Luke Rinne, Assistant Sports Information Director

(Rolla, Mo.) – Toni Knar's jumper from just outside the free throw line with 0:50 left in overtime proved to be the game winner as Missouri S&T hung on for a 65-63 win over Maryville on Saturday afternoon. S&T rallied from 16 down early in the second half and gave head coach Alan Eads his 121st win to become the school's all-time winningest coach.

The Lady Miners (15-5, 9-3 GLVC) were able to win the game despite shooting 25 percent (3-for-12) at the foul line and was 4-of-22 (18 percent) from downtown.

The Lady Miners scored the game's first bucket on a layup by Courtney Kemp but after that it was all Saints (8-12, 3-9 GLVC).

Maryville shot 43 percent from the floor and from behind the three-point arc in the opening stanza. It led by as many as 12 on two different occasions including 35-23 at the break. The Saints were led in scoring by JoAnn Thompson with 10 points. Abby Duethman had seven while Brittany Fish added six and Kate Childs had five.

S&T shot just 33 percent from the floor and was even worse from three making just 2-of-12 from downtown. The Lady Miners did win the battle on the glass however 20-to-12. Hailee Parks had eight to lead S&T while Kemp had five and Knar dropped in three.

Maryville took its largest lead of the game scoring the first four points of the second half on baskets from Childs and Angela Pepowski just under two minutes into the second stanza.

S&T cut the lead to nine on three different occasions but each time the Saints had an answer pushing the lead back to double figures.

The Lady Miners closed to within 46-44 on a three by Knar with exactly nine minutes to play. However, Maryville again had an answer as Samantha Robison hit a three in the corner to push the advantage back to five.

Knar and Duethman traded three's about 0:20 apart to keep the contest at a five-point margin.

Parks brought S&T back to within a point on a layup with 4:46 to play.

Neither side scored for nearly two minutes until Thompson hit a jumper with just over three minutes left.

Parks again made it a one point game, but Courtney Pedersen's layup with 2:08 left pushed the lead back to three.

Fareedah Washington scored a pair of baskets 0:22 apart to give the Lady Miners their first lead since the opening basket at 59-58 with 1:22 left.

Pedersen missed a layup and Parks came away with the rebound but S&T was unable to ice the game as it turned it over with 0:38 remaining.

Maryville had a chance to regain the lead as Pepowski went to the foul line with 0:12 left. She made the first but was called for a lane violation on the second negating the second make.

The Lady Miners held for the last shot and Julie Meyer's jumper at the buzzer rimmed out to send it to the extra frame.

The Saints scored first in OT as Thompson hit 1-of-2 at the stripe to make it 60-59 just 1:15 in.

Meyer gave S&T the lead back with a layup a minute later then Kemp hit a jumper in the paint to make it 63-60 with less than two to play.

The Lady Miners had a chance to ice the game but Knar's three rimmed out and Parks couldn't get put home the rebound with 1:27 left.

Maryville tied the game on Brittany Fish's fourth three of the afternoon with 1:13 to play.

Knar scored on the ensuing possession to give S&T the lead back.

The Saints missed a jumper almost 0:10 later and Parks came away with the rebound. After a couple of timeouts the Lady Miners ran the clock down to 0:16 as Kemp was fouled. She went to the line with a chance to make it a two possession game but missed both.

Maryville got the rebound but was unable to get a shot off as Parks stole the ball from Thompson with 0:03 left to preserve the win.

S&T shot 53 percent (19-for-36) from the floor in the second half and overtime and finished the game shooting 29-of-66 (44 percent). It outrebounded the Saints by a 44-to-36 margin and outscored them 26-10 in the paint.

Parks had a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds on 10-for-15 shooting to lead the Lady Miners. The 10 field goals made were a career-high and the 14 rebounds matched her career-high. Knar finished with 13 while Washington had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Maryville shot just 11-for-36 (31 percent) in the second half and overtime. It finished the game shooting 36 percent (23-of-64) from the field and was 10-for-24 from behind the arc. Thompson had 13 to lead four Saint players in double figures. Fish had 12 while Pepowski had 11 and Duethman finished with 10.

S&T continues its three-game home stand next Thursday hosting Northern Kentucky beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Photo above The 2010-2011 Missouri S & T women’s basketball team includes (front row, from left) Cathryn Heil, Dexter; Taylor Jenson, Farmington; Yael Pelleg, Richon Leion, Isreal; Senait McLeod, Miama, Fla.; Courtney Kemp, Fredericktown; Toni Knar, Mundelein, Ill.; (back row, from left) Chelsea Stangel, Manitowoc, Wisc.; Julie Meyer, Marthaville; Hailee Parks, Sullivan; Karli Sample, St. Joseph; Natalie Massey, Mechanicsville, Iowa; D’Naya Mims, Chicago; Fareedah Washington, Forrest City, Ark.; Katelyn Heil, Dexter.

