By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

KENNETT - The Dexter Bearcats and Kennett Indians faced off for the second time in the 2011-2012 season on Friday night; after a close contest in the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament that went in Kennett's favor, the Bearcats looked to pick up their 11th straight win and spoil the Tribe's Homecoming.

A 24 point effort from sophomore forward Kevonte Mitchell, paired with great free throw shooting when the 'Cats were forced to foul late in the game, gave the Tribe their second win over Dexter this season in a 70-63 decision.

"Early we had quite a few unforced turnovers. Part of it is probably missing Chase Young, our point guard, but we settled down and played better," head coach Rob Nichols said after the game. "You just can't have unforced errors like that against a team like Kennett and expect to win on their home court."

"There wasn't a big difference between tonight and when we played them in the Christmas Tournament; the bigger difference was with how we've played lately," he continued. "I just didn't see that mental focus and that extra step that we've been having. Credit Kennett for that; they had us back on our heels early in the game, and I don't think we ever led after the first quarter."

Kennett opened with a six point run, but a pair of jumpers from Tyler Miller and a free throw from Jake Lee brought the 'Cats within one at the 4:00 mark. Jordan Fitts dropped in a layup to give DHS a 9-8 lead with 2:38 on the clock, but Kennett was able to take a 12-11 lead after the opening frame.

Cody Neldon drew a charge on Mitchell early in the second, but the sophomore knocked down a three for the Tribe on their next trip down the floor. Miller knocked down a pair of treys midway through the second to bring the score to 28-22 at the 2:38 mark. The 'Cats pulled within two on a pair of Neldon free throws, but Mitchell came knocked down a three and three point play on back-to-back possessions to push the Tribe to an eight point lead at halftime.

The third quarter saw Kennet maintain at least a five point lead throughout, but a layup by Miller at the buzzer cut the lead to four heading into the fourth.

The Bearcats pulled within five on a Fitts jumper with just under three minutes left in the game, but the Tribe kept hitting shots and had a solid performance from the charity stripe when the 'Cats were forced to foul with under a minute left in the game.

Miller and Lee each had 20-plus point efforts for the now 13-10 Bearcats in the loss.

"Jake missed a few he normally is going to make, but they played great defense against him," Nichols noted. "Tyler and Jake played well and both had over 20 points, but Kennett made them earn all those points; there weren't any easy baskets tonight."

The Bearcats avoided their usual high-pressure, full-court defense in the contest with Chase Young sidelined due to injury.

"With Chase out we weren't quite as deep, and we didn't want to wear ourselves out pressing all game," Nichols added. "Maybe we should have gone to it a little bit earlier, but hindsight is always better. They had a little bit of trouble with it, but we gave up some baskets in our press, too."

Despite the loss, Nichols noted he was proud of his team for their turnaround in 2012, after opening the season 0-5.

"We've been playing better; you aren't going to win them all," he said. "You go play a good team like Kennett on their home court, on their homecoming, you expect to have a tough battle. Credit them for that, they were the better team tonight."

In JV action, the Bearcats were within two at the end of the third quarter, but a 15 point effort in the fourth sealed a 41-30 victory for the Tribe.

Nick Noble and Stevie Payne combined for 21 of Dexter's 30 points, while DK Wallace had 11 points for the Indians.

Dexter will be back in action on Tuesday, when the host the Poplar Bluff Mules.

"Bluff is a good, solid defensive team. They'll run a man-to-man on us," Nichols said. "We're going to have to settle in and run a half-court offense; if you can't run a half-court offense against Bluff, you'll have trouble beating them."

The JV squad will get things underway at 6:00 p.m. from the Bearcat Event Center.

Editor's Note: Chase Young was sidelined with a knee injury that has been nagging him since summer. Nichols indicated that Chase would be undergoing an MRI on Monday to assess any damage, and that the team would 'take things from there'. No timetable was given for his return.

FULTON – Dexter’s Ashlee Taylor had a banner night, scoring a career-high 20 points to lead the William Woods Owls to a 65-55 win over Park.

WWU’s  women's basketball saw points from all but one player on the roster, moving the Owls to 7-2 in the league action and 17-7 overall for the season.

The game got off to a slow start, with neither team able to score in the opening two minutes. The Pirates would score first, but WWU uncorked a 12-2 run, bookended by treys from Katie Scherder (Bowling Green, Mo.) and Michaela Brinkley (Kearney, Mo.) to take a 12-6 lead with 12:36 left in the half.

WWU continued with the stifling defense, allowing just one field goal for Park over a span of more than 10 minutes, taking a 27-9 lead with just over five minutes to go in the half.

The Owls hit a cold stretch of their own, but Park was able to manage just one bucket - a jumper from Vivian Holcomb with 3:52 on the clock - before Blake French (St. Charles, Mo.) snapped the cold spell with a three-pointer from the left elbow to put WWU up 30-11. WWU cruised into the half up 34-13.

