Notre Dame boys basketball team falls to top-seeded Sikeston

~ Sikeston went on a 24-4 burst during the third quarter on its way to a semifinal win in the SEMO Conference tournament

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sikeston made a living out of big third-quarter spurts on its way to last year's Class 4 state championship.

Sikeston used that formula Thursday night to steamroll Notre Dame 78-63 in the semifinals of the SEMO Conference boys basketball tournament.

Top-seeded Sikeston will shoot for its fourth straight SEMO Conference tournament title against second-seeded Charleston at 8:30 p.m. today.

"You have to give Notre Dame credit. They have a great team," Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield said. "We were fortunate to get on a little run."

Notre Dame's Cody Heisserer drives past Sikeston's Terry Jamison during the second quarter of their SEMO Conference tournament semifinal game Thursday in Sikeston, Mo. Sikeston won 78-63. (Kristin Eberts)

It was actually a big run, a 24-4 third-quarter explosion that began with just over five minutes left in the period and ended with only seconds remaining.

"There was about a five-minute stretch where they went on runs and we started playing scared," Notre Dame coach Kevin Roberts said. "They always make a third-quarter run. They're notorious for it. We had to manage that run and we didn't."

Fourth-seeded Notre Dame, which will face third-seeded Central at 7 p.m. today for third place, went from a 33-33 tie to a 57-37 deficit by the time Sikeston was done with its burst.

Notre Dame (1-2), trailing 57-41 after three quarters, got no closer than 13 points in the final period as Sikeston (5-0) posted its 51st consecutive home win in front of a packed crowd at the Sikeston Field House.

"They're a great team," Notre Dame senior guard Nathan Meystedt said. "They apply a lot of pressure and force a lot of turnovers. They have a great crowd and they feed off that energy."

Notre Dame did a solid job taking care of the basketball in the first half, a big reason why Sikeston led just 31-27 at the intermission.

But Sikeston, which uses turnovers created by full-court pressure to fuel its dangerous fast break, forced eight third-quarter miscues to break open the game.

"We really try to keep pressure on the basketball," said Holifield, who routinely uses nine or 10 players, just like last year when Sikeston went 30-0. "We feel like our depth is an advantage for us."

Roberts, while acknowledging Sikeston's deep roster, didn't think depth was the deciding factor.

"We played eight guys and they played about nine. I think we had just as much depth," Roberts said. "It ended up they hit a lot of shots and we turned it over [in the third quarter]."

Meystedt, coming off a strong junior season, continued a fast start to his senior campaign with 20 points. He has 60 points in Notre Dame's first three games.

Senior guard Ryan Hale added 11 points off the bench. He scored nine points in the first half.

Junior guard Vashawn Ruffin paced Sikeston with 22 points. Senior guard Terry Jamison scored 19 points and sophomore forward J.T. Jones added 17 points off the bench.

There were three lead changes and two ties in a tight first half. Notre Dame, down 31-27 at the break, used a 6-2 run at the outset of the third quarter to pull into a 33-33 tie. That's when Sikeston ran away for good.

"If you take those five minutes of the third quarter away, I know you can't, but we were right there with them," Roberts said. "They're a tremendous team, well coached, but our boys believe they can play with them."

Notre Dame won't have to wait long for a rematch as the squads meet again next Friday at Notre Dame.

"We're definitely looking forward to it," Meystedt said.

Notre Dame 11 16 14 22 -- 63

Sikeston 16 15 26 21 -- 78

NOTRE DAME (63) -- Demonte Farmer 6, Jonathan Lynch 7, Jordan Reddin 8, Nathan Meystedt 20, Justin Landewee 2, Joe Siebert 3, Cody Heisserer 6, Ryan Hale 11. FG 25, FT 11-18, F 18. (3-pointers: Farmer 1, Lynch 1. Fouled out: none)

SIKESTON (78) -- Kil'ron Coleman 6, Caleb McGee 2, Vashawn Ruffin 22, Keldon Warfield 7, Terry Jamison 17, J.T. Jones 19, Markeith Bratcher 5. FG 29, FT 16-23, F 18. (3-pointers: Ruffin 2, Jamison 1, Jones 1. Fouled out: none)