TIGERS KEEP 'DOGS CHAINED UP 78-58

Cape Girardeau Central High and Notre Dame are two teams going opposite directions in a hurry -- and Tuesday wasn't the day for a turnaround.

Central answered an early-season loss to the Bulldogs by winning 78-58 at Notre Dame.

After starting the season 1-2, Central has gone 12-1 since.

While the Tigers have emerged as one of the area's hottest teams, their cross-town rivals haven't been as fortunate. With Dirk Dirnberger in the lineup, Notre Dame is 5-4, but since he injured an ankle on Jan. 7, the Bulldogs are 0-4.

Notre Dame (5-8) kept the game competitive throughout the first half and trailed by 10 points, 38-28, at halftime.

The Bulldogs then committed four quick turnovers early in the second half, and Central (13-3) went on to outscore Notre Dame 25-12 in the third quarter.

"We weren't in too bad a shape at half," said Notre Dame coach Chris Janet. "The first four or five minutes of the second half are so important in a close game and we had several possessions where we didn't even get a shot off. If we can get two or three buckets there it's a ballgame."

In the crucial third quarter, Central's Nathan Owen scored 10 of his 12 points and Lavelle Lewis had eight of his team-high 21.

"I don't know if we did anything much different (in the third quarter)," said Central coach Brett Reutzel. "We just went on a run there. Nathan got hot obviously; the key was probably the fact that Nathan got some shots off.

"(Notre Dame) played a triangle and two and they didn't guard (Lavelle). We were able to slip Lavelle up to the upper part of the triangle and he was able to get some good looks early. Any time he scores early he just gets fired up."

Central never trailed Tuesday. Notre Dame brought the game within eight points several times in the second quarter. The Tigers led by as many as 27 in the third period.

Notre Dame's Nathan McGuire led all scorers with 23 points and Chris Canfield added 14.

"I was proud of (Nathan's) effort tonight," said Janet. "It looked like at times he was trying to take on the whole team -- and he was. He saw that we were in dire need of something and he was all over the place."

Reutzel attributes Central's current success, which includes a nine-game winning streak, to his team's hard play.

"We play hard," Reutzel said. "We don't have a lot of shooters, but we've got a lot of guys that play really hard, and play smart, and play together. They play defense -- and like it -- and that's a credit to them."

Reutzel also said his bench plays a key role.

"The bench is awesome. It's 12 or 13 guys on this team and not five or six, and they all contribute."

Notre Dame is anxiously awaiting the return of its leading scorer and rebounder. Janet said that Dirnberger will be back in two weeks at the earliest, but probably in three weeks.

"There's no secret we miss Dirk Dirnberger on both ends of the basketball court," Janet said. "We've got to quit thinking about it and we've got to quit making excuses. We've got to keep our heads on straight and our attitudes right and I think by district time its going to pay off. It's going to make us a better team."

Notre Dame won the JV game 48-46 in overtime.

Josh Eftink had 16 points and Robbie Winschel added 10 for Notre Dame. Central's T.J. Williamson led all scorers with 18.