Bernie, Missouri - The action was exciting as the Stoddard County Athletic Association Junior High tournament continued tonight in Bernie.  Semi-Final games were set for tonight with seventh grade Bernie against Puxico and Dexter against Woodland.  The eighth grade games led off with Advance vs Bell City and the final game pitted a grudge match against the Dexter Bearcats and the Bloomfield Wildcats.

BERNIE vs PUXICO (7th Grade):

The number one seed Bernie Mules led off the tournament action Monday night by jumping out to a 10 to 7 lead over Puxico in the first quarter, increasing their lead to 8 points by halftime 28 to 20.  Four 3-point baskets in the first half by Bernie's Ridge Littleton and 8-points in the second quarter by Gavin Brown helped to increase the lead for the Mules. 

Brown and Littleton continued their hot hand offensively against the Indians in the second half pulling away with a commanding final score of 59 to 38.  Brown held honors of high point man for the night with 22 points, while Littleton followed close behind with 16 points.  Dalton Hobgood chipped in 8 points along with Zach Eaves (6), Mason Mayberry (5) and Colton Jankowski (2). 

Levi Woods lead the Indians in scoring with 18-points, followed by Hunter Walker.

The Bernie Mules shot 75% on the night from the charity stripe by hitting 12 of 16 attempts.  They are a very talented team and will play in the finals of the tournament Tuesday evening at 6:45 pm against the Dexter 7th Grade team. 

DEXTER vs WOODLAND (7th Grade):

The second game found the number two seed Dexter Bearcats against the number six seed Woodland Cardinals.  Woodland surprised the Bloomfield 7th Grade team on Saturday and defeated the Wildcats to advance to the semifinal game.

Early action was tight as both teams dumped in 11-points during the opening quarter.  Woodland's David Ashby and Tyler Massa each hit an outside 3-point shot, while the Bearcat's Gabe Jackson was on fire offensively putting up 7 early points. 

Coach Josh Dowdy's philosophy is defensively driven and his 7th grade team proved it by holding the Cardinals scoreless in the 2nd quarter.  Jackson continued his offensive attack by adding 4-points, while Ben Sindle and Spencer Owens added 3-points each and Bo McMullin added 2-points.  The halftime score was in favor of the 'Cats by a score of 23 to 11. 

The Bearcats pushed the offensive throttle forward in the second half by outscoring the Cardinals 27 to 14, taking home the victory and advancing to the finals with a final score of 50 to 25.  They will take on the Bernie Mules at 6:45 pm on Tuesday night.  Woodland will play the consolation game against Puxico at 4:15 pm tomorrow afternoon.

Scoring for the Bearcats was spread out among the team with Jackson with 11, Nick Trout with 8, Spencer Owens with 7, Ben Sindle with 6, Matt Chesser & Kole Kelly with 5, and Kris Rinehart & Bo McMullin both with 4-points.

ADVANCE vs BELL CITY (8th Grade):

In eight grade action, the Advance Hornets made quick work of the Bell City Cubs.  The Advance team is highly talented, quick and move the ball well among the entire team.  Jumping out to a 16-point lead in the first quarter, Preston Wuebker dumped in 8 in the 1st quarter and 9 in the 2nd quarter on his way to a team leading 25 points on the night.  The Hornets led at halftime by a score of 38 to 15. 

The Hornets pulled back their offensive machine in the 2nd half, except for Dawson Mayo, who had 15-points in the second half for Advance.  Advance continued their transition game to win by a score of 65 to 34.

DEXTER vs BLOOMFIELD (8th Grade):

The final game of the night found a redemption game between the Dexter Bearcats and the Bloomfield Wildcats.  A very evenly matched group of athletes from both schools, the regular season game was won by Bloomfield.  The only loss of the season for the Bearcats, this semifinal match proved to be highly competitive and a grind for the victory.

During the first match up, foul trouble hampered the offense for the Bearcats as Jason Jarrell was sidelined early in the contest with 3 fouls.  A key threat for the 'Cats, Jarrell got started early helping the Bearcats jump out to a first quarter lead over Bloomfield 10 to 7. 

A tough second quarter of defense found the Bearcats only adding 6-points to their total while the Wildcats only found 2-points in the quarter.  At halftime, the score was 16 to 9 in favor of the Bearcats. 

Halftime adjustments and a new spark to their defensive play, the Wildcats came out and outscored the Bearcats 12 to 4 in the third quarter.  The Wildcats had their first lead of the game with the score of 21 to 20 at the end of the quarter. 

The gymnasium was electrified with fans and cheers during the fourth quarter, as both teams exchanged scoring blows like a prize fighter in the ring.  The Bearcats were able to find 12-points compared to the Wildcats 11-points, ending regulation with a tie score of 32-ponts each. 

In the 2 minute overtime period, the Wildcats were able to find a layup as Hector moved down the court with a game winning layup.  In the final minutes, the Wildcat defense simply denied Jason Jarrell an opporunity to get the basketball in a good position to attempt a final shot.  The game ended with a final score of 34 for the Bloomfield Wildcats and 32 for the Dexter Bearcats.

The Wildcats were led in scoring by Tim Hector with 15-points followed by Jacob Hector with 9-points.  Massingill and Phillips both contributed 4-points each and Alex Gibbs had 2-points.  The Bearcats top scorer was again Jason Jarrell with 20-points.  Bryce Simmons put 6-points in the book, along with 4-points by Babb and 2-points by Potts.

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For exciting junior high basketball action, find your way to Bernie High School tomorrow.  You will be guaranteed to enjoy the action that will take place.  The games will be as follows:

• 4:15 PM:  7th Grade Consolation Game:  Woodland Cardinals vs Puxico Indians
  
• 5:30 PM:  8th Grade Consolation Game:  Dexter Bearcats vs Bell City Cubs
• 6:45 PM:  7th Grade FINAL Game:  Dexter Bearcats vs Bernie Mules
  
• 8:00 PM:  8th Grade FINAL Game:  Bloomfield Wildcats vs Advance Hornets

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