BOLIVAR - The Southwest Baptist University Bearcats finished the 2011 season with some great performances from players returning next season, but came up short in the contest, 24-8. Nathan Mourik lead the Bearcats receiving core with 133 receiving yards on 11 receptions including the Bearcats only touchdown.


The Bulldogs jumped out early on the Bearcats, leading 24-0 in the fourth quarter before Dan Connors hit Mourik with a 20 yard touchdown pass to get SBU on the scoreboard. Connors would hit Derwyn Lauderdale for the 2-point conversion to bring the score 24-8. The Bearcats would continue to move the ball in the fourth quarter, but couldn't find the end zone as they ultimately came up short 24-8 in the game.


Connors once again topped the 300 yard passing mark, throwing for 318 yards and one touchdown. Mourik lead the SBU receivers with 11 receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown, and Marcus Sullivan had a great final game as a Bearcat, hauling in four receptions for 115 yards and the 2-point conversion.


On the defensive side of the football the Bearcats Zach Moore was the leading tackler with 9 tackles, followed by Kourtney Bennett with 8, and 7 by Austin Otwell. Dexter native Glen Johnson had a solid final game for the Bearcats, seeing extensive time at his defensive end position and making several key plays throughout the game.



The Bearcats end the 2011 season with solid production from players returning next year in key positions as they are set to move back into the MIAA next season. The Bearcats will open up the 2012 season when they travel to Truman State for another match-up with the Bulldogs.

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Southwest Baptist University is a four-year evangelical Christian university that was established in 1878. The main campus is located about 30 minutes north of Springfield, Missouri, in Bolivar, a town of approximately 10,000 people.

DHS alum Glen Johnson is a defensive lineman for the Bearcats.

For more information on SBU Bearcat Athletics, visit sbubearcats.com.

FULTON - The William Woods University women's basketball team survived a wild finish tonight, winning 65-62 over Culver-Stockton College. Miranda Loesch (Lohman, Mo.) had four points on the night but none were bigger than her two free throws with 3:28 left on the clock, as the senior won a tenacious battle for a loose ball that was the turning point in the game, as well as Dexter native Ashlee Taylor's big three-pointer to seal the victory.

The first half got off to a slow start, with each team stretching out a big lead before being reeled back in. Culver-Stockton's biggest margin came at the 15:16 mark, as they led 10-4.

William Woods answered with a 15-0 run to take a 19-10 lead, and they would hold the Wildcats at arm's length for most of the first half. The visitors would close out the stanza with nine unanswered points, however, to send the game into halftime deadlocked at 30-30.

The Wildcats came out of the locker room in the second half a bit sharper than the Owls, jumping out to a 48-38 lead with 12:31 to go.

Dan Chapla's squad would pull back into the game with three buckets in the space of 30 seconds, however, and Ciara Tatum (Columbia, Mo.) would eventually knot the game at 57-57 with just under four to go.

On the ensuing inbounds play, the ball came loose and Loesch came up with the ball, drawing a foul as CSC's Aneshia Starks fell on top of her. The Owls senior stepped to the line and calmly sank the front end of a one-and-one before draining the second.

WWU held on to the lead for all but one possession down the stretch, but then Taylor banked a trey with 14 ticks to snatch the victory back.

Sharron Andrews (Oakland/Hayward, Calif.) led the Owls with 15 points and eight rebounds on the night, with Blake French (St. Charles, Mo.) and Megan Aubuchon (Old Monroe, Mo.) also finishing in double figures. Starks led all scorers in the game with 22 points for the Wildcats.

WWU moves to 3-2 on the season and will return to action next Tuesday night as they travel to Kansas City, Mo., to take on Avila University. Tipoff for the game - the first of a doubleheader with the Owls men - is set for 5:30 p.m.

For a full breakdown of the game's stats, click here.

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William Woods University is a four-year, NAIA school located in Fulton, Mo., and is a member of the American Midwest Conference.

DHS Alum Ashlee Taylor is a member of the women’s basketball team.

For more information on everything regarding Owls Athletics, check out wwuowls.com.

The basketball season will get an "unofficial" start Monday at Richland High School.

Link of Interest

BOLIVAR - The Bearcats will be hosting the Truman State University Bulldogs this weekend, and will look to avenge a heartbreaking 33-30 loss last season. The Bearcats will be looking for their fourth straight senior day victory.

The SBU offense is lead by junior quarterback Dan Connors who has thrown for 1861 yards with 13 touchdowns this season. Connors has a completion percentage of 63.6% and is averaging 206.8 yards passing per game this season. Thad Everson leads all Bearcat rushers with 514 rushing yards and five touchdowns, while averaging 51.4 yards per game, and Charles Johnson leads the Bearcat receivers with 605 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 60.5 yards per game.

