The Dexter Parks & Recreation Women's Volleyball league is closing out the 2011-2012 season and the winners B-Division are the ladies of First Baptist Church in Dexter. The ladies brought home first place iin the division. Team members include: (front row, from left) Jamie Stevens, Tracy Hedrick, Roxanne McGhee, (back row, from left) Shelly Ward, Lisa Gurloch, LaDawne Northcutt, Grace Lee, Brandi Thompson, and Lisa Britton.  Congratulations ladies! (Photo submitted by the team!)

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

Athletic ability runs strong in the Stevens family.

Nate played football at Illinois Valley Community College, and is the only two-time member of the 1,000 Yard Club. Josh played baseball at Mineral Area College, and led the Football Bearcats to a District Championship during his junior year from the quarterback position.

Cody Stevens, currently wrapping up his senior year at DHS, will be following in his dad and older brother's footsteps next year, as he prepares to continue both his football and golf careers with the Missouri Valley College Vikings in Marshall, Mo.

Stevens led the football Bearcats to two of their best seasons in recent memory during his junior and senior year; he was the first quarterback to run and throw for over 1,000 yards in a season. As a wrestler, Stevens was a three-time state qualifier and two-time medalist, and he holds the school record for takedowns in a season with 114. His golf game is great, as well; you'll commonly find him on the links as a member of the DHS Golf team, as well as over the summer, when he enjoys the game with his dad, mom, and little brother, Ethan.

Stevens had a big decision to make regarding where he would continue his athletic career and education, but ultimately Missouri Valley stood out because of its similarities to home.

"Lindenwood-Belleville, Lake Forest, Cornell, and Luther Norse all recruited me," he said. "Three wanted me for wrestling, all wanted me for football, and Missouri Valley wanted me for all three."

"Valley stood out, because the town is small like Dexter is," he continued. "I really liked it when we went to visit, and the golf coach offered me a full ride on the spot."

Stevens said his road to a golf scholarship was quite unexpected. During his official visit to the school earlier in the year, he had already been offered a football scholarship, but wanted to talk to coach Jim Anderson, Mo. Valley's head golf coach, before leaving the campus.

After a brief visit, Stevens and Anderson - a former member of the Philadelphia Eagles - agreed to a more valuable golf scholarship, but with the ability to still play football.

Stevens is now busy preparing for the upcoming golf season, but after graduation in May, he plans to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice.

Photo above:
Cody Stevens (center) signs his National Letter of Intent to play both football and golf at Missouri Valley College next year. With Stevens are (front row): Maria and Nate, his mother and father, and (back row, from left) DHS Golf coach Eric Sitze and DHS Football coach Aaron Pixley.

COLUMBIA - Appearing in its fourth AMC Postseason Tournament championship game in as many years, the William Woods women's basketball team guaranteed a fourth straight trip to the NAIA National Tournament with a dramatic 72-67 win over Columbia College. Sharron Andrews (Oakland/Hayward, Calif.) posted a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, capped by a game-sealing layup with less than 10 seconds on the clock.

Despite losing the opening tip, the Owls opened the scoring, with Megan Aubuchon (Old Monroe, Mo.) blocking a 3-pt effort from Airielle Eldridge and converting a jumper on the other end. Blake French (St. Charles, Mo.) added to the Owls lead with a 3-pt make of her own, but Columbia tried to claw back with a trey from Kristi Wilkerson with 17:57 on the clock.

The Lady Cougars were able to pull back to a 7-7 tie with 15:23 on the clock before a 8-0 William Woods run put the Owls in front with just over 12 minutes left in the half.

Columbia would answer with a 19-8 run over the next six minutes, taking a 23-26 lead with 6:29 left in the half. But the Lady Cougars couldn't hold onto the lead, with the teams going into the intermission deadlocked at 31-31.

William Woods posted another five point snap out of the locker room, with a Katie Scherder (Bowling Green, Mo.) trey following the Aubuchon bucket, but the Owls couldn't push the margin further.

The hosts put together a small push, with a Tierney Seifert 3-pointer giving Columbia a 49-53 advantage with 10:40 left in the contest, but WWU put together a 10-3 run to take the lead back for the final time in the contest.

Down the stretch, William Woods pulled away as far as seven, but Columbia found itself within striking distance with 1:05 left in the game. The Lady Cougars forced a turnover, but couldn't connect on the ensuing possession, and they tried to play for the last possession. A 3-pt attempt from Ashley Fisher went astray with 17 seconds left, and WWU came up with the rebound.

With 15.1 seconds on the clock, WWU inbounded the ball but it was tipped out and the Owls were forced to call a timeout deep in the corner in front of the Columbia bench.

The Lady Cougars put a hard press on the Owls out of the time out, but Andrews slipped through and Aubuchon found her with a long bomb of a pass, with Andrews converting the easy layup, drawing a foul. The senior missed the free throw and the desperation heave by Fisher was off the mark as William Woods collected the win.

