Notre Dame girls strike early, defeat Jackson 59-33

The Notre Dame Bulldogs blitzed Jackson early and often as they earned a 59-33 victory in Jackson on Thursday night.

The Bulldogs' defense was relentless in the first half.

"The first eight minutes set the tone," Notre Dame coach Renee Peters said. "Our key was our teamwork, not only on offensive but on defense. They knew they were going to have to come out with intensity, and they did."

After Jackson cut the lead to 11-5 midway through the first, the Bulldogs closed the quarter with an 11-0 run for a commanding 22-5 lead.

Junior guard Allyson Bradshaw had nine points in the quarter, seven of which came during the run.

Notre Dame's Meghan Dohogne and Jackson's Brooke Sanders fight for a rebound during the second quarter Thursday at Jackson. (Fred Lynch)

"She put pressure on the ball, which was an awesome help," Bulldogs senior Jane Morrill said. "And on offense she pushed the ball well. She played great."

Bradshaw led all scorers at halftime with 16 points.

"You're seeing the capabilities of Allyson Bradshaw," Peters said. "She is an athlete. She is strong and can shoot and can handle the ball, and she put it all together tonight. She really came to play."

Notre Dame continued its dominance in the second quarter, forcing numerous turnovers, and led 35-10 at the break.

"We started off in a zone press," Peters said. "Our guards put a lot of pressure on them. It just kind of rattled them. We worked a lot on our half-court defense and the pressure took them out of their game, and that's what we wanted to do."

Notre Dame's Jane Morrill shoots against Jackson during the third quarter.

Jackson coach Shelia Haertling said her team didn't adhere to its game plan.

"We were definitely a little rattled," Haertling said. "We know Notre Dame is a good team. They were a tough team. We had a game plan, but we came out a little shaky and they took the lead on us quick and it was hard to get back."

The Indians battled in the second half, thanks in large part to sophomore Connor King, who had 12 of her team-high 17 points in the half.

Jackson's Kaylen Knepp drained a 3-pointer to start the third quarter. The Bulldogs' Katherine Blasiney answered with a bucket, but King scored two quick buckets and Dru Haertling added a basket to help the Indians get off to a 9-2 run and close the gap to 37-19.

The Indians applied the pressure in the third, forcing Notre Dame into turnovers.

"They utilized their outside shooting a little better," Peters said. "They pressed us, and we made some bonehead mistakes."

Haertling said her team went back to the script.

"We talked about what we were originally supposed to do in the beginning -- put pressure on the ball and trap," Haertling said.

Notre Dame eventually got back on track and took a 49-25 lead in the final quarter.

In the fourth, the Indians showed signs of life early with a basket by King and a free throw by Knepp, but Jane Morrill quickly ended all hopes of a comeback with three straight free throws.

Haertling was impressed with the way King performed.

"That's probably the best game she's played," Haertling said of King. "She was a little nervous, but once she got in the flow of it, she played well."

Notre Dame 59, Jackson 33

Notre Dame 22 13 14 10 -- 59

Jackson 5 5 15 8 -- 33

NOTRE DAME (59) -- Lacy Boeller 6, Katherine Blasiney 5, Brianne Sanders 2, Allyson Bradshaw 18, Jane Morrill 14, Brooke Bohnert 8, Meghan Dohogne 1, Nicole Blattel 2, Madison Huckstep 2, Kaelin Hale 1. FG 22, FT 11-15, F 18. (3-pointers: Blasiney 1, Bradshaw 2. Fouled out: none)

JACKSON (33) -- Dru Haertline 5, Kaylen Knepp 5, Connor King 17, Cassandra Bollinger 2, Laurie Clippard 2, Whitney McNeely 2. FG 12, FT 7-17, F 17. (3-pointers: Knepp 1, King 1. Fouled out: none)