Notre Dame rallies late to beat Jackson

The Notre Dame Bulldogs used a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to knock off the Jackson Indians 45-41 on Thursday at Notre Dame Regional High School.

The Indians led 35-29 before the Bulldogs reeled off 14 straight to take a 43-35 lead capped off by a Brie Rubel three.

“We were really trying to look inside,” Ruble said. “The skip pass really opened everything up with the double team and it really got us going.”

Bulldogs coach Kirk Boeller credited the way the Bulldogs moved the ball.

“It’s a blessing to have five players on the court at any time that can knock down a big shot,” Boeller said. “They started shadowing Tori’s way a little bit and Brie was the one who benefitted from that”

Both teams had lots of fan support that created a raucous atmosphere and also saw both teams struggle to take care of the ball in the first quarter.

“I think both Jackson and us defensively are really good teams,” Boeller said. “(Jackson) played really well. They made us do things we don’t normally do. I can’t say enough good things about Jackson and how they played tonight.”

Despite the turnovers, the Indians held a 10-7 lead after the first and took a 22-16 lead into the locker room at halftime.

“In the second half we really got more aggressive,” Rubel said. “Jackson’s a good team and they played really well tonight.”

Jackson took a 32-29 lead heading into the fourth, where the Bulldogs iced the game at the free throw line to win 45-41.

“We didn’t quit at halftime,” Boeller said. “We answered to adversity and came out focused in the second half. I’m just super proud of how we wrapped that one up.”

The Indians turned the ball over 21 times, while the Bulldogs turned it over 12 times.

“The atmosphere really amped things up,” Rubel said.

The win marks 11-straight for the Bulldogs over Jackson and pushes Notre Dame to 6-0 in conference play.

Brie Rubel led the way with 13 points and 3 assists for the Bulldogs. Tori Rubel and Nevaeh Lucious had 8 points, Anna Garner had 7 points, Kate Rubel had 6 points and Skylar Craft had 3 points.

Leading the way for Jackson was Nadia Wasilewski with 13 points. Maci Wendel, Camryn Alsdorf and Holland Guilliams had 7 points, Katie Waller had 5 points and Aubrey Brothers had 2 points.

Jackson (13-6) will be back in action at 7:30 p.m on Monday, Feb. 13 when the Indians travel to take on the Saxony Lutheran Crusaders at Saxony Lutheran High School.

Notre Dame (17-3) has a quick turnaround and will be back in action at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10 when the Bulldogs host Westminster Christian Academy at Notre Dame Regional High School.

“We’re ending our week with two really good teams back-to-back,” Boeller said. “The girls are going to rest, I’m going to rest and we’ll come back tomorrow.”