From the Three Rivers Sports News Office

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. - The only thing better than snapping a four-game Region XVI losing streak is getting a little payback in the process.

Just ask the Three Rivers Lady Raiders, who snapped a four-game regional losing streak by routing the Moberly Area Lady Greyhounds 84-54 Saturday evening (Jan. 29) at the Bess Activity Center. Saturday’s win avenged a 75-63 loss to the Lady Greyhounds two weeks earlier.

“Big win. Redemption. Any other word you want to stick in there,” Three Rivers coach Jeff Walk said. “All of these region games are must-wins but we needed to get this one.”

This time around, the Lady Raiders (14-10, 2-5 XVI) took the lead just a few minutes in and never looked back, steadily pulling away. Ashlee Taylor’s three-point play with 14:43 left in the first half gave the Three Rivers a 7-6 lead - a lead 3R never relinquished.

Taylor’s presence was a big factor Saturday, as the sophomore was limited by injury in the first match at Moberly 2 weeks ago This time, she scored a game-high 25 points.

“When we went up there we were shorthanded,” said Walk. “Tonight they were shorthanded. We’re getting healthy at the right time and starting to play better.”

The Lady ‘Hounds rallied, using a 6-0 run midway through the first half to pull within one point (13-12) but Brooke Godsey’s basket near the 8-minute mark stopped the run and sparked a Three Rivers spurt. Whitney Mills’ bucket with 6:20 left in the half made it a 19-12 game, and the Lady Raiders led 37-24 at the break.

Three Rivers pushed the lead over 20 points early in the second half, and Moriah Goodrum’s free throw with 7:22 to go made it a 69-39 lead.

“Our defensive intensity for the entire game was just taking a toll on them,” Walk said.

Joining Taylor in double figures for the Lady Raiders were Godsey with 18 points and Lacy Staten with 14. Three Rivers is back in action Wednesday when it travels to Jefferson for another key Region XVI contest.

Photo above Dexter's Ashlee Taylor goes up for a shot during Three Rivers' Lady Raiders game against Moberly on Jan. 29. (Three Rivers College Sports photo)

By Andrew Cato
ShowMe Times Sports

BERNIE - Few basketball games in Stoddard County seem to draw as large and rowdy a crowd as any contest between Dexter and Bernie, and the scene was no different Friday night (Jan. 14).

The Bearcats came into the game on a 3-game winning streak, and winning eight of their last 10, but the Bernie Mules came out on top with a final score of 61-55.

Bernie senior Cameron Shipman opened the game with a deep three-pointer for the Mules, and was quickly followed by teammate Jordan McGowan with another three to help Bernie jump out to a quick 8-2 lead. Tyler Miller completed an old-fashioned three-point-play midway through the opening frame, but McGowan drained two more three-pointers to give the Mules a 17-12 advantage at the end of the first.

]The Bearcats put points on the board quickly in the second quarter, thanks to two 3-pointers from senior Alan Flannigan, but McGowan stayed hot from beyond the arc and drained an NBA-range three to keep the Mules in the lead, going into halftime with a score of 30-24.

Dexter went on a 8-0 run to start the third, aided by a three-pointer from junior Jordan Fitts, and giving the Bearcats their only lead of the evening. McGowan answered quickly for the Mules, draining another three-pointer, and ending the quarter with a 46-37 Bernie lead.

Flannigan two three-point-plays and a deep three in the fourth quarter, leaving the Bearcats trailing by only a point with two minutes left in the game. Bernie went on a 6-0 run and made key free-throws during Dexter’s foul spree in the last minute of the game, and ended the contest six points ahead, with a final score of 61-55.

Dexter head coach Rob Nichols didn’t seem pleased with the performance of the Bearcats after the game. “We made a lot of silly turnovers that led to run-out layups for those guys,” said Nichols. “I don’t feel like we had very good intensity on defense all night.”

He did, however, commend the Mules for their precision and preparedness. “They made us pay for every mistake we made. They were very well prepared; they handled the basketball very well and didn’t make very many turnovers, so, in the end, you have to give them credit.”

BERNIE (61) -- Jordan McGowan 22; Jesse Shelton 13; Matt Eaves 11; Cameron Shipman 4; Sammy Walker 4; Bryce Rodgers 2.

DEXTER (55) -- Alan Flannigan 28; Jake Cox 8; Jake Lee 6; Jordan Fitts 5; Tyler Miller 5; Bryn Hester

By Andrew Cato
ShowMe Times Sports

It was, as predicted by senior Alan Flannigan, a “hard-fought Stoddard County contest” for the Dexter Bearcats and the Bloomfield Wildcats. Every time it looked as if the Bearcats had put the game away, Bloomfield would find a way to come creeping back in, but, at the end of the game, the Bearcats came out on top.