Over the first six minutes, WWU was able to stretch the lead to 44-20 before hitting a major cold stretch. Park was able to narrow the gap to 49-39, as the Owls were able to connect on just two shots over the next eight minutes, while the Pirates poured in 19 points. 

Taylor finally pulled the Owls out of the funk with a bucket at the 6:30 mark, followed by a pair of free throw makes a minute later. Sharron Andrews (Oakland/Hayward, Calif.) added a pair from the stripe as well, with Taylor knocking down two more at the 3:22 mark. Park tried to answer, picking up a bucket from Danila Fabbri followed by a steal and a floater in the lane from Joanna Matthews, but Taylor put the kibosh on the spurt, calmly knocking down a three-pointer on the other end to put WWU up 60-43 with 2:41 to go. 

The Owls were able to hold off a late push by Park, finishing out 10-point winners. William Woods finished the night at a .429 pace from the floor and despite just 1-of-4 shooting from distance in the second half, the Owls posted a .462 mark from distance on the night. WWU capitalized on 28 total fouls from Park, connecting on 23 of 28 trips to the line. Park finished with a .367 pace on the night, but mustered just one trey in 15 attempts.

Megan Aubuchon (Old Monroe, Mo.) and Miranda Loesch (Lohman, Mo.) led the Owls with seven rebounds each, with Aubuchon equaling Andrews with nine points in the contest. Brianna Beridon led the Pirates with 12, with Holcomb and Oasha White each tallying 10.

William Woods is back in action Saturday at home against Columbia College. Tipoff for the game is set for 2 p.m. 

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

After two tough losses to Meadow Heights and Notre Dame, the young Lady Bearcats were out to prove a point when they hosted the Cape Central Tigers. LBB dominated the boards throughout the contest and forced double the turnovers they committed while cruising to a 79-33 victory.

"I thought the girls came out and had a lot of defensive intensity. Tonight we definitely made a lot of shots," LBB head coach Chad Allen said. "That was the biggest difference between tonight and the Notre Dame game."

The Lady 'Cats set the tone early, putting up seven unanswered points during a 13-2 run to open the game. Mollie Whitehead knocked down a pair of threes during the opening frame, and Erica Cobb added a three at the buzzer to give the 'Cats a 32-12 lead.

The streaks continued throughout the second quarter; LBB put up 12 unanswered before the Tigers broke the ice at the 1:47 mark. The Lady 'Cats held a commanding 51-18 lead heading into halftime.

Whitehead and Cobb both added threes for the Bearcats in the third. Hannah Noe put together a six point effort, while Patterson and Harris continued to dominate the glass to help the Lady 'Cats to a 73-29 advantage heading into the final eight minutes of play.

LBB was greeted by a running clock in the fourth quarter; Harris and Patterson took care of all the scoring in the fourth quarter and nudged the 'Cats to a 79-33 decision.

"We definitely made some big runs; we'd go for a little while, hit a drought, then go on a 10 or 15 point run," Allen said of the game. "That's what these girls are capable of doing, they can all score at different times. It's a good thing to have as a coach, for sure."

"I thought the girls did a really good job on the boards," he added. "They were really active and got a lot of putbacks. I thought Mollie Whitehead had a great night tonight; she knocked down three three's, and had a great assist on a tip-pass to Paige Patterson."

In the JV contest, the Lady 'Cats fought off a late surge by Cape Central to take a 39-26 victory. Shyann Clifton paced the young 'Cats with 10 points; Taylor Owens added nine, and Katie Reiker and Shayna Bess added eight apiece.

The Lady Bearcats will be back in action on Monday, when they host the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules in a SEMO Conference showdown. Allen noted the challenge the Mules will pose to his squad, despite already holding a 48-37 victory in the Farmington Invitational Tournament.

"As far as I know, Bluff is first in our conference; they are always a tough team," he said. "Kronister always has a tough team and has them in a good man-to-man defense. It will be a great challenge for us."

Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. from the Bearcat Event Center.

FULTON - The William Woods University women's basketball team returns to Anderson Arena on Thursday night to take on a streaking Park University squad. The Owls are looking to rebound from a tough overtime loss at Hannibal-LaGrange last Saturday, while Park is currently on a four-game winning streak including a win over Columbia College.

Earlier This Season

In the first meeting between the teams on the 2011-12 season, the Owls took a 61-58 win at Breckon Sports Center in Parkville, behind a career game from freshman Blake French. The St. Charles, Mo., native poured in 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-pt range as WWU held off a late charge from Park for the win.

Quick Look - William Woods

The Owls are carrying a 16-7 record into tonight's contest, with Sharron Andrews (Oakland/Hayward, Calif.) leading the charge for the Owls with 13.1 pts/gm on the season. WWU has been up and down in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches Poll this season, having debuted in the #23 spot and climbing as high as #22 on the season. They currently sit just seven points outside of the top 25, with 66 points on the year.

In addition to leading the Owl offense, Andrews is also tops in the steal department for William Woods, with her 57 steals good for 38th in the nation. Her per game pace of 2.478 is 40th in the country as well. Blake French (St. Charles, Mo.) is also ranked nationally for the Owls, with her assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.556 good for 43rd among NAIA Division I players.