The Owls finished the game with a solid .430 shooting percentage, with Columbia mustering just a .318 mark for the contest. Andrews led all scorers with 20 as the Owls saw four players finish with double figures in the contest - Andrews, French (16), Aubuchon (14) and Olivia Storjohann (Eldridge, Iowa) (12).

Dexter native Ashlee Taylor had a cold shooting night (2-15 from the floor), but was able to come up with five points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal.

Julie Teeple finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Lady Cougars, with Fisher adding 16 and Wilkerson chipping in 10.

William Woods moves to 23-9 on the year, and will learn its first round foe for the NAIA National Tournament on Wednesday. Columbia falls to 24-9 on the year and will await the announcement of the tournament field and hope for an at large bid.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

It's been another great season for the Dexter Bearcats - the Lady Bearcats made another run into the playoffs, the wrestlers sent five to State, the cheerleaders won their second straight County Tournament cheer award, and the boys basketball team finished undefeated in SCAA play for the first time in over a decade, winning both the regular-season and tournament titles.

Parents, athletes, and coaches gathered to celebrate the successes of Bearcat Athletics in the winter season in the DHS Cafeteria on Monday night.

Cheer coach Laura Stone kicked things off by presenting first-time letter winners Alyssa Spear, Tayler Allen, and Madison McGowan with their awards.

"I want to thank the girls for their hard work, and their parents for all the support they've given us," Stone said. "These girls put in so many hours outside of the school day."

The Lady Bearcats were up next; assistant coach Eric Sitze, who handles JV coaching duties, expressed pride in the JV squad's 10-4 effort this season.

"It's been the first time in a few years with JV," Sitze said with a laugh. "We had a good tim; wicked up Taylor in mid season because we had one quit on us, and she helped out tremendously with handling the ball. I'm proud of this freshman group for getting out there and working hard."

Head coach Chad Allen spoke next, shifting the focus to the Varsity Lady 'Cats. Their 24-5 record tied for the second best record in school history, just behind LBB's 28-2 effort in Allen's inaugural season. LBB's 24 point victory over Notre Dame in the District Championship game is also the largest margin of victory in a title game in school history.

"It was a great season," Allen said. "It didn't end the way we wanted, but we were one step closer to the Final Four this year. If we go one more step next season, we're in Columbia. Hopefully they will work hard over the summer. We're going to focus most on strength and conditioning; Coach Pixley and I are talking about a strength program for girls, with a different workout and gym times from the guys."

Hannah Noe took home the Free Throw (79%) and Defensive awards, while Brittany Harris edged the Rebound Award from Paige Patterson - Harris averaged 9.4 boards per game, while Patterson averaged 8.6 - and took home the Team MVP award outright. Harris also crossed the 1,000 Point mark this season; her 1,211 career points leave her in third place all-time, behind Katelyn Heil and Rachel Blunt.

The Freshman and JV Boys basketball teams were up next; freshman coach Mike Vipperman and JV coach Shawn Guethle were both impressed with the team's improvement over the season.

"The freshmen played a lot on JV," Guethle said, "and they came a long, long way."

"[In our] third game, Poplar Bluff beat us by 30 points," he recalled. "They came up here for our next to last game, and we beat them by 20. This group did everything we asked and more. They didn't win a lot, but biggest improvement I've had in my 5 years as a coach."

Rob Nichols, head coach of the Varsity Bearcats, gave his thoughts on the season before presenting the team's individual awards.

"We played a few more sophomores than normal, and they did a great job," he said. "We started out slow, with a tough schedule early. This is a tough bunch of kids. Played through broken thumbs and bad knees knees early in the season."

"We had a 10 game win streak at one points," he continued, "and won the Stoddard County Conference and Tournament. This was the first time we were undefeated in the conference in over 10 years."

Tyler Miller took home both the Free Throw Award (83%) and Defensive Award; Jake Lee earned the Rebound Award (9 boards per game) and beat Miller by one vote for the Team MVP Award. Lee averaged 14.9 points per game and nine rebounds per game in his senior season.

Assistant Wrestling coach James Sneed announced the individual awards for the Bearcat Wrestling team to conclude the evening's festivities. The Varsity squad ended the season with a 15-3 record, including a second place finish in the Park Hills Duels, a first place finish in the Priory Invitational Tournament, and seven medalists at the prestigious Tiger Classic tournament. The 'Cats also had five state qualifiers, with Cody Stevens as the lone medalist.

"Thanks to the administration for their support and parents for getting the kids to the bus on time. When you're wrestling an all-day tournament in St. Louis, you'll wind up leaving the school at 5:00 a.m.," Sneed said. "We had a big team; we started with over 40, and ended the season with 36 wrestlers. The JV were in 4 tournaments this season, and did well. This sport is hard as a freshman or sophomore, as it takes time to learn, but we look forward to seeing these young guys on the mats in coming years."

