NMCC uses early momentum to down Notre Dame

It didn’t take long for the New Madrid County Central Eagles to assert their dominance as they downed the Notre Dame Bulldogs 62-45 on Friday.

The Eagles opened the contest on an 18-0 run, showcasing their relentless full-court press that forced 11 first-quarter turnovers by the Bulldogs.

“That’s what’s got us to 10-1 right now,” Eagles coach Dontre Jenkins said. “Our guys are out there being athletes and getting other teams to turn the ball over.”

From the opening tip, Jadis Jones was dominant, displaying just why he is widely considered one of the best players in the area.

He finished three alley oops with emphatic slams and capped off the first quarter with a one-handed hammer to help lead the Eagles to a 24-7 lead after the first eight minutes.

While Jones displayed his athleticism in the first quarter, he gave the crowd a taste of his shot creating ability as well as he drilled a step back three to increase the New Madrid lead early in the second quarter.

“He can mix it up,” Jenkins said. “He’s been working on his outside shot and you saw that tonight. He’s going to be an all-around player when he starts knocking down the jumpshot.”

The Bulldogs however weren’t going to just lay down as they put together a sound second quarter to trail 36-19 entering the locker room at halftime.

The momentum and relentlessness shown from New Madrid in the first half was on display yet again beginning the third-quarter as the Eagles expanded their lead to as many as 21 in the quarter.

“It was the same thing, just getting turnovers,” Jenkins said. “We were pressuring on defense and then getting easy buckets.”

With New Madrid rolling, the Bulldogs’ Kolton Johnson kept their offense afloat as he poured in 10 points in the third.

Despite Johnson’s efforts offensively, New Madrid still led 50-31 entering the fourth quarter.

The Eagles would go on to take care of business in the fourth, as they never allowed the Bulldogs to get back in the game after going up 18-0 in the first-quarter.

“I told the guys at halftime that the first three minutes were going to dictate how the rest of the game went,” Jenkins said. “Late in the third-quarter Notre Dame started getting some energy and I think that had a lot to do with us getting complacent.”

Jadis Jones led the scoring for the Eagles with a game-high 20 points in the win.

Also scoring in double-figures for the Eagles was BJ Williamson and Ra’Mond Brooks with 14 points each.

Notre Dame was led by Kolton Johnson who scored 15 points in the loss for the Bulldogs.

The win marked the sixth consecutive win for the Eagles with their only loss of the season being a two-point loss to Sikeston in the SEMO Conference Championship.

Notre Dame (4-7) returns to action at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 8, when the Bulldogs travel to take on Woodland.

NMCC (11-1) returns home at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9, when the Eagles host Charleston.

__ NMCC 62, Notre Dame 45__

NMCC 24 12 14 12 — 62

Notre Dame 7 12 12 14 — 45

NMCC (62) — Jadis Jones 20, BJ Williamson 14, Ra’Mond Brooks 14, Marvion Cranford 9, AJ Ruff 5

Notre Dame (45) — Kolton Johnson 15, Brett Dohogne 9, Hunter Bonham 8, Trenton Schumaker 4, Logan Landewee 4, Carson Essner 2, Devin Dannenmueller 1