Notre Dame boys basketball team holds off Jackson

Notre Dame junior Blake Bauwens scored 14 points, and the Bulldogs held off a hard-charging Jackson boys basketball squad for a 57-55 home victory Friday night.

Junior Winston Welter added 12 points for Notre Dame, which saw an 18-point third-quarter lead shrink to three points with 2 minutes, 11 seconds remaining in regulation when Jackson senior Garrett Walker hit a 3-point shot.

Walker missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer on the next possession, and the Indians never were able to draw closer until senior Jacob Smith scored on a driving layin with 2 seconds left in the game.

However, Jackson was out of timeouts and time expired after the basket.

Smith and fellow senior Stephen Irons both finished with 14 points for the Indians, who fell to 11-9.

Notre Dame improved to 9-10 with the win.

The Bulldogs led 12-10 after one quarter and held the Indians to six points in the second quarter, taking a 28-16 lead into halftime after a tightly guarded Bauwens hit a turn-around 3-pointer from the right corner at the buzzer.

Notre Dame held its biggest lead of the night at 42-24 at the 1:35 mark of the third quarter and took a 13-point lead into the final quarter.

The Indians outscored the Bulldogs 23-12 over the final eight minutes.

Jackson 10 6 16 23 -- 55

Notre Dame 12 16 17 12 -- 57

JACKSON (55) -- Jacob Friess 6, Garrett Walker 7, Jacob Smith 14, Pete Lake 2, Stephen Irons 14, Cameron Hester 8, Grayson Ward 1. FG 19, FT 10-16, F 18 (3-pointers: Walker 2, Smith, Irons 4. Fouled out: Walker)

NOTRE DAME (57) -- Andrew LeGrand 3, Blake Bauwens 14, Ross Essner 8, Tanner Robert 4, Winston Welter 12, Dawson Dohogne 9, Carson Ketcher 7. FG 18, FT 17-26, F 16 (3-pointers: LeGrand, Bauwens 3. Fouled out: none)