Notre Dame wraps up title

Sure, the trophy was nice.

And winning the area's most competitive tournament was cause for celebration.

But, oooh, did Notre Dame ever enjoy beating Poplar Bluff.

The Lady Bulldogs staked their claim as Southeast Missouri's best girls basketball team, knocking off perennial power Poplar Bluff 48-45 in the championship game of the HealthSouth Holiday Classic Saturday night.

The Lady Mules, ranked second in Class 4A, had their streak of four consecutive HealthSouth titles snapped.

"It's up there," said a grinning Lisa Millham when asked how this win ranked with some of the other big games of her career. "A state championship might beat it, but it's definitely up there."

Said Ali Tyson, who finished with seven points and a team-high eight rebounds, "This win brings the team closer together to finally beat Bluff. It's almost up there with state."

It was the first time in at least 20 years since the Lady Bulldogs beat Poplar Bluff.

"This was the first time I've ever beaten them," said veteran Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim.

The Lady Bulldogs' win Saturday night was certainly not a fluke.

Notre Dame (8-1) is ranked second in Class 2A after taking second at state last year. The Lady Bulldogs returned their entire starting lineup from that team and they had already played the Lady Mules (12-1) to three points earlier this season.

"Until this year, we struggled against them so much," said Millham, a senior who scored 13 points. "But when we played them close in the Farmington tournament, that gave us confidence."

After a back-and-forth first quarter, Notre Dame struggled offensively in the second stanza and fell behind 24-17 by halftime.

But the Lady Bulldogs kept plugging away and finally took the lead on their first possession of the fourth quarter when Ashley Millham hit a 3-pointer to put Notre Dame ahead 31-29.

The Lady Bulldogs never relinquished that lead, but they never put Poplar Bluff away. Notre Dame never led by more than six and Poplar Bluff trailed just 44-43 with 29 seconds to play after Jessica Wilson drained a three.

But Notre Dame's Deana McCormick and Ashley Millham hit two free throws apiece in Notre Dame's next two possessions to seal the victory.

"They're real strong inside and they shoot the ball real well," said Poplar Bluff coach Kirk Chronister. "They've improved. Offensively, they have great continuity. And I think Notre Dame forced us out of what we wanted to do offensively and we didn't rebound as well as we did in the past."

Nicole Rivers led Notre Dame with 19 points, followed by all-stater Ashley Williams with 16.

Notre Dame hit 14 of its 17 free throws, including 10 of 12 in the fourth quarter.

Lisa Millham said playing at state last year helped the team handle the pressure when the game was tight in the fourth quarter.

"Yeah, with lots of people watching and with the pressure, playing in games like that before helps," she said. "We were ready. And we wanted it."

"I'm so proud of these girls," Grim said. "They work their butts off and they deserve everything they get."