Notre Dame girls basketball team's upset bid falls short against Dexter

DEXTER, Mo. -- The Notre Dame girls were right where they wanted to be: tied 41-41 with Dexter in the final moments of their Class 4 District 1 championship game, an opportunity to upset the state's fifth-ranked team within their grasp.

It just wasn't to be.

Instead, it was the Bearcats who made the plays down the stretch, hanging on for a wild 48-46 victory Thursday night to claim a spot in next week's Class 4 sectional.

Dexter's Brittany Harris, bottled up much of the night by Notre Dame's active match-up zone, drew a foul and hit two free throws with 1 minute, 44 seconds remaining. Following a Notre Dame miss, the Bearcats found Harris in the lane, and the 5-foot-11 senior blew past the Bulldogs' Shelby Beussink for a layup and a 45-41 Dexter lead with 57 seconds left.

Undaunted, Notre Dame came downcourt and pulled within 45-44 on Miranda Fowler's 3-pointer from the left wing.

Notre Dame’s Halle Lynch grapples for control of the ball with Dexter’s Brittany Harris, left, and Paige Patterson, right, during the the Class 4 District 1 championship game Thursday in Dexter Mo. Dexter won 48-46. (ADAM VOGLER)

But Dexter's Hannah Noe -- who led all scorers with 15 points -- hit two free throws to push the lead back to three at 47-44. Beussink scored on a nice baseline drive to pull the Bulldogs within one at the 16-second mark. And when Dexter's Katelyn Frazier missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Notre Dame had the ball and a chance to pull ahead.

But the Bearcats' defensive pressure, as it did much of the night, foiled the opportunity. Annie Siebert lost control of the ball in front of the Bulldogs' bench, resulting in a held ball that turned possession over to the Bearcats. Noe hit 1 of 2 free throws, and Beussink couldn't get a desperation shot off as the buzzer sounded.

"We had a chance and threw the ball away at the end," Notre Dame coach Renee Peters said. "I'm disappointed, obviously, that we lost. It would've been something special for this team to beat Dexter.

"But I am very, very proud of my girls."

The Bulldogs, who finished the season 21-6, looked nothing like the team that lost to the Bearcats by 32 points earlier this season. Trailing 11-8 after one quarter, Notre Dame held the Bearcats (23-3) scoreless for the first four minutes of the second quarter and eventually took a 12-11 lead on a jumper by Beussink. And Fowler's second 3-pointer of the half helped the Bulldogs take a 19-17 lead at the half.

Notre Dame and Dexter players dive for the ball with four seconds left in the fourth quarter of during the Bulldogs' 68-66 loss to the Bearcats in the Class 4 District 1 Girls Basketball Tournament Thursday, Feb. 28, at Dexter High School in Dexter Mo. A jump ball was called giving the ball to Dexter. (ADAM VOGLER)

"When I hit the first one [3-pointer] it gave me more confidence," said Fowler, a senior forward who, along with Beussink, led the Bulldogs with 13 points. "I thought, 'OK, it's gonna be a good night.' I just got a little more confidence out there."

As sharp as Fowler was offensively, it was her defense on Harris that helped keep the Bulldogs close. Fowler harassed Harris all game long, tipping entry passes and boxing out on rebounds. Harris had to work for every one of her 14 points, and Notre Dame's refusal to allow easy passes inside paid dividends.

"I said before the game, we're gonna go as far as our senior carries us," Peters said. "She had the defense, she had the rebounds, she had the tips ... she did everything. She did a whale of a job."

Dexter recovered in the third, leading by as many as 10 points as its frenzied full-court pressure began to take its toll. But just when it looked like the Bearcats would pull away, the Bulldogs fought back. Seibert hit a layup to make it 35-27 after three, and a 7-0 run early in the fourth pulled Notre Dame within three at 37-34.

It was 41-38 when Siebert fed Beussink on the wing for a 3-pointer that knotted the score at 41-41 with 2:05 left, setting the stage for the wild ending.

"We had trouble with their press a little bit," Peters noted. "We got in trouble and they had a couple putbacks out there."

Notre Dame 8 11 8 19 -- 46

Dexter 11 6 18 13 -- 48

NOTRE DAME (46) -- Miranda Fowler 13, Annie Siebert 11, Halle Lynch 2, Shelby Beussink 13, Kaitlin Welter 5, Madeline Rosenquist 2. FG: 15, FT: 11-12, F: 16. (3-pointers: Fowler 2, Beussink 1, Welter 1. Fouled out: Beussink)

DEXTER (48) -- Mollie Whitehead 5, Katelyn Frazier 3, Hannah Noe 15, Erika Cobb 6, Paige Patterson 3, Brittany Harris 14, Makayla Waldner 2. FG: 16, FT: 10-20, F: 16. (3-pointers: Noe 4, Cobb 2. Fouled out: none)