As a team, the Owls are ranked in a number of categories, highlighted by a stout defensive philosophy. WWU allows just 56.7 pts/gm to its foes on a shooting pace of .362, good for 17th and 21st in the country respectively. The Owls are also among the top 50 on both sides of the rebounding ledger, grabbing 40.8 per game (39th) and allowing just 36.7 (40th). The margin of 4.043 per game is the 35th-highest in the nation.

Megan Aubuchon (Old Monroe, Mo.) is the team's leading rebounder, hauling in 7.2 per game on the campaign, with Andrews just behind her at 6.2 per contest. Ashlee Taylor (Dexter, Mo.) and Miranda Loesch (Lohman, Mo.) each add 4.6 boards per game, rounding out a well-balanced glass crew for the Owls. Aubuchon and Taylor are also solid contributors offensively, with 9.7 pts/gm and 8.0 pts/gm respectively on the year.

The Owls have also been solid in blocks on the season, with 74 rejections to 41 for its opponents. As a team, the Owls have hit at a .385 pace from the floor this year, with a .313 mark from beyond the arc. WWU has also posted a solid .677 pace from the free throw line, with its opponents able to muster just a .638 pace from the stripe.

Quick Look - Park

After opening the conference slate with just one win in five outings, the Pirates have come on strong in recent days. Park is currently riding a four-game winning streak that includes a 22-point win over Columbia College. Vivian Holcomb leads the Pirates with 11.7 pts/gm on the year, with Brianna Beridon adding 9.2 on the campaign. Beridon has been one of two go-to scorers for Park in the current four-game run, with 14 points against Stephens and 19 against Hannibal-LaGrange. Danila Fabbri led the Pirates against Missouri Baptist and Columbia, knocking in 14 and 17 respectively.

Milestone Watch

WWU head coach Dan Chapla is within reach of two milestone wins. In his fourth year at the helm, he needs just four wins to reach 100 career wins for William Woods, and would become the third coach to reach the milestone for the Owls. He is all but guaranteed of reaching the mark faster than any other coach at WWU, as Roger Ternes hit the mark in his 159th game (100-59) and Melissa Brooks needed 195 games (100-95) to do it.

Putting The Student First In Student-Athlete

Senior Megan Aubuchon (Old Monroe, Mo.) was recently named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District 7 Team in the University Division. The honor, the first such accolade for William Woods University, recognizes Aubuchon as a standout on both the court and in the classroom. To be eligible for the award, players must have earned a 3.300 GPA or higher, must have completed one full year at the institution, and must be a regular contributor to the team. With the district honor, the Physical Education major moves on to national balloting.

ST. LOUIS - The Maryville baseball team has a 50-game schedule lined up for the 2012 season. The year begins with a three-game series at Harding University in Searcy, Ark., Feb. 11-12. The teams play a doubleheader Saturday, Feb. 11, and play a single game Sunday, Feb. 12.

The Saints host their first home game of the season Tuesday, Feb. 28, when Lincoln comes to Weber Field. Maryville heads to Winter Haven, Fla., to play three games, and it begins Great Lakes Valley Conference play with doubleheaders at Southern Indiana and Kentucky Wesleyan March 17 and 18. Bellarmine is the first GLVC home opponent Saturday, March 24.

The Saints close out the home portion of the conference slate with a four-game set versus Drury April 28-29. The final regular-season series takes place at Missouri S&T May 5-6. Last season, the Saints finished with a 9-35 overall record, 5-25 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Saints Begin 2012 Season at Harding

The Maryville baseball team begins the 2012 season with a three-game series at Harding University in Searcy, Ark. The teams play a doubleheader Saturday, Feb. 11, starting at Noon and play a single game Sunday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m.

About Harding

Last season, the Bisons finished 42-13 and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Harding was ranked 24th in the final Division II poll last season and is ranked 28th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper preseason poll.

More on Maryville

Last season, the Saints finished with a 9-35 overall record, 5-25 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Leading the Saints will be team captains Nick Little, Caleb 'Bob' Miller and Colby White. Little and last season’s Rookie of the Year Kyle Kinyon are the top returning hitting hitters after both posted a .291 average last year.

While led the team in RBIs with 17 and eight extra base hits. On the mound, Maryville’s leading returners are Jared Green who had two wins and a 2.70 ERA last season, and Brandon Sarkissian who topped the team with 24 strikeouts.

Miller, a native of Dexter, Mo., was a key player in the Saints' outfield last season, where he amassed a .881 fielding percentage. The junior looks to improve on his .224 batting average (.240 career) from last season.

For Openers

The Saints will host Lincoln in its home opener Tuesday, Feb. 28, in a 1 p.m. game at Weber Field. The first Great Lakes Valley Conference series is Saturday, March 17, when Maryville plays at Southern Indiana. The first home GLVC series begins Saturday, March 24, as Bellarmine comes to town for a Noon doubleheader.