Notre Dame edges Poplar Bluff 61-60 in overtime

~ Jacob Tolbert's basket late in overtime broke the game's final tie

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Jacob Tolbert was in the right place at the right time Friday night.

The Notre Dame senior's tipin off a missed 3-pointer broke a tie with 23 seconds left in overtime. Joseph Siebert then pulled down a defensive rebound and hit a free throw, sealing a 61-60 win over Poplar Bluff.

"I was just really proud of the overall team effort, and I was really proud of the way that some of these guys stepped up like Joe," Notre Dame coach Kevin Roberts said.

Neither team got a field goal to fall over the first three minutes of overtime before Ike Anders' scored off his own miss, tying the game with 45 seconds left. Tolbert's tipin put Notre Dame up 60-58, and Anders missed a 3-point shot. Siebert hit the second of two free throws with 7 seconds to play for a 61-58 lead.

Poplar Bluff's Kendric McCain, left, and Notre Dame's Jonathan Lynch battle for a loose ball in overtime Friday in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Anders' 3-pointer hit the front of the rim and a putback just before the buzzer by Nick Shrum set the final score.

The Bulldogs (12-11, 2-5 SEMO) missed five free throws in overtime, 14 in all, but came away with the win.

"If you've been around basketball for awhile, you know to miss 14 free throws on the road -- you miss five in overtime -- you're probably not going to win," Roberts said. "But that shows the character of our boys and the drive to compete and really grind out a win."

Tolbert's 20 points led Notre Dame while Siebert added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Alex Beussink, who added 10 points, scored eight of the Bulldogs' first 11 points as they jumped out to a double-digit lead on the Mules (10-13, 2-3).

Anders scored 19 points for Poplar Bluff, which played its second game without leading scorer Jake White, who was out with an ankle injury.

Notre Dame's Jacob Tolbert (32) reaches for a rebound over Poplar Bluff's Ike Anders (20) during the second half Friday, Feb. 11, 2011, in Poplar Bluff, Mo. (DAILY AMERICAN REPUBLIC/Brian Rosener)

After scoring the first 13 points of the game, Notre Dame took a 23-14 lead into the second quarter. The Mules finished the half on a 13-4 run, cutting Notre Dame's lead to 29-27.

"We kind of fell apart there," Roberts said. "If we can put that together for four quarters, I'm just excited about the possibilities."

Poplar Bluff pulled even midway through the third quarter, and neither team led by more than four the rest of regulation.

Anders' putback and free throw put Poplar Bluff up 54-50 with 3 minutes, 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame caught a break when the rebound off a missed one-and-one opportunity went out of bounds off the Mules, and Siebert later buried a 3-pointer on the possession.

Tolbert was fouled while grabbing an offensive rebound and he hit the two ensuing free throws for a 55-54 lead with 1:34 left. Tolbert then got a steal on the other end and Nathan Meystedt's free throw gave the Bulldogs a 56-54 lead with just under a minute to go.

Shrum, who scored a career-high 12, hit a baseline jumper with 22 seconds to play to tie the game.

Notre Dame missed two shots in the closing seconds and the game went into overtime.

Notre Dame 23 6 12 15 5 -- 61

Poplar Bluff 14 13 13 16 4 -- 60

NOTRE DAME (61) -- Jordan Reddin 1, Nathan Meystedt 6, Joseph Siebert 15. Alex Beussink 10, Jacob Tolbert 20, Derek Landewee 2, Jonathan Lynch 5, Cody Heisserer 2. FG 22. FT 11-25. (3-pointers: Siebert 2, Beussink 2, Tolbert 1, Lynch 1).

POPLAR BLUFF (60) -- Kendric McCain 11, Joey Bloodworth 3, Nick Shrum 12, Michael Griggs 12, Jake Rathburn 2, Ike Anders 19, Stacey Gipson 1. FG 24. FT 4-10. (3-pointers: McCain 3, Griggs 4, Anders 1).