With a final score of 61-52, Dexter has now won three games in a row, and 8 of the last 9 games have ended with a Bearcat victory.

Senior Jake Cox opened the scoring for the Bearcats, draining a 3-pointer on the first shot of the night, and helped Dexter jump out to a quick 6-0 lead. The Bearcats ended the first quarter with a 15-7 lead.

Bloomfield senior Dylan Bader almost completed the old-fashioned three-point play to open the third, but couldn’t connect. He could, however, hit his first 3-pointer of the night at around the 4:00 mark. Bearcat junior Jordan Fitts answered with a three of his own less than a minute later, and senior Logan Robey connected on a 3-pointer to give the Bearcats a 32-18 lead going into halftime.

The Wildcats found some of their starters in foul trouble in the third quarter, and made extensive use of their bench. Seth Hill hit his first three of the night for the Wildcats, and helped narrow Dexter’s lead to 40-39 at the end of the third quarter.

The Bearcats came out fired up, and seemingly more focused, to start the fourth period. Bader and Hill both hit threes for Bloomfield, but it was a case of too little, too late. Bader went on to foul out; Adam Flannigan and Tyler Miller came up with two key blocks to help seal the deal for the Bearcats.

“All-in-all, we played pretty well. They came out hard and physical, and we jumped out to a quick lead; we started out good in the second half, but they [Bloomfield] made some defensive adjustments and it kind of threw us off,” Dexter Head Coach Rob Nichols said. “We also got put to sleep a bit when they had to play backups in the later part of the third because of foul trouble.”

“I told the kids before the fourth that they were still in this ballgame, and then some of my leaders jumped in and told them ‘We aren’t going to lose this game,’ and we came out fired up,” Nichols said.

Before the night was over, seven Bearcats had contributed to the teams’ 61 points. Adam Flannigan led the way with 25 points, Tyler Miller had 11 points, Jake Lee put in 9, Jake Cox and Jordan Fitts had 5 points each, and Josh Sifford and Logan Robey both had 3 points.

Dylan Bader led the Wildcats with 29 points, Seth Hill had 18 points, Aron Henson and Mitchell Skaggs each wound up with 2 points, and Adam Vandiver had 1 point.

“We’re going to have to play four hard quarters of basketball Friday night,” said Coach Nichols of Dexter’s next opponent. “Bernie is a great basketball team, and we’re going to have to play well to beat them.”

Flannigan agreed with his coach that Friday’s game will pit two strong Stoddard County rivals.

“It’s going to be another very physical, very tough game,” said senior Alan Flannigan. “We’ll be going into a very hostile environment. It’s a great rivalry; they’ll be fired up to play us, as we will be to play them.”



The Bearcats move to 8-5 on the season with their victory Tuesday night, and will face the Bernie Mules at Bernie on Friday, Jan. 14.

By Andrew Cato
ShowMe Times Sports

After starting the year with a deficit in the victory column, many people could have considered the 2010-2011 season a bust.

But, after two blowout wins against Richland and Scott City, a second-place finish at the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament, and a huge win over Notre Dame, the Bearcats are starting to build up some momentum and hopefully turn their season around.

The Bearcats kept their momentum going and came out on top against the Woodland Cardinals, with a final score of 68-40.

Dexter senior Alan Flannigan felt that “we came out a little flat and never picked up the energy 100 percent, but that’s coming off a tough game last night (Notre Dame); we still played well enough to get the job done.”

The Bearcats came out energetic enough, and opened the game with a 16-4 run in the first quarter. Going into halftime, Dexter had a 39-15 lead.


In the third quarter, Bearcat juniors Jordan Fitts and Tyler Miller hit consecutive 3-pointers, but Woodland ended with an 8-4 run, topped off by a 3-pointer from senior David Gray as time expired.

During the fourth quarter, both teams’ benches were used extensively. The Cardinals were never able to pull within 25 points of the Bearcats, but were able to outscore Dexter 11-6 in the frame.

“Our kids came out and played with good intensity and we played hard right off the bat. We were sloppy in the second half at times, but part of that is when you’re subbing a whole lot, the kids can’t get into the flow of the game and they make sloppy mistakes,” Dexter head coach Rob Nichols said. “They tired pretty quickly, which we expected after last night’s game, but all-in-all, we played pretty well.”

Nichols seemed pretty pleased with the Bearcats’ turnaround, and hopes to put their 0-5 start in their rearview mirror.

“When you start 0-5, it’s a long climb to get back to .500. It’s good to get there, but there’s a lot of basketball left to be played, and the goal’s not to be (around) .500, it’s to be way above .500, so hopefully we can keep climbing.”

Nine Bearcats contributed at least one score on the night, with Flannigan leading the team with 22 points, 10 of which came in their big first quarter run. Jordan Fitts and Josh Sifford tied for second, each contributing nine points. For Woodland, seniors Martin Williams and Neil Johnson each had 12 points.