points in the quarter.

A basket by Blunt two minutes into the quarter brought the lead below double digits for the first time since early in the first, and by the end of the quarter Dexter had cut the lead to 40-34.

"Shot by shot, stop by stop we felt we could get back into it," Dexter coach Gavin Miller said.

Dexter continued to chip away at the lead in the fourth, staying within three points of the Bulldogs throughout the final six minutes of the game. A basket from Natalie Hayes with less than two minutes remaining tied the score 46-46, giving Dexter its first tie since 2-2.

Palmer broke the tie with a free throw and added two more with 53 seconds left for a 49-46 lead, but Dexter got back within one with a pair of free throws from Charlotte Johnson. Notre Dame senior Sierra Ellis hit one of two free throws with 18 seconds left, which ended up being the game-winner.

"This district championship was so much better than the past three," Ellis said. "We were out on the floor the whole time. We never gave up. We may have slipped up, but we never gave up."

McCauley led the Bulldogs with 15 points. Palmer added 10 points for Notre Dame. Notre Dame will play North County in the sectional round Wednesday at Mineral Area College.

"We're ready for anything," Ellis said. "For us seniors, we know it is up to us."

Hayes had 10 points for Dexter.

Dexter beat Fredericktown 80-48 in the boys district final. Josh Miller led Dexter with 21 points, Chris Guethle had 19, Derek Demaree had 12 and Levi Rawson had 11.

Micah Reutzel led Fredericktown with 14 points, and Josh Collier had 12.