A couple good runs is all Blair Oaks needed to complete a comeback win.
Cape Girardeau: Notre Dame only let the Lady Falcons get one.
Blair Oaks cut an 11-point second-half deficit to one by midway through the fourth quarter, but the Lady Bulldogs' defense held strong and they drove to the basket for layups to close out a 44-34 win against the Lady Falcons on Saturday afternoon in the Central Bank Shootout at Rackers Fieldhouse.
It's the seventh loss by 10 or fewer points for Blair Oaks this season.
"I really would like to get them the reward and win one," Lady Falcons coach Darren Heckman said of close games. "We just can't quite finish."
Blair Oaks never led but never let Cape Girardeau: Notre Dame get ahead by more than 11.
The Lady Bulldogs began the game on an 8-1 run thanks to full-court traps and a quick 1-3-1 defense.
Mallorie Fick made a 3-pointer from the wing midway through the first quarter for the final points until more than a minute into the second quarter.
The Lady Bulldogs ramped up their ball pressure in the second quarter and the lead was 15-5 at the 3:20 mark following a steal and layup for Allie Burnett.
"The way they play that 2-3 matchup, it confuses you," Heckman said. "They're all over the place and they're long."
But the shots weren't falling too often for Cape Notre Dame against Blair Oaks' 2-3 zone.
"We were trying to make them jump shooters," Heckman said. "For the most part we did that pretty well."
The margin was down to six when Alyssa Hargus got open underneath the basket during a loose ball.
Fick then converted a three-point play to cut it to 15-12.
Cape Notre Dame added a free throw to make the halftime score 16-12.
Blair Oaks' first points of the second half came on a Fick 3 midway through the third quarter to stop a 6-0 run.
The margin reached 11 at 30-19 with 1:29 left in the quarter after Lexi Rubel made two free throws.
"Our defense kept us in the game long enough to where if we found some offense, we maybe have a chance," Heckman said.
Madi Boessen scored the final four points of the third quarter and Fick added her third make from long range two minutes into the fourth quarter to get Blair Oaks within 30-27.
Fick tied for a game-high 17 points.
A Lauren Strange 3 made it 33-32 with 4:02 left.
But a combination of missed free throws and turnovers for the Lady Falcons and layups for the Lady Bulldogs put the game away.
Cape Notre Dame shot 3-of-28 from beyond the arc, but six of the final eight points of the game came on layups.
"They got inside a couple times there late, which cost us," Heckman said.
Rubel scored 17 points to lead Cape Notre Dame (17-2).
The Lady Falcons were without one of their top scorers, Bailey Rissmiller, since the 6:10 mark of the second quarter because of an injury.
Blair Oaks had six players come off the bench.
"Some people stepped up," Heckman said. "I was proud with the way we played."
Blair Oaks (10-11) plays Monday at Hallsville.
