Sikeston, Missouri - For the Dexter Bearcats boys basketball team, "it was Deja Vu all over again" Monday evening as they found themselves facing the same team they'd played last Monday night, the Charleston Bluejays, in the same gym where they'd taken a tough loss Friday night at the hands of the Sikeston Bulldogs.

Dexter, Missouri - As the 2012 basketball season ends for the T. S. Hill Middle School teams, the program celebrates a good overall season for both the 7th and 8th grade teams.

Head Coach Josh Dowdy was a great addition to the program in his first year as the "skipper" of the program. Josh was assisted by Coach Mike Vipperman this season.

Josh worked with a very talented group of young men to install his basketball philosophies of hard work and solid defense upon the kids. Those seated in the stands can easily observe that he carries a high passion for the sport of basketball as he communicates with the kids on the floor. But a further discussion with him will highlight that his passion likewise runs deep for the betterment of the kids. He grows young men, not just into better athletes, but  better people as well.

Dowdy brings a spirit of growth and excitement to the middle school program that should provide positive basketball results in the coming year, and will no doubt make better student athletes.

8th grade

With an overall record on the 2012 season of 11 and 4, the eighth grade Cats were able to establish a very strong 6-1 conference record.

The team finished third this past season in the Stoddard County Athletic Association (SCAA) Tournament held in Bernie. The three powerhouse 8th grade teams battled it out down to the wire with the 'Cats losing by two points in overtime to the Bloomfield Wildcats in the semi-final game. Bloomfield went on to win the SCAA Championship over Puxico in the finals.

"I was so proud of the way these boys progressed this year," noted Coach Dowdy. "They (8th Grade) are a bunch that played with some grit and they were relentless down to the wire helping them pull out some comeback victories."

The Bearcats were an offensive machine, posting 728 points on the season and averaging 48.5 points per game. Equally, defense lived up to the teaching of their coach by holding opponents to only 518 points, or a 34.5 points per game average. With only four losses on the season, the 8th graders lost by a combined total of only 24-points.

Significant wins on the season were against the Advance Hornets (55-50), the Jackson Indians (47-32), the Sikeston Bulldogs (50-46), and the Charleston Bluejays (52-36). The win over Sikeston was extra sweet as it was the first time in many years the young 'Cats were able to beat the Bulldogs.

"It was a fun group to watch and coach every day," added Dowdy. "Most importantly, the kids represented the name on the front of that jersey well with a great attitude on and off the floor."

7th grade

The 7th grade middle school team did not post a similar won-loss record on the season, but their .500 record (7-7) was an overall victory in the athletic gains this group made as a team.

Seventh grade is a challenging year as many of the kids are performing on a big stage for the first time. There is a lot to learn and much is thrown at the young team. A big solid group of athletes, this group of young men is just awakening to their full potential.

“Fortunately, I believe these young men have a good understanding of how much time and effort they need to put into dribbling, passing and shooting the basketball,” said Dowdy. “Once we develop a true hunger for the game, I believe these boys will surprise themselves with how much better they can become.”

The young ‘Cats were able to turn in a Conference record of 5 and 1 on the season. They were able to show their progress this season by finishing in second place at the SCAA tournament.

The seventh grade was outscored by their opposition with a narrow margin of 528 points to their opponents 539 points. The Bearcats averaged 37.7 points per game on the season compared to the opposition at 38.5 points per game.

“These boys are awesome ambassadors for our school,” noted Coach Dowdy. “You will not find too many groups who are as respectful as these young men.”

“We just started our next season today!” closed Coach Dowdy. (Editorial: I think he means it).

Dexter, Missouri - The Lady Bearcats Varsity team will travel this weekend to Paragould, Arkansas to participate in the McDonald's Shootout, hosted by Paragould High School.  The tournament features an eight team bracket filled with challenging teams. 

Dexter and Poplar Bluff are two strong Missouri teams that will participate in the contest.  Arkansas teams featured are Jonesboro, Valley View, Marmaduke, Little Rock Christian and BIC. 

