Notre Dame bounces back with win over Caruthersville

Notre Dame's Logan Landewee (1) passes the ball around Caruthersville's Sammy Bryant to fellow Bulldog Brett Dohogne (5) during their December 18 game.

Photo Courtesy of Carrie Trovillion - Freelance Photographer

On Wednesday, the Notre Dame Bulldogs boys basketball team defeated the Caruthersville Tigers 71-66 at Notre Dame Regional High School.

After losing back-to-back in the SEMO Conference Tournament, the Bulldogs needed a win to regain their .500 record. They did so against a well-coached and defensively aggressive Caruthersville team.

The game started well for Notre Dame when a Tigers basket on the wrong end gave the Bulldogs two points. At the end of the first quarter, Notre Dame held a 21-17 lead after many Caruthersville fouls sent them to the free-throw line, although the Bulldogs missed five of those.

The second quarter was more of the same, Caruthersville struggled with fouling and Notre Dame struggled with making the free throws. The teams entered halftime tied 35-35.

Bulldogs head coach Jeremy Brinkmeyer said he was proud of how his team fought even when things were not going their way.

“It was a game of runs because in stretches we did what we wanted to do, work inside out, move the ball around, and attack the rim. There were other parts where we were a little weak with the ball. On the defensive end, there were times where we guarded the ball well and rebounded well but there were times we didn’t,” Brinkmeyer said. “You have to give a lot of credit to Caruthersville. They’re a good team, an athletic team. We just continued to fight until we found a way to win, we always talk about “next play” and the guys did that tonight.”

The third quarter belonged to the Tigers who cleaned up the fouls and found good offense. Notre Dame took the foul trouble this quarter and ultimately trailed 54-52 heading into the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs found themselves down seven before going on a 19-7 run to close the game with the win. Brinkmeyer said the culture his team has built brought them back from the brink of losing to storming ahead for the victory.

“Next moment, next play, win the moment. You hear that a lot on our bench. You hear that a lot in the huddles. That’s just what they did tonight,” Brinkmeyer said. “Don’t worry about what the scoreboard says, just focus on the next play and get a stop and then keep them from scoring and just slowly chip away.”

During the game, Notre Dame senior Kolton Johnson became the newest Bulldog to enter the 1,000-point club. Johnson said it is great to score 1,000 points but credits his teammates and coaches for getting him the opportunities.

“It means a lot. I figured I was close to it, but I didn't know where I was at. So it means a lot to get in a home game in front of all my friends and family,” Johnson said.

Notre Dame heads to Sikeston on Friday at 7:30 p.m. for a battle of Bulldogs in the SEMO Conference.