ND falters in third-place game

SIKESTON ??-- Notre Dame's shooting disappeared in the second half.

The Bulldogs built a 30-26 lead on Poplar Bluff after the first two quarters, but Notre Dame couldn't buy a basket after the intermission at the SEMO Conference boys basketball tournament Friday.

Notre Dame shot 9 percent in the third quarter and 21 percent overall in the second half of their 55-46 loss to the Mules in the third-place game.

"I think we ran our offense well in the first half," Notre Dame senior Joseph Tolbert said. "We played good defense, forced some turnovers and converted. In the second half, we just lost it. We couldn't score. We just couldn't finish it. We had wide-open shots. We tried to convert, we just couldn't."

While Notre Dame struggled to get its shots to fall, Poplar Bluff's shooting heated up. Riley Raulston outscored the Bulldogs 12-5 in the third quarter, and the Mules shot 55 percent in the second half to rally to the win.

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.comNotre Dame's John Unterreiner shoots under Poplar Bluff's Jay Raulston Friday at the SEMO Conference tournament in Sikeston.

"We got good shots, we just had to make them," Notre Dame coach Kevin Roberts said. "They made theirs and we didn't make ours. We've got to get back to making shots. We guarded well, we pressed well, I thought we rebounded well."

Austin Greer led the Bulldogs' offensive attack, finishing with 23 points, including 14 in the second half. Roberts said the Bulldogs need Greer to continue producing in the post.

"We wanted to get Austin Greer some early buckets and get him going," Roberts said. "He's got a knack for scoring inside. He could always score inside. Last year, he had a little help on the other side. But now he's our main go-to guy. ... He's going to have to figure out how to score."

The "little help" Roberts referred to was Ryan Willen, who now plays at Division I Lafayette College. Willen and Greer provided a dominant presence in the post last year, but with Willen's graduation, the load becomes heavier on Greer. It's a role he welcomes.

"I live and die with the pump fake," Greer said. "I do have some athleticism. I can jump pretty high. I just try to jump as high as I can every time and try to rise up above them. If they foul me, then I just try to make my shots."

But while he welcomes the added pressure, he said it's a different feel to this year's team. He and fellow senior John Unterreiner are the two returning starters from last year's Class 4 state championship team, and they're working to help the Bulldogs come together this season.

"It's a lot different," Greer said. "Last year, we relied a lot on Ryan. He was our big guy. This year, it's a lot different with me and John leading the team."

Notre Dame didn't hold onto the lead for long in the second half. Raulston hit a 3-pointer with 5 minutes, 32 seconds left in the third quarter to put the Mules up a point. They never trailed again as that sparked a 10-0 run. Notre Dame missed seven shots during that run.

The loss dropped Notre Dame to 3-3.

Sikeston won the tournament title with a 66-44 victory over New Madrid County Central in the title game.

@z_agate_HSbasketball_linescore:Poplar Bluff 11151514--55

Notre Dame1614511--46

@z_agate_no tab_no indnt_bld ld:Poplar Bluff (55) -- Chris Kilgore 13, Jay Raulston 9, Todd Bullington 8, Riley Raulston 16, Eljie Johnson 9.

Notre Dame (46) -- Liam Maher 8, John Unterreiner 2, Austin Greer 23, Jacob Tolbert 6, Joseph Tolbert 5.