Young Dexter girls basketball team fends off Notre Dame's rally

DEXTER, Mo. -- While Dexter hosted the Class 4 District 1 basketball tournament this year, the Bearcats put out a message Friday night that teams likely will have to travel through Dexter for district titles in the foreseeable future.

And that's even if Dexter is not the host.

Second-seeded Dexter, using a starting lineup of three freshmen and two sophomores, held off a spirited comeback by top-seeded Notre Dame for a 56-52 victory in Friday's district championship game.

Notre Dame (16-10) received a game-high 31 points from senior Allyson Bradshaw, who will play for Southeast Missouri State next season.

Bradshaw started slowly along with her teammates, scoring just two points in the first quarter. The Bulldogs fell into a 14-4 hole by the end of the period. That double-figure deficit followed Notre Dame into halftime -- 28-17 -- and grew to 17 points in the third quarter.

Notre Dame's Summer Burger goes after the ball that got away from Dexter's Mollie Whitehead during the fourth quarter Friday in Dexter, Mo. (Fred Lynch)

"A young team playing with confidence is dangerous, and that's what we went up against tonight," Notre Dame coach Renee Peters said. "We knew it was going to be a battle."

Dexter's young talent includes 6-foot-1 freshman Paige Patterson, 6-0 sophomore Brittany Harris and freshman guards Hannah Noe and Alison Jarrell. Harris blocked several shots and finished with 13 points. Jarrell, who had a team-high 14 points, and Noe, 13 points, combined to make seven 3-pointers. The freshmen guards hit on five of their nine 3-point attempts in the first half.

It was far from the team that Notre Dame beat by 20 points early in the season and more like the team that the Bulldogs recently lost to by a point on the road.

"You can tell they've gotten more comfortable with each other," Bradshaw said. "The first time we played them, you could tell they were young. And the second time, it was like they were a whole different team."

By contrast, Notre Dame was 1 of 10 on 3-point attempts in the first half, and Bradshaw had five of the Bulldogs' six field goals. The Bulldogs shot 25 percent from the field.

Notre Dame's Summer Burger, right, tries to help teammate Nicole Blattel with a rebound against Dexter's Brittany Harris during the first quarter Friday.

It was not a pretty half for the Bulldogs in the absence of junior Brooke Bohnert, the team's second-leading scorer who missed the game after suffering intestinal inflammation after Wednesday's semifinal victory against Sikeston.

It looked like Notre Dame's season might go quietly into the night, but the Bulldogs used a 6-0 burst in the final 1 minute, 1 second of the third quarter to reduce the deficit to 44-36.

Dexter's young players then regressed in the face of pressure.

The Bearcats (18-9), who have seven freshmen on their 11-player roster and just one senior and one junior, committed turnovers in the face of Notre Dame's amped-up pressure on their final four possessions of the third quarter.

"It goes through your mind as a coach because we don't have a lot of playoff experience and we're really young," Dexter coach Chad Allen said. "You could tell we lost our composure and sort of freaked out there for a little while. But they still found a way to win."

Notre Dame's Hali Rendleman shoots between Dexter defenders Paige Patterson, left, and Brittany Harris during the fourth quarter Friday.

Just barely.

Notre Dame opened the fourth quarter with a 7-3 run, capped by Summer Burger's two free throws that cut the lead to 47-43 with 3:52 left.

Dexter led 51-46 when Bradshaw banked in a shot from close range, then made a steal on the Bearcats' next possession and scored a layin to pull Notre Dame within 51-50 with 2:16 remaining.

"I tell you one thing, Bradshaw, she didn't want to lose," Allen said. "It's her senior year. She's going to SEMO next year, and you could tell she just took over. She's a great player and a great scorer."

Dexter used a timeout after Bradshaw's basket as part of a continued attempt to regroup.

Notre Dame's Allyson Bradshaw shoots against Dexter defenders during the second quarter Friday. The senior scored 31 points in the loss.

"I thought we had them," Bradshaw said. "We had them on their heels. We could tell they were scared. They kept calling their timeouts."

Dexter added a free throw for a 52-50 advantage, and Bradshaw missed a 3-pointer the next trip down the floor that would have given Notre Dame its first lead.

Noe and Notre Dame's Burger traded baskets to put the score at 54-52. It was then that Notre Dame launched three shots on one possession, including a pair from point blank by junior Hali Rendleman, with the latter enticingly rolling around the rim before harmlessly falling off the front with about 18 seconds left.

"I was definitely praying, and I guess God answered my prayer," Allen said. "I guess we were just lucky that basket didn't go in. It could of been a lot different game."

"If we would have tied it, I have no doubt we could have pulled through," Bradshaw said. "Because we're in that situation all the time and have that experience. At this level, we know how to handle that pressure."

Dexter sophomore Katelynn Frazier was fouled after grabbing the rebound and added two free throws for the final score.

"If we would of lost like we played the first quarter, I would of been really upset with myself and the team," Bradshaw said. "But after that third and fourth quarter, whenever I walked off the court, I felt like we had won because we came back. I feel like we accomplished something."

Dexter 14 14 16 12 -- 56

Notre Dame 4 13 19 16 -- 52

DEXTER (56) -- Mollie Whitehead 7, Katelynn Frazier 3, Hannah Noe 13, Alison Jarrell 14, Erika Cobb 4, Brittany Harris 13, Paige Patterson 2. FG 18, FT 13-20, F 11. (3-pointers: Noe 3, Jarrell 4. Fouled out: none)

NOTRE DAME (52) -- Miranda Fowler 7, Summer Burger 7, Allyson Bradshaw 31, Nicole Blattel 7. FG 20, FT 9-12, F 17. (3-pointers: Fowler 2, Bradshaw 1. Fouled out: Fowler)