Barnette drops 27, Notre Dame GBB storms past Saxony Lutheran 64-39

Eliza Barnette had a game-high 27 points and 14 rebounds as Notre Dame girls basketball won its third game in a row, topping Saxony Lutheran 64-39 on Friday, Feb. 7, at Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau.

Skylar Craft and Maddy Erbst added 10 and nine points, respectively, for the Lady Bulldogs (10-8), who have now defeated the Crusaders 11 straight times dating back to 2019.

Barnette, a senior and the engine of the Notre Dame attack, scored all of her points in the paint in what ended up being a memorable homecoming night. She found her stride early and often Friday, attacking the rim and playing aggressively on the defensive end behind seven blocks.

“I think our team worked together to pass the ball around the perimeter and get it inside,” Barnette said. “The passing was really good. That's a lot of the reason that I had the points that I did, because people passed it well to me and our defense worked really well together to rotate around the block.”

A 3-pointer by Craft and a pull-up jumper by Erbst gave the Lady Bulldogs a 14-point cushion and all of the momentum with 1:59 to play in the opening half. Notre Dame went up 38-22 at halftime on another Erbst 3-pointer and a pair of foul shots from Aubrey Keran.

Things did not get much better for Saxony Lutheran (3-16), which was held to a mere two points in the third quarter alone. The Crusaders trailed as much as 26, midway through the fourth, as the Lady Bulldogs continued hitting critical shots, controlling the boards and forcing a slew of turnovers.

“Our intensity definitely picked up after the half,” Barnette said. “The press we put on and then dropped back out of, subsequently, helped us to stay motivated and with high intensity throughout the whole game.”

Barnette continued to pad the stat sheet and dominate in the paint behind 14 second-half points, highlighted by a slick second-chance layup with four minutes to go in regulation.

Kenzie Keys led the Crusaders with a team-high 16 points, while Timora Criddle added 10.

"Holding them to two points in the third quarter was a testament to tonight's performance," Notre Dame head coach Kirk Boeller said. "Their challenge was to come out and play as hard as you can that third quarter and see what happens. I'm really proud of defensively how we played, especially in the second half."

Looking ahead, Notre Dame will look to stay hot when the Lady Bulldogs travel to Dexter (8-10) at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Saxony Lutheran hosts Portageville (19-3) at 7:30 p.m. Monday.