Be sure to catch all the action of the games on Life Radio 90.3 if you are unable to make that short trip to Paragould.  Make it a habit to support the Lady Bearcats and all the area high school programs. 

Affton, Missouri - The Dexter Bearcat varsity wrestling squad was on the road this past weekend, traveling to the St. Louis area to participate in the Affton Invitational Wrestling Tournament.  Affton played host to eight teams primarily from the metropolitan area.

With outstanding performances by many underclass wrestlers, the 'Cats were able to win first place in the overall tournament, with the host Affton team in second place.

"This was a good day for Dexter Wrestling," commented Head Wrestling Coach James Sneed.  "Our wrestlers competed well and the hard work they are putting in the wrestling room is starting to show." 

With bracketed weight divisions, the Bearcats got a good start in the opening matches, winning ten out of eleven matches in the first round of the tournament.  They continued their winning ways by going 19-3 throughout the next two rounds.

"I thought our conditioning was pretty good and we won some matches by taking them into the 3rd period," added Sneed.

The all important medal rounds are considered by many to be the "money rounds" for wrestlers.  The Bearcats had finished strong in the earlier matches to carry eleven wrestlers into these matches to contend for medal wins. 

Dexter was able to finish 7-4 that round and qualified seven wrestlers for the final Championship matches.  The remaining four wrestlers were still competing in the tournament for third place finishes.

In the finals, the Bearcats ended the tournament with 5 individual champions including James Mullins (120#), Storm Massey (126#), Trevor Waldner (138#), Ethan Stevens (145#) and Dylan Bazarian (160#). 

The 'Cats also had two 2nd place finishes in Brad Wick (182#) and Damien Glasener (HWT) and one 3rd place finish of Brandon Twomey (105#).

"We had 3 open weight classes yesterday and hope to be back at full strength," said Sneed.  "We are getting our kids to their optimal wrestling weights and have a couple back from injuries this coming week."

Senior Logan Quertermous has been cleared to start working out with the team this next week.  Logan has been sitting out due an injury he suffered at the conclusion of the football season.

"We look for Logan to compete in the 182 lb weight class this year," said Sneed.

The Bearcats will be back in action this coming week as they host a dual meet against New Madrid County Central on Tuesday, December 4th and a triad on Thursday, December 6th against Cape Notre Dame and Poplar Bluff.  Tuesday's match will begin at 6:00 and Thursday's matches will begin at 5:00.  Come out and support your Bearcat Wrestling program.

Farmington, MO - The Dexter Lady Bearcats finished second in the 48th Farmington Invitational Tournament on Saturday night with a 57-45 loss to state ranked Miller Career Academy. 

The final score of the game was not reflective of the overall contest that took place between these two teams.  Miller Career Academy is the opponent that has handed the Lady 'Cats two losses last year which marks them as someone the Bearcats must learn to overcome.

"I just think that Miller Career's pressure just got to us toward the end of the game," commented Chad Allen, head coach of the Lady Bearcats.  "They're not only tall and big, but they're also quick.  They bump you around a lot constantly, cutting off passing lanes, and putting pressure on that just got to us in the end."

"We just didn't execute very well offensively late in the game," noted Allen.

The Bearcats did perform extremely well the majority of the game.  Brittany Harris opened the scoring for the Lady Cats to give them an early lead in the first quarter. The teams then traded scoring with Hannah Noe, Katelynn Frazier and Paige Patterson all scoring for LBB. Two free throws and a basket by Alison Jarrell and another basket by Noe put the Cats down by one at the end of the first quarter 15-14.  
The Lady Phoenix opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run before Katelynn Frazier and Hannah Noe shutdown Miller's offensive attack.  A three pointer by Alison Jarrell and a basket by Paige Patterson turned things around for the Lady 'Cats and gave Dexter a 38-37 lead going into quarter number four.