Semoball

NMCC downs Notre Dame for the second time in four days

New Madrid County Central’s BJ Williamson puts up a shot while Notre Dame defender Hayden Jansen draws a charge call Tuesday night, Dec. 15, 2020, at New Madrid County Central High School. (Brent Shipman/Standard Democrat)

NEW MADRID, Mo – It didn’t take long for fans to get a rematch of the SEMO Conference Championship game.

Just four days after seventh-seeded New Madrid County Central upset fourth-seeded Notre Dame for the title, the Eagles proved it was no fluke.

Aided by a pair of costly Bulldog turnovers in the final two minutes, NMCC continued their undefeated start to the season by downing Notre Dame 55-50 Tuesday night to pick up their fourth-straight conference win.

“I figured it was going to be a game like that,” Eagles’ head coach Lennies McFerren said. “Notre Dame isn’t going to let anybody slouch. They’re a good, well-coached team. I knew it was going to be a tough game.

“They were more prepared for us than we were for them. You could tell that by how the game started. They got turnover after turnover. We’re just lucky to get a win tonight, and hopefully, we can learn from it.”

Neither team could gain any separation in the contest, with the full 32 minutes staying within two possessions.

Notre Dame was ahead by as much as five-points, 45-40, early in the fourth quarter and maintained a 50-49 with 2:54 to play.

A jumper from Jadis Jones with just under two minutes to play put NMCC in the driver’s seat with the Eagles regaining possession again after forcing a jump ball on the Bulldogs’ next trip down the court.

That shot allowed NMCC to burn some time off the clock before Shamar Williamson drove the lane with 1:05 to play and put in a layup through traffic to push NMCC ahead 53-50.

A pair of travel calls on Notre Dame in the final minute, and a couple of key defensive rebounds by the Eagles allowed NMCC to hold on for the 55-50 final despite some struggles at the free-throw line.

“We go through stretched where we don’t play well,” Bulldogs’ head coach Paul Unterreiner said. Offensively especially. We got careless with the ball, but New Madrid will do that to you. After a loss, it was nice to try and prepare for the same team because you want to come back and get them. It’s easy motivation.

“Just little things tonight like we got up five (in the fourth) and couldn’t get that next bucket to push it to seven or eight. That could have been a big difference.”

NMCC (5-0) was led by Jones’ 14-points night while BJ Williamson scored six points in the fourth quarter to finish with 10.

As a team, the Eagles went 6 of 16 at the line, including 3 of 11 in the fourth quarter.

“It’s tough,” McFerren said of playing the same team back-to-back. “They had to come into our place. That probably was the difference in the game tonight. It was here and at their place. If it were at their place, I would say it could have been a different outcome.”

Caleb LeGrand and Hayden Johnson had a game-high 15 points each to lead the Bulldogs, with Jake Young adding 11 points to the cause. Jansen hit all three of the team’s 3-pointers.

“Offensive rebounding (and the turnovers) at the end didn’t give us a chance at all,” Unterreiner said. “We have to learn how to win close games, and we’ve lost two close ones in a row. We’ll back to work and try to get on Friday.”

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NOTRE DAME (50) – Hayden Jansen 15, Quin Hunter 4, Jake Young 11, Chase Logel 2, Drew Vandeven 3, Caleb LeGrand 15. FG 20, FT 7-11, F 13. (3-pointers: Jansen 3. Fouled out: none.)

NMCC (55) – Shamar Williams 7, Kylan Minner 6, BJ Williamson 10, AJ Ruff 3, Marcelous Phillips 8, Jadis Jones 14, Donnie Ray Brown 7. FG 22, FT 6-16, F 10. (3-pointers: Minner 2, BJ Williamson 1, Ruff 1, Brown 1. Fouled out: none.)

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