Notre Dame boys basketball team rallies past Poplar Bluff

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- With a nine-point, fourth-quarter comeback -- and some help -- Friday night, the Notre Dame boys basketball team put themselves in contention for the SEMO Conference regular-season title.

Notre Dame, which last won a share of the title in 2010, climbed into a first-place tie by beating Poplar Bluff 63-59, while Jackson lost to New Madrid County Central.

The Bulldogs, who lost by 30 to Sikeston in December and by 20 to Jackson just two weeks earlier, can clinch a share of the title with a win Feb. 24 when they host Dexter.

"It's incredible," Notre Dame coach Paul Unterreiner said of the three-way tie between his team, Jackson and NMCC. "That's the beauty of the SEMO Conference."

Notre Dame (18-4, 5-2 SEMO) stunned Poplar Bluff (16-5, 2-3) by rallying in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter with a 10-1 run.

The Bulldogs' Tanner Shively hit a free throw to break a 56-all tie with 1:51 to play then got one of his five steals. But Notre Dame couldn't extend its lead at the line and survived a pair of missed shots by the Mules before Ross Essner was sent to the line with 33 seconds left.

Essner sank both shots then two more 12 seconds later after Dean Crippen drew a charge on the other end for a 5-point lead.

"Probably most people in the crowd wouldn't want him to shoot free throws but he stepped up," Unterreiner said of Essner, a reserve junior. "He wants the ball when it matters. Those were big."

Notre Dame sank 17 of 23 free throws over the final seven minutes, including both by Grant Ressel with 1.6 seconds left to set the final score.

Quinn Poythress scored 19 points to lead Notre Dame, while Ressel added 12 points and Shively 11. Crippen was a point shy of a double-double.

Notre Dame's Grant Ressel, bottom, dives after a loose ball while teammate Ross Essner and Poplar Bluff's Joseph Eyler, right, give chase Friday night, Feb. 13, 2015, in Poplar Bluff, Mo. (DAILY AMERICAN REPUBLIC/Brian Rosener)

Chris Stocks scored 17 points but none through the first 8 1/2 minutes for Poplar Bluff, which led 13-11 after one quarter. Willie Lucas scored 13 points while Malik Metcalf and Patrick Tillman each added 10.

Poplar Bluff never led by more than five in the first half and was up 26-21 at the break. Tillman's steal and free throw put the Mules up eight with 6:43 left in the third quarter.

Notre Dame got within 39-36 when Poythress scored with 1 1/2 minutes left in the third. Lucas answered but missed a three-point play before two free throws by Metcalf followed a Bulldog turnover.

In the closing seconds of the quarter, the Mules came away with the ball, and Unterreiner was issued a technical foul that led to two free throws by Stocks for a 45-36 lead and the ball to start the fourth.

"I'm not very proud of that technical foul, that's my first one ever," Unterreiner said. "My guys responded. I'm not happy I got it, but at the same time, it humbles me as a coach because they played their tales off after that."

Blake Bauwens started the comeback with a steal and layin, the first of eight points off turnovers in the final frame.

The Bulldogs kept chipping away at the free-throw line before Ressel's steal and layin with 5:50 to play cut Poplar Bluff's lead to a single point.

"That's one thing we haven't done well. We haven't gotten a bunch of steals that led to layups," Unterreiner said. "Fourth quarter, we had a few steals that led straight to buckets.

"There's your turning point in the game is our guards decided to pressure those guards and take it from them."

Notre Dame didn't take the lead, however, until Poythress scored on a drive with 4 minutes left. Poplar Bluff missed two free throws but later tied it at 54 on a 3-pointer by Stocks.

Crippen answered with a leaning shot in the post while drawing a foul but missed the three-point play, and Tillman retied it with two free throws.

Poplar Bluff, which won by 15 at Jackson to start conference play, has lost three regular-season conference games by a total of 12 points.

"We didn't execute," Mules coach William Durden said. "Mentally, we wasn't there. They were tougher than us in the last point of the game."

Notre Dame 11 10 15 27 -- 63

Poplar Bluff 13 13 19 14 -- 59

NOTRE DAME (63) -- Blake Bauwens 2, Grant Ressel 12, Ross Essner 4, Tanner Shively 11, Quinn Poythress 19, Thomas Himmelberg 4, Dean Crippen 9, Nick Bradshaw 2. FG 19, FT 22-28, F 17 (3-pointers: Poythress. Fouled out: Essner.)

POPLAR BLUFF (59) -- Joseph Eyler 6, Malik Metcalf 10, Patrick Tillman 10, Abioden Francis 2, Tristen Francisco 1, Willie Lucas 13, Chris Stocks 17. FG 16, FT 18-27, F 22 (3-pointers: Stocks 2, Tillman. Fouled out: Eyler, Metcalf, Francis.)

JV -- Notre Dame won 47-46