Notre Dame boys basketball team falls to Sikeston 62-32

Editor's note: Sikeston's record has been corrected in this story.

Notre Dame senior Derek Hulshof netted a layup and a pair of free throws less than a minute into the second quarter, cutting Sikeston's lead to 13-10.

The run was short-lived as Sikeston junior Dominique Dyes converted on a fastbreak steal that sparked a 13-2 run inside the final five minutes of the first half, giving Sikeston enough separation to cruise to a 62-32 victory on Friday at Sikeston High School.

"We just couldn't get anything going," Notre Dame coach Paul Unterreiner said. "I know it seemed like we were both sluggish at the beginning, but [Sikeston was] sluggish and playing hard. We were sluggish and not matching their tempo and energy. That's something we do really well. We usually play hard, and we will. Sikeston's a good team, and they've got a great coach in coach [Gregg] Holifield.

"We all knew they would be ready to go. For some reason, it just didn't click tonight, and we'll learn from that and move on."

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Sikeston (3-3), which never trailed throughout the game.

"It's one of those things where we've got to come in and work every day," Holifield said. "We have a lot of inexperience, and we've got guys that are starting to understand what we're doing and are working hard. I've been very pleased with our team's effort in practice every day, but sometimes we get into games and we don't play as well as we should. I thought tonight we kind of put things together, and certain things we've been working on, I could kind of see it carry over."

Fred Thatch provided the biggest spark for Sikeston.

The 6-foot-2 freshman scored six of his game-high 18 points in the first quarter and continuously wreaked havoc in the paint, where he hauled in eight rebounds.

Notre Dame's Quinn Poythress drives against Sikeston's Dominique Dyes during the fourth quarter Friday, Dec. 19, 2014 in Sikeston, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

"Fred's a great player, and he's going to be really special for them," Unterreiner said. "We just let things come too easy for those guys tonight. We let them catch it in the high post more than we normally do, and if you let Fred catch it there, that's where he's dangerous. You can't let him catch it inside. You've just got to make him battle from the outside and keep him out of the paint. If he gets in the paint, he's dangerous. He's a good player."

Sikeston gathered an offensive rebound on three consecutive misses and found the bottom of the net on a putback by Thatch, pushing its lead to 9-2 with 2:07 left in the quarter. Notre Dame (3-3) trailed 13-6 heading into the second period.

"You can't ask a freshman to do any more, and he's working extremely hard," Holifield said about Thatch. "He has a great attitude every day. He's just going to get better and better because of his work ethic. I thought we had a total team effort tonight, very unselfish play offensively and defensively. That's the way our teams are known to play. We have to be in that situation where it's a total team concept."

Sikeston senior Corbyn Blissett netted five of his 12 points in the second quarter as Sikeston extended its lead to 26-12 at halftime.

Holifield said the second-quarter surge was something he's been emphasizing to his team.

"We get in a position where we've got to have that sense of urgency and continue to work," Holifield said. "I thought we had a little bit of a lull, but then we picked up our intensity and did a really good job of closing out their shooters and on the glass."

Notre Dame 6-7 senior Quinn Poythress missed his first five shots of the game and finished scoreless in the first half, however, his offense came alive in the third quarter, when he netted all seven of his points on 3 of 4 shooting.

Unterreiner said Poythress attended his grandfather's funeral earlier in the afternoon.

Notre Dame's Trenton Schumer looks to pass while guarded by Sikeston's Deterio Newman, left, and Dominique Dyes during the fourth quarter Friday, Dec. 19, 2014 in Sikeston, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

"The poor kid just had a long day, and this isn't on Quinn," Unterreiner said. "We just didn't come out ready to play energy-wise from the whole team. You're never as bad as you look, and you're never as good as you look. You're somewhere in between, and that's what I told those guys. We've got to learn from this and move on, and we will. We just didn't match their intensity tonight."

Sikeston outscored Notre Dame 21-13 in the third quarter, pushing its lead to 47-25 heading into the final period.

Led by nine boards from Blissett, Sikeston outrebounded Notre Dame 31-19.

"I saw them just pounding the glass," Unterreiner said. "Every single rebound they wanted more than anyone else in this gym. It wasn't just one of them. It was all five of them. ... We've got to be able to keep people off the glass, and we just didn't do that tonight."

Sikeston added eight more points to its lead in the final period, forcing a running clock midway through the quarter.

With less than three minutes remaining in the game, Thatch gave one more burst of energy, when he gathered an offensive board and slammed it through the net, sending the Sikeston crowd into a frenzy.

"We weren't over-confident," Unterreiner said. "We just didn't come out ready, and that's just all there is to it."

Sikeston finished the game 20 of 57 (36 percent) from the floor. Junior Anthony Coleiro added 13 points for Sikeston, while Dyes finished with 10.

Notre Dame shot 10 of 35 (29 percent) from the field and was led by Hulshof and Dean Crippen, who each had eight points.

Unterreiner said he challenged his team to respond to the adversity of a 30-point loss.

"It doesn't feel good. I don't feel good," Unterreiner said. "I'm still proud to wear Notre Dame on the front of my shirt, and they should be, too. I wouldn't trade this group of guys for anybody. It was a bad night for us. The key is how are we going to bounce back? Are we going to walk out here as one family, or are we going to walk out here all broken? And they walked out of the locker room altogether.

"That's what I want to see."

Notre Dame 6 6 13 7 -- 32

Sikeston 13 13 21 15 -- 62

Notre Dame (32) -- Derek Hulshof 8, Dean Crippen 8, Quinn Poythress 7, Ross Essner 4, Nick Bradshaw 3, Chase Urhahn 2. FG 10-35, FT 11-21, F 18. (3-pointers: Poythress 1. Fouled out: Trenton Schumer.)

Sikeston (62) -- Fred Thatch 18, Anthony Coleiro 13, Corbyn Blissett 12, Dominique Dyes 10, Earnest Fobbs 4, Donnell Cobb 2, Juwon Kimble 2, Jaylen Mallory 1. FG 20-57, FT 19-23, F 19. (3-pointers: Dyes 2, Coleiro 1. Fouled out: none.)