ND SWEEPS CHARLESTON

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Zip. Snap. Skip. Pop.

No, the Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs weren't trying on new clothes and they weren't watching an old Batman episode or trying out a rice cereal.

They were passing the ball. And they were making it look easy.

Notre Dame, the top-ranked team in Class 2A at 24-3, displayed passing prowess and beautiful ball movement Friday night as it rolled past Charleston 61-31 in the championship game of the District 2 tournament.

"In the first quarter we did the things we wanted to do," said Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim. "We moved the ball up the court and made the passes that we needed to do to get easy baskets."

The Lady Bulldogs put the game away early. Notre Dame scored 15 points before Charleston (20-7) finally scored a 3-pointer at the 1:53 mark to break up the shutout. The Lady Bulldogs, who took a 24-5 lead into second quarter, consistently beat Charleston down the court and Notre Dame's precise passes in transition led to several layups. The Lady Bulldogs also moved the ball well within their halfcourt offense and scored almost at will in the first quarter.

Notre Dame forced Charleston into 11 turnovers in the first quarter alone and 17 by halftime. The Lady Bluejays weren't having trouble making shots they were having trouble taking them.

Charleston actually shot 53 percent from the field in the first half, but it took only 15 shots compared to 26 by Notre Dame. The Lady Bluejays ended up shooting just 36 percent for the game.

"I think they're an excellent team," Charleston coach Beverly Wright said. "They really jumped out on us and scored well. They're well balanced and they can bring people off the bench without losing much."

Charleston made a dent in the Lady Bulldogs' huge lead in the second quarter, outscoring Notre Dame 13-10 but the damage had already been done. Notre Dame led 35-18 at the break.

The Lady Bulldogs put the game on cruise control in the second half, outscoring Charleston 15-7 in the third quarter and 11-6 in the fourth.

Ashley Millham, a sophomore, led Notre Dame with 18 points, while juniors Lisa Millham and Deana McCormick scored 16 and 12, respectively.

Alicia Rodgers scored 13 points for Notre Dame and was the only player in double figures for Charleston.

Charleston completed its best season in recent memory at 20-6. It was the first district finals appearance for the Lady Bluejays since 1994.

Charleston had to play without Monisha Murray, one of its best players.

"She's our spark plug," Wright said. "She's our little Miss Hustle and psychologically I think that kind of hurt us."