The Bearcat defense is lead by Zach Moore who has recorded team highs in tackles (87) and tackles for loss (7.5) this season. As a team, the Bearcats have wrapped up 18 sacks, picked off 12 passes, recovered 12 fumbles, and blocked 7 kicks on the season.

The Bearcats will look for a senior day victory, with the game set to kick off at 1:30 p.m. from Bolivar, Missouri.

The Coaches

Keith Allen has already engineered a significant turnaround at SBU, moving the ‘Cats from 0-11 his first year as interim coach, to 5-6 in 2008, to the winning record of 6-5 in 2009, and followed up with a 7-4 record in 2010. Allen served as defensive and recruiting coordinator before being named SBU head coach in 2007. His past coaching experience has included stops at San Jose State, Quincy, TCU and Oklahoma.

Gregg Nesbitt is in his 2nd season as the head coach at Truman State University. Last season Nesbitt lead the Bulldogs to a 4-7 record.

Scouting the Bulldogs

The Bulldogs enter into this weekend with a 3-7 record, coming off of a 54-0 shutout victory against Lincoln University.

TSU is lead in passing by J.B. Clark who averages 210.2 passing yards per game, lead in rushing by Harnish Ayora who averages 49.6 rushing yards per game, and lead in receiving by Anthony Brown who averages 82.6 receiving yards per game.

Defensively, Richie Schumacher with 117 total tackles and two interceptions.

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Southwest Baptist University is a four-year evangelical Christian university that was established in 1878. The main campus is located about 30 minutes north of Springfield, Missouri, in Bolivar, a town of approximately 10,000 people.

DHS alum Glen Johnson is a defensive lineman for the Bearcats.

For more information on SBU Bearcat Athletics, visit sbubearcats.com.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The DMS Lady Bearcat Basketball team closed their season with two big wins this week, remaining undefeated on both the seventh and eighth grade levels.

Tuesday night saw the Lady Bearcats in action against the Kennett Indians. In the seventh grade matchup, both squads put their undefeated records on the line, but the Lady ‘Cats were able to earn a big 20-point win.

The two teams played a fairly close first quarter, but the Lady ‘Cats were able to pull ahead by 3 at the end of the first. Strong play by Harley Allen and Sydney Rodgers helped the Lady ‘Cats build a 10 point lead going into halftime.

The Lady ‘Cats had some great defensive pressure and solid passing on offense to build their lead during the third quarter. Lexi May, Caroline Powers, and Cheyenne Mosbey played very strong inside the paint during the second half to help lead the seventh grade ‘Cats to a 22-point victory.

In the eighth grade matchup, the Lady ‘Cats started the game with a little adversity. Ashlynn Werneck dislocated a finger during the pre-game warmups, and she was out of the lineup, but the ‘Cats adjusted well and set off on their way to a blowout win.

The Dexter defense pitched a shutout in the opening frame, while putting up 18 points on the other end of the floor. Dakota Reynolds exploded in the second quarter, putting up 12 of the Lady ‘Cats 18 points, while teammate Julia Hahn hit a jumper at the buzzer to send the ‘Cats in the locker room up 36-0 at halftime.

Hahn opened the third quarter with a big three, while Karaline Keirsey completed the three-point play to increase the ‘Cats’ lead to 42-0 at the end of the third. Savannah Williams scored Kennett’s only points of the game at the 4:43 mark of the fourth quarter as she hit a quick 12-footer. She followed up with a single free throw later in the quarter to bring the final score to 46-3.

Thursday night saw the Lady ‘Cats pitted against the Sikeston Bulldogs, but the Lady ‘Cats again put up blowout wins on both levels.


The seventh grade squad battled back from a 6-2 Sikeston lead at the end of the first quarter to tie the game 6-6 at the half. May again had a solid performance in the paint, pulling down rebound after rebound for the Lady ‘Cats.


Dexter’s offense exploded in the third quarter, putting up 11 points in the frame to claim a 17-11 lead. The Lady ‘Cats again put up double-digits in the fourth, and played some aggressive defense to hold the Bulldogs to only three points and claim the 27-14 victory.


Mosbey led the way for the Lady ‘Cats, putting up 17 points in the contest. May and Rodgers each put in 4 points, while Allen put in 2.

The eighth grade ‘Cats, with Werneck back in the lineup, had a big offensive surge to open the game, putting up 17 points in the opening frame. Hahn played some solid defense throughout the game, and had 6 steals in the contest. The Lady ‘Cats held a commanding 23-6 lead going into the locker room at halftime.

Reynolds and Melanie McKuin stepped up their defensive efforts in the second half, racking up 4 steals each. McKuin had a great game in the paint, as she hauled in 7 boards on the night. Dexter continued to dominate through the second half, despite giving Sikeston a game-high 12 points in the fourth quarter, to claim the 43-22 victory.

Both squads were undefeated on the season, and it looks like Lady Bearcat Basketball has a great few years ahead of it when this group hits high school.