By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - With the Class 4, District 1 Tournament looming on the horizon, the Dexter Bearcats had just one more game to get to tournament week. Despite two buzzer-beaters from Alan Flannigan in the first half, the ‘Cats couldn’t come up with a ‘W’ to end their season, losing to Cape Central with a 60-45 final score.

Both teams started out slow offensively - Cape Central’s T.J. Tisdale dropped in the first bucket of the contest with roughly five minutes left in the first quarter. Jake Lee picked up a loose ball with 6:40 left on the clock, but wasn’t able to score. Tisdale had a chance for a three-point play at the 4:00 mark, but couldn’t connect from the line. Tyler Miller tied things up at 4-4 with a long two with 3:00 left in the quarter. Tisdale blocked a three-point attempt from Bryn Hester, but Hester showed great hustle and stole the ball back, leading to a three from Jake Bollinger. Miller hit a three for the ‘Cats with less than a minute left in the quarter. Flannigan hit a three at the buzzer to pull the Bearcats within one, 14-13, at the end of the first.

The Bearcats took the lead with a minute off the clock in the second, thanks to an offensive rebound and putback from Flannigan. Tisdale again had an opportunity for a three-point play, but this time he was able to hit the free-throw. Chase Young came up with a steal and layup for the ‘Cats, tying the game at 25 with 2:30 left in the half. A 10-footer from Tisdale put Central up 27-25 with 45 second left on the clock, but another buzzer-beater from Flannigan, this time a 15-foot jumper, send the game into halftime tied at 27.

Andrew Williams was on fire from beyond the arc in the third quarter, draining all three of his three-point attempts. His first came on Central’s opening possession of the half, at the 7:35 mark. Curtis Branch scooped a loose ball and got it to Williams, who hit his second three of the quarter with 5:47 left in the third. A steal from Jamie Lane gave Williams his third three at the 4:00 mark. Jake Cox hit back-to-back threes for the ‘Cats late in the frame, but Central still had a 44-36 lead after the third.

Lane had an offensive rebound and putback for the Tigers at the 6:15 mark in the fourth, pushing Central to a 48-36 lead. Bollinger had an offensive rebound, got fouled on his layup, and hit his free-throw to complete a three-point play to pull the ‘Cats within nine with 5:30 left to play. Bollinger and another offensive rebound and layup on the ensuing possession, but Central still held a nine point lead after a 12-footer from Branch. Flannigan hit a three at the 2:30 mark, but it was too little, too late for the Bearcats. Cape Central went on to win 60-45.

“We played really well in the first half,” Dexter head coach Rob Nichols said after the game. “We just had some old mistakes and habits come back to bite us in the second half.”

“We gave up a couple threes to a really good shooter,” Nichols commented on Willams’ third-quarter performance. “We didn’t give those shots up early, and we had crucial turnovers that led to points for them.”



Tonight marked the end of the regular season for the Bearcats, but the ‘second season’ starts next week with the District Tournament.



“We had some good practices this week,” Nichols said of the team’s mindset going into the tournament. “I think the guys know we’ve lost a couple games that we should have won, but at the same time, we’ve picked up a couple wins that most people didn’t think we should have.”



“Districts will be whatever our guys make of it," Nichols continued. "If we have good leadership and approach it the right way, we could have a good showing in the tournament and hopefully have a chance to make it in that championship game.”

Tipoff for the Bearcats’ first game in the Class 4, District 1 Tournament is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 24), where they will play the winner of Tuesday (Feb. 22) night’s contest between Notre Dame and Ste. Genevive.

JV

The JV 'Cats struggled against Cape Central.

Threes from Ross McClanahan and Vance Toole helped push the young Tigers to a 24-6 lead at the end of the first.

Dexter went on a 5-0 run to start the second quarter, and held Central to 12 points, but still trailed at half, 36-17.

Chase Young and Kyle Willis both hit three's for the 'Cats in the third, but eight points from Jamal Cox helped keep Central in the lead, 55-29, after the third quarter.

J.T. Putnam was the only Bearcat to make a shot from the field in the fourth, while Marcus Dixon scored six of eight points for Central in the frame. Central went on to win the game, with a 63-35 final score.

Photos above Top Photo: Tyler Miller squeezes a pass between Curtis Branch (#24) and Andrew Williams (#20) late in the game.
Bottom photo: Jake Lee drops in an easy layup during Friday night’s Varsity action at Cape Central.

                                                                     

	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	FINAL
DEXTER	13	14	9	9	45
CAPE CENTRAL	14	13	17	16	60

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

DEXTER	FG	3s	FT	TOTAL			CAPE CENTRAL	FG	3s	FT	TOTAL
Young	1	--	--	2			Williams	--	3	2-2	11
Cox	2	2	--	10			Tisdale	9	--	1-1	19
Hester	1	--	--	2			Lane	10	--	--	20
Flanigan	4	2	2-4	16			Branch	5	--	--	10
Miller	2	1	0-2	7
Bollinger	2	1	1-1	8