ND HITS STATE ROAD BLOCK; EAST CARTER GIRLS AVENGE LOSS IN OT

For a year East Carter County High's Kara Phillips pondered bitter memories of her team allowing Notre Dame a game-winning, season-stealing 9-0 run in the Class 2A sectional game.

Her chance for redemption came Wednesday night.

Consider her redeemed.

Phillips, a multitalented 5-foot-9 junior, had a game-high 22 points. But it was her pass to sophomore Monique Thompson, who scored inside with 3 seconds left in overtime, that lifted the Lady Redbirds to an electrifying 61-59 victory at Cape Girardeau Central's Tiger Fieldhouse.

For Notre Dame, which ended this season with a 21-8 mark after finishing second in the state tournament last year, it was a disappointing finale to a season filled with promise.

"To get to the state tournament," said Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim, "it takes a little bit of talent and a lot of luck. And we just ran out of luck tonight."

In overtime, a basket inside by Notre Dame's Olivia Beel tied the score 59-59 with 1:42 to go.

East Carter (25-2) got the ball with about a minute left and held it for a final shot.

"I didn't say a word to 'em," said East Carter coach Steve Williams. "Then when it got down to about 14 seconds I said, `Kara, you take it.' She's the best passer on the team; I knew she's good enough to make the right decision."

Phillips drove to the basket, was stopped and found the 5-5 Thompson open underneath just a couple feet away.

"I knew that if I took it to the hole they were going to collapse on me," Phillips said, "and I knew that somebody was going to be open. When I turned (Thompson) was wide open and I got her the ball and she finished.

"This was the one we'd been waiting on since last year. We had revenge on our minds tonight. We wanted to beat 'em bad."

With 3 seconds remaining, Notre Dame's Rachael Schlosser threw a long inbounds pass to Melissa Maurer, who, after bumping Phillips, heaved a long 3-point attempt that banged off the backboard.

Before the game, Grim said the key would be stopping Phillips, who entered the game averaging 15 points an outing. It didn't happen.

"The Phillips girl tonight did an excellent job," he said. "Our hats are off to her. We just didn't do a very good job defensively on her."

Said Williams: "She probably was the difference in the game. She is the one that we have that's physical enough to be able to handle (a physical) game."

With the score tied 57-57 with 2:40 to go, Schlosser, who had a team-high 14 points, and Beel each missed the front end of key one-and-one opportunities. East Carter's Natalie Smith, a freshman, then hit two free throws with 1:55 left, making the score 59-57.

"We didn't hit the free throws and they did," Grim said. "They picked the wrong game to have an off game. We're a better team than we showed tonight. They just got the breaks."

Williams said the difference was experience.

"Last year we were scared to death there late in the game," he said. "This year we were figuring out ways to win. That was the biggest difference -- just being here one time."

Notre Dame will lose Jennifer Glueck, who finished with 10 points despite spending much of the second half on the bench in foul trouble, Schlosser, Beel and Maurer, who hit a short jumper with nine seconds left in regulation to force overtime, to graduation.

Notre Dame held a 12-11 first-quarter edge and led 27-26 at halftime on a jumper by Maurer with 4 seconds left.

East Carter outscored the Lady Bulldogs 16-12 in the third period, held the game's biggest lead (40-33) with 1:14 left in the quarter and took a 42-39 lead into the final frame.

The Lady Bulldogs' leading scorer this season, Randi Senciboy, and Jill Huber, the first player off the bench, will be among those who will return next season.

Of East Carter's 61 points Wednesday, 59 were scored by players who will be back next season. Heather Bishop, a 5-6 junior guard, had 12 points despite an injured knee that may have torn cartilage, Williams said.

So, another rematch may be in the mix.

"I think there's a strong possibility that we may do this again next year," Williams said. "I hope we do."