Notre Dame holds on after Jackson rallies

Just three days after a fourth-quarter collapse, Notre Dame cleared the rubble and showed it still had its foundation intact.

The Bulldog seniors headed the cleanup crew Friday night at Jackson High School as the upperclassmen played a pivotal role in Notre Dame's 63-62 victory over Jackson.

Notre Dame's four starting seniors finished in double figures, including guard Travis Siebert, who broke a 62-62 deadlock with a free throw with three seconds remaining.

Siebert's 12th point proved the game-winner as a desperation shot by Jackson's Tyler Boyd was off the mark from just inside halfcourt. The heave ended a crowd-pleasing final five minutes that included four ties as Notre Dame (12-6) and Jackson (8-9) stood toe-to-toe, matching baskets.

The Bulldogs found themselves coming up with big baskets in the fourth quarter after mustering just three fourth-quarter points against New Madrid Co. Central Tuesday night. Against the Eagles, Notre Dame saw an 11-point lead evaporate into a 50-42 loss, getting outscored 22-3 in the final period.

"That was tough," Siebert said. "We came back. We're on a high now. Hopefully we can keep it going."

Leading the clutch shooting down the stretch was senior Wayne Essner, who scored eight of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter.

Seniors Cory Beussink added 15 points and Tyler Cuba finished with 11.

"The last couple games we dropped off in the fourth quarter, and we've really been working on our intensity," Cuba said. "We stepped up big tonight and really played well as a team. The main thing was keeping our focus, getting the right shot and executing our offense down the stretch. And it really paid off tonight. The whole team showed a lot of heart."

Notre Dame held a 35-31 lead at halftime but Jackson, sparked by the inside play of Tyler McNeely and outside shooting of Tyler Boyd, moved ahead 53-47 by the close of the third quarter.

McNeely finished with a game-high 20 points.

"McNeely, he's unbelievable," Siebert said. "We double- and triple-teamed him, and he just scored at will. He's dominant inside."

Boyd hit three 3-pointers and scored 12 of his 18 points in the period.

Jackson led 55-49 when Notre Dame converted conventional three-point plays on consecutive trips down the floor -- the first by Beussink and the second by Essner -- to tie the game 55-55 with 4:52 left.

Clutch shooting ensued. Jackson's Matt Neal and Siebert traded baskets to put the score at 57-57. McNeely hit a tough 10-footer in the lane, but Beussink answered with a basket with 1:57 left. Jeffrey Beck drilled a deep 3-pointer for Jackson but Essner matched him on the other end, tying the score 62-62 with 1:00 left.

"To win games down the stretch you've got to make some big shots, and you've got to make plays," Notre Dame coach Darrin Scott said. "Players make play. Tonight, my seniors, they stepped up and made plays for us down the stretch. Every senior did something to contribute."

Jackson worked the clock down to 19 seconds but lost possession when Boyd was called for a charge along the right baseline.

Notre Dame called timeout with 11 seconds left. The Bulldogs worked the clock before getting it to Siebert on the right side of the lane. He pump-faked Neal into the air, and the Jackson guard fouled him hard.

"The Siebert kid made a good play to get fouled there at the end," Jackson coach Mike Kiehne said. "I told Matt Neal, 'Yeah, you fouled a jump shooter, but what are you going to do? Just give him a 10-footer to win the game?' You've got to challenge it because he's a good shooter. It just worked out that Travis made a great play."

Siebert bounced in his first free throw before missing the second one intentionally.

"This was a real bitter loss," McNeely said. "Especially losing to them. We're real competitors with them. They're a good team, we just didn't execute down the stretch. We did too much stupid stuff. As soon as we cut that out we'll be a good team."

The lead see-sawed in the first half. Notre Dame took a 14-4 lead in the opening minutes of the game, but Jackson overtook the Bulldogs with a 10-0 run in the second quarter. Jackson led 29-23 before Notre Dame closed the half with a 12-2 spurt for a 35-31 halftime advantage.

"Their kids stepped up and made some plays," Kiehne said. "I was proud of the way my kids played. They played hard and I thought we made some good plays down the stretch ourselves."

jbreer@semissourian.com

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