Notre Dame boys basketball snaps Cape Central's 11-game win streak

The Notre Dame boys basketball team knew what it was facing Tuesday night -- a steaming hot Cape Central side that already had beaten it twice this season. But the Bulldogs also knew what they needed to do, and they did it, hanging on to drop the Tigers 66-64 on Senior Night at Notre Dame Regional High School and ending Central's 11-game winning streak.

Going into the final period of play -- a period Central had dominated in two meetings thus far -- up just one, 50-49, Notre Dame (10-10 overall, 3-2 SEMO Conference) got a fast-break reverse layup from Winston Welter with 1 minute, 23 seconds left on the clock to break a 60-60 tie and take the lead for good. Carson Ketcher later took a post-entry pass from Dawson Dohogne to extend the advantage and Blake Bauwens hit a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left to help the Bulldogs survive.

"We talked a lot about how we've played them [in the past] -- we've played eight quarters against them and we've played really good for six," Notre Dame coach Paul Unterreiner said. "They've dominated the fourth quarter in both games. We talked about how if we put together four quarters of basketball, we can beat a really good team. We executed a lot of things we talked about and it turned out all right.

Cape Central's Al Young drives between Notre Dame's Dawson Dohogne, left, and Carson Ketcher during the third quarter.Fred Lynch

"It's cliche, [but] play to win instead of playing not to lose. Cape Central is a great basketball team that can be aggressive, and when they get aggressive you tend to fall back on your heels and let them throw punches at you and you not strike back. I told them, 'Pretend you're down by six. I don't care what you do, but we've got to attack more.' We got a few run outs for Dawson and were able to push that lead and hold on."

Central (14-5, 2-1) had an opportunity to tie the game when it brought the ball down the floor with 12 seconds left, but the play never came together and Bauwens stole the ball away to seal the victory.

"We didn't have a timeout to talk about it and it just happens. We kind of have a set we go with and it didn't work out," Central coach Drew Church said. "That wasn't the difference in the game. The difference in the game was offensive boards we gave up. The difference in the game was uncontested 3s. Silly turnovers.

"I'll say this -- I like my team; I like my guys. If you can look at this in a good way, we might have needed this. We might need this to refocus and remember what it's like to take a loss."

The last time the Tigers lost was Dec. 18, 63-62 to Farmington.

Tuesday night, though, was the Bulldogs' night.

The hosts went up 8-4 in the early going before Central came back to take its first lead of the game, 10-8, on a conventional three-point play by Al Young at 3:46 of the first quarter. The Tigers maintained that edge until the period's final minute, when Ketcher hit a jump shot from the elbow and then sank a baseline jumper on the pick-and-pop to give Notre Dame a 20-19 lead after one quarter.

Cape Central regained the lead two and a half minutes into the second, when Blake Harris scored back-to-back layups to take a 26-24 advantage.

A Bauwens 3-pointer knotted the game at 27 midway through the period, and it remained that way inside the half's final two minutes.

Notre Dame's Winston Welter challenges Cape Central's Austin Parker for possession during the third quarter Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016 at Notre Dame Regional High School.Fred Lynch

Andrew LeGrand broke that tie with a shot from outside the arc with 1:14 left on the clock, and Tanner Robert got the back end of a pair of free throws as the Bulldogs went into the locker room at halftime with a 36-32 lead.

"I think the first part is [Notre Dame] did a phenomenal job," Church said. "They hit a lot of shots, made everything tough on defense and I think we came out a little lackadaisical. I thought we were a little soft. ... They kind of punched us in the nose."

Young opened the third period with a pair of shots, including a putback that pulled Central even at 36-all. But Bauwens responded with a 3 that opened a 9-0 run for the Bulldogs.

The return of Dohogne at center also sparked the swing for Notre Dame. Dohogne sat virtually the entire first half after picking up two quick fouls, but his re-entry to the floor immediately made an impact.

After Bauwens' go-ahead 3, Dohogne hit three consecutive baskets, including a transition layup as the big man took a steal and went coast to coast to put ND up 45-36 at the 3:40 mark of the third quarter. The nine-point gap was the largest of the game.

"Offensively he's really coming along. He's very quick and he's hard to move around down there," Unterreiner said. "That's one of the first true post guys we've had in a long time. Â… When we can establish him, it really opens things up for everybody.

"I really thought Tanner Robert and Jake Edwards did a great job in the first half of filling in for Dawson. I was not opposed to going back to Dawson if I needed to, but I thought Tanner and Jake -- on Senior Night -- did great and really allowed us to keep pushing."

The differential began to erode in the quarter's final moments, as Central ended the third on a 7-0 run, getting a 3 from Tevyn Wright-Hunt and a transition bucket from Young. All of a sudden the Tigers were back within one, 50-49, going into the game's final eight minutes.

Instead of folding, however, Notre Dame clung to its lead, never allowing the Tigers back on top. Dohogne opened the fourth with a layup and Ketcher hit a free throw moments later to hold a four-point advantage.

Central tore back, as Zyshon Mallory scored and the Tigers took advantage of two quick Notre Dame turnovers, which Young and Jawone Newell turned into buckets and a tie game, 60-60, with 1:33 left to play.

But the Bulldogs didn't fold.

Bauwens led Notre Dame with 12 points, while Ketcher added 11. Dohogne scored 10 in what was essentially one half of play.

All nine of the Bulldogs who touched the floor scored, including all the seniors -- Essner, Ketcher, Robert, Josh Seabaugh, LeGrand and Edwards -- on Senior Night.

"The most impressive part for me is all year long we've struggled with inconsistent play from our bench guys. But tonight all four were unbelievable," Unterreiner said. "I thought they were spot on and I thought they did their role as well as they could do it, which allowed us to push that lead."

Young led Central with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Austin Parker and Newell added 15 and 13 points, respectively. Parker scored 11 of his 15 in the first half and was 9 of 11 from the free-throw line. Harris had 10 boards before fouling out with 3:15 left to play.

The Tigers were 24 of 50 (48 percent) from the floor on the night.

Notre Dame shot 27 of 48 (56.3 percent).

Central is back on the floor hosting Kennett on Friday.

The Bulldogs will welcome in Bernie on Friday.

Cape Central 19 13 17 15 -- 64

Notre Dame 20 16 14 16 -- 66

CAPE CENTRAL (64) -- Al Young 19, Tevyn Wright-Hunt 6, Jawone Newell 13, Austin Parker 15, Blake Harris 5, Zyshon Mallory 6. FG 24-50, FT 13-19, F 16. (3-pointers: Wright-Hunt 2, Young. Fouled out: Harris, Newell.)

NOTRE DAME (66) -- Blake Bauwens 12, Ross Essner 8, Winston Welter 4, Dawson Dohogne 10, Carson Ketcher 11, Tanner Robert 7, Josh Seabaugh 7, Andrew LeGrand 5, Jake Edwards 2. FG 27-48, FT 7-14, F 17. (3-pointers: Bauwens 2, Essner, Seabaugh, LeGrand. Fouled out: None.)