Notre Dame girls face St. Dominic in Class 4 semifinals on Friday

Notre Dame girls basketball coach Renee Peters took her team to a camp last summer.

And by no coincidence, the camp was at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

"I told them there was a reason I brought them to this camp," Peters said. "I told them I want them to take a look around and be motivated to get back here this year."

The motivation has worked.

Second-ranked Notre Dame (25-4) will take on No. 8 St. Dominic (25-3) at 3:20 p.m. today at Mizzou Arena in a Class 4 semifinal game.

Notre Dame point guard Allyson Bradshaw tries to keep the ball away from a Farmington player in the Class 4 sectional game in Park Hills, Mo. Bradshaw is Notre Dame's leading scorer this season. (Fred Lynch)

Today's winner will play the winner of the other semifinal between No. 1 Webb City (28-1) and No. 6 O'Hara (23-6) in Saturday's 2:45 p.m. championship game.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 58-51 win over St. Francis Borgia, a game in which Notre Dame saw a comfortable lead slip away before regaining composure and finishing off the Knights.

"To be honest, we've blown two big leads," Peters said, referring to her team's sectional and quarterfinal games. "But we found ways to win. The victories were a relief, very exciting."

St. Dominic reached the semifinals by knocking off Miller Career Academy 52-41.

The Crusaders feature 5-foot-3 guard Jennifer Rocha. The junior averages 17.3 points per game and 2.7 assists.

A key for Notre Dame at the final four will be steering clear of foul trouble. Senior center Jane Morrill, shown shooting in the quarterfinal win against Borgia, can be a dominant force inside, but she was saddled with gamelong foul problems against Farmington in the sectional round. (Fred Lynch)

"Their little guard is the scorer," Peters said. "They have two nice post players as well. On paper, player for player, we match up nicely."

Rocha is shooting 44 percent from the field and 34 percent from beyond the arc.

The two post players Peter's referred to are 5-foot-10 junior Leslie Wilmes and 5-10 sophomore Kelly Schnieders. Wilmes averages 10.1 points and 6.1 rebounds a game, while Schnieders averages 8.7 points and 8.9 rebounds.

Notre Dame counters Rocha with junior guard Allyson Bradshaw, who averages 14.9 points a game, 4.6 assists and 2.7 steals.

The Bulldogs also feature standout forward Jane Morrill, who is headed to Arkansas State next year on a basketball scholarship. Morrill averages 13 points and 6.9 rebounds.

Notre Dame's Brooke Bohnert tries to keep control of the ball against Farmington in the Class 4 sectional game. Bohnert is third on the team in scoring.

Morrill has support in the post in 5-9 senior Meghan Dohogne and 5-6 sophomore Brooke Bohnert, who is third on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game. Dohogne averages 8.9 points and 6.1 rebounds.

Foul problems have been a concern on the Bulldogs trail to the final four. Morrill was in game-long in foul trouble against Farmington in the sectional round, while Dohogne fouled out against Borgia.

"We have to stay out of foul trouble," Peters said. "We need to take care of the ball. We had too many turnovers against Borgia. We have to finish shots, but mainly stay out of foul trouble and take care of the ball."

Although the Bulldogs are taking a business approach to the weekend, there is no doubt they are excited.

"This is huge," Morrill said. "It's amazing. It feels like the only way to possibly go out. It's big; we're pumped and excited."

Bradshaw added: "It's really exciting, we've never made it this far. This is where we want to be. The trip couldn't be more exciting."

The Bulldogs are making their first trip to the final four since 2003 when the team finished runner-up. Notre Dame won the title in 2002 with a 63-57 victory against Elsberry.

"Leaving the sectional and quarterfinal we were happy," Peters said. "But it was a check on the list. We had to take care of business, but now we have to finish strong. All season long we've wanted to finish with the ultimate."