ND uses 3rd-quarter run to get past Nottingham
Final Four head to CURE Insurance Arena
Tim Stevens pretty much predicted the storyline before the game was even played.
The Notre Dame High boys basketball coach was asked how much of a difference it would make having 6-8 center Stesh Mathelier in the lineup after he missed the Irish’s regular-season loss to Nottingham.
“It’s great to have Stesh back, we always want to play with him out there,” Stevens said prior to 3rdseeded ND’s 56-50 win over 6th-seeded Nottingham in Saturday’s Mercer County Tournament opening round. “But we’ve got other guys that will step up in big moments. Any one of my starters could go off at any time.” Talk about a psychic. Chris Vlahos went off big time in helping Notre Dame to a semifinal date with 2nd-seeded Ewing at Cure Arena on Tuesday.
Plagued by foul trouble and a physical Nottingham defense that made it difficult for the West Point commit to operate near the basket, Mathelier had 10 points (he averages 18) and five rebounds.
Picking up the slack was Vlahos, who exploded for 15 of his 17 points in Notre Dame’s 29-point third quarter, turning a 23-16 halftime hole into a 4540 lead entering the final eight minutes. Luke Foley and Jake Croce chipped in with 10 points apiece and contributed to the Irish’s 10-0 run that rallied them
from a 48-46 deficit to a decisive 56-48 advantage with under a minute remaining.
“In the second half Chris really figured it out,” Foley said. “Their 1-3-1 caused us some problems. We were in foul trouble all game and had a lot of people step up. Noah (Mathis) did really well, had to play a lot of minutes and was huge. And Chris really took over the game, and Stesher and Jake knocked down some big free throws at the end.”
Vlahos was unconscious in the third quarter, shooting 5-for-5 from the field, including two 3-pointers, and 3-for-3 from the line. After JP Dickerson got Nottingham within 42-40 near the end of the period, Vlahos buried a three from just inside the halfcourt line at the buzzer.
“That was probably the
best one I’ve ever had,” the senior guard said of his quarter. “I wasn’t in the flow in the first half (shooting 1-for-3), I was kind of thinking a little bit. In the second half it was like a switch. It just came on. When I hit the first one I’m a lot more loose, a lot more confident.”
As for his buzzer beater, Vlahos wasn’t about to say he had it all the way.
“I just shot it,” he said. “I wanted to get a shot off, maybe get a foul or something. I just chucked it up and it went in.”
To Nottingham’s credit, it rallied from the potential dagger and went on an 8-1 run to start the fourth quarter, getting stellar play from Dickerson (18 points), Donte Alexander (14 points) and the relentless Dom Raymond (12 points, six rebounds).
Foley stopped the bleeding with a lay-up to tie it, and Mathelier’s bucket gave Notre Dame the lead for good. Vlahos had cooled off but so had Nottingham. Mathis’ bucket and two free throws each by Mathelier and Croce made it a three-possession game.
Dickerson got the margin to six with 29 seconds left, but after a missed ND free throw, Nottingham missed three 3-point attempts as time ran out.
Asked what the difference was between the two Nottingham games, other than Mathelier’s presence, Vlahos noted, “When we didn’t have Stesh we also didn’t have Noah Mathis. He played huge when Stesh was out today; walled up perfectly, got rebounds (four) and made open shots (2-for3). I think he was one of the main reasons we won two.”
Another key was Notre Dame’s defense during its decisive run, as Nottingham had some difficult shots roll off or turned the ball over.
“In the first half they were really knocking down shots,” Vlahos said. “We had to get a hand up, pressure them. Make them turn it over. We tried to double team but it didn’t really work that much, they broke it well. So we just had to stay in front, with Stesh or Noah behind to block the shot or contest it.”
It was a gutsy win for Notre Dame, which was happy to have homecourt advantage. There were some who questioned Nottingham’s seed being so low, especially after it defeated ND in the regular season. But Stars coach Chris Raba — who will be the first to point out if he thinks he is wronged — was fine with it.
“I do not have a problem with the seed that we received,” Raba said. “We only beat one team in the top 8 (of the MCT field), and that was Notre Dame without Stesher. He’s big, strong and skilled, and Notre Dame has some nice pieces around him as you saw tonight.”
What actually upset Raba is the MCT field going from 16 to eight teams, while the second eight play in the Mercer County Invitational. Only the MCT field gets to play at a larger venue in the semifinals and finals. And Raba also doesn’t like that the chances for big upsets are decreased.
“I have coached four teams that have beaten the number one seed in the state tournament,” Raba said. “Any coach, any team would love the opportunity to play teams that are seeded better than them, and this year the CVC has been the toughest I can remember it ever being.
“If you want to have two brackets, then the MCI bracket should play their semifinal game or final game at Mercer County College. Give them something to play for. If it’s truly for the kids, make them enjoy playing for a championship too. Give them the same feeling as the winner of the top bracket.”
For now, Notre Dame will enjoy making its trip to the arena to play an outstanding Blue Devils team.
“They’re a good team,” Foley said. “Any team that gets to the Arena is a good team. It’s gonna be a battle.”
Vlahos added, “We’re excited. It’s another team we lost to (67-60). We’re just gonna play hard, play the best we can and see what happens.”