Stevens took home the Most Aggressive Wrestler (wrestler that finishes the season with the most takedowns) Award and the team MVP. He also set the single-season takedown record with 114, shattering old record by over 30 takedowns. Junior Brad Wick, who battled injuries for a good part of the season, was deemed the Most Improved Wrestler by the team.

As one season ends, another begins - now the Bearcats, after a great Winter season, must move their focus on to baseball, softball, track, and boys tennis. With hard work and dedication, the Bearcats will continue to find great successes in their respective sports.

Photos Above:
Top: Individual award winners (front row, from left) Tyler Miller, Jake Lee, Cody Stevens, (back from, from left) Hannah Noe, Brittany Harris, and Brad Wick.
Bottom: Head basketball coach Rob Nichols addresses the crowd during Monday night's Winter Sports Banquet.

COLUMBIA - Monday night finds the William Woods University women's basketball team returning to the AMC Postseason Tournament championship game for the fourth time in as many years. For the third straight season, the Owls will battle Columbia College for the AMC's automatic berth to the NAIA National Tournament, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. from the Arena at Southwell Complex. "Voice of the Owls" Darren Munns and Craig McAndrews will bring the game to Owls fans, with the link available via wwuowls.com at gametime.

Earlier This Season

The teams have split the series this season, with the road team picking up the win in each contest. William Woods picked up the first ever road win at Columbia in the modern era, with a 69-64 victory. Sharron Andrews scored 17 points, while Ashlee Taylor and Megan Aubuchon each added 11.

In the return contest, the Owls ran into a near-perfect free throw shooting performance (27-of-28) from the Cougars, falling 66-76 on the night. Andrews again led the scoring for WWU with 18, with Blake French adding 11.

Quick Look - William Woods

William Woods is coming off a pair of convincing opening-round wins in the AMC Tournament, having dispatched Missouri Baptist in the opening round by a 63-41 count and running away from Williams Baptist in the semifinal to come out 80-55 victors.

The Owls used a balanced team performance in the quarterfinal win, with Megan Aubuchon having the most outstanding performance of the night. The senior finished with a career-high eight blocks on the night, one block shy of a 23-year-old single-game record, and nearly missed a triple-double as she added eight points and eight rebounds to her game line for the night. Ashlee Taylor also saw a near-miss on the night, as the junior finished with nine points and 10 rebounds for WWU.

On the season, Sharron Andrews leads the Owls offense, averaging 12.7 pts/gm on the year. Aubuchon and Taylor sit just shy of the 10-point plateau, with 9.9 pts/gm and 9.6 pts/gm respectively, with Aubuchon leading the rebounding battle for WWU with 7.2 per game. Andrews has steadily improved on the glass on the year and currently averages 6.2 boards per contest, good for second on the team. Miranda Loesch adds 4.7 per game and Taylor grabs 4.6 per contest to round out the glass crew.

As a team, the Owls are strong defensively, ranked in the top 25 in four defensive categories on the year. WWU holds its opponents to 56.258 pts/gm on the year, the 15th-best mark among NAIA Division I teams. The Owls also allow a stingy opponents shooting percentage of .360 (20th) and give up just 35.548 rebounds per game (21st) through 31 games on the year. The Owls are also ranked 22nd in total blocks, with 102 on the season.

On the offensive side of the ledger, the Owls are also among the top teams, with the 32nd-best 3-pt FG percentage in the country at .314 and the 35th-best rebounding margin (6.710). WWU holds top-50 marks in all shooting categories, adding a 44th-best .401 overall shooting pace to a 49th-best FT percentage of .674 and the aforementioned success from beyond the arc.

Individually, William Woods grabs four top-50 marks, with Andrews claiming the 31st-best mark for total steals and steals per game with 75 and 2.419/gm respectively. Blake French boasts an assist/turnover ratio of 1.618, the 42nd-best among NAIA Division I players and Aubuchon sits at 50th with 31 total blocks on the year.

Quick Look - Columbia College

The Lady Cougars enter today's game also having won their first two tournament games, but having seen a bit tougher semifinal matchup against Park University. Columbia easily handled Stephens College in the quarterfinals, winning by a 96-51 margin before outlasting the Pirates 83-67.

Columbia has five players who have averaged double figures on the season, although only four are active on the current roster. Heather English leads the team with 14.8 pts/gm, with Airelle Eldridge adding 13.3 on the year. Ashley Fisher and Julie Teeple round out the scoring with 12.4 and 10.6 respectively. Teeple is also strong on the glass, as she's the active leader for Columbia with 8.3 rebounds per game.

CC has struggled through the AMC slate with a short roster, with only seven players having seen action through January and February for the Lady Cougars. Despite being shorthanded, Columbia is ranked in the top-10 nationally in a number of categories, highlighted by a .791 FT shooting percentage - the second-best among NAIA Division I schools. 3-pt shooting is a strength for Columbia as well, with the Lady Cougars boasting a .344 shooting pace (sixth-best) and a pace of 7.34 3FG per game, ninth best in the country.