Dexter, Missouri - The 2012-13 season has not been an easy start for the DHS boys basketball team.  Opening up the season against some of the top area competition of Sikeston, Charleston and Jackson, the Bearcats have been able to win only one game this season against the Richland Rebels.

Tonight, the Bearcats opened the 2013 portion of their season against the Woodland Cardinals.  Most pre-game reports felt that the game would be competitive but most gave the edge to the Bearcats.

The varsity game gave every indication that the contest was going to low scoring and very close on the scoreboard.  The first quarter remained in the single digits throughout most of the period, ending with a score of 10 to 6 in favor of the Bearcats.  Austin Richardson for the 'Cats was able to hit a 3-point shot late in the quarter.

There was little improvement for the Cardinals in the 2nd quarter offensively as they were only able to add 4-points to their score.  The Bearcats were able to discover a strong offensive attack lead by point guard Chase Young.  Young hit 10-points for the 'Cats of his own and was assisted by D. J. Dowdy with an additional 5-points and Senior Ryan Joyner with 3-points. 

Head Coach Rob Nichols increased the defensive pressure on the Cardinals by applying a full court press.  That proved to be an excellent decision by the Bearcat's coaching staff as Dexter aggressively hustled on defense.  The high pressure defense brought about one turnover after another by Woodland which the 'Cats were able to convert into layups.  Dexter stretched the lead to 30 to 10 at halftime.

D. J. Dowdy certainly didn't cool off during the halftime break.  Dowdy came out smoking offensively for the Bearcats in the third with 9-points.  Richardson added another 3-point shot, while Young moved outside with him hitting two 3-pointers and a free throw.  Brad Potts found an open lane to add his 2nd field goal of the night to give the Bearcats a 51 to 18 lead going into the final quarter. 

With the mercy clock running, the fourth quarter quickly passed.  Coach Nichols allowed some of his younger talent to get some good varsity experience.  Freshman Chandler Young (a brother to Chase) jumped in with his brother to tally up five of the 13-points in the fourth quarter.  Chase Young and Myles Urhan accounted for the other portion of the points.

It was a great night for Chase Young.  It is certainly an asset to have him back healthy and in the starting line up.  Nothing proves that more than the total points column of the score book showing Young with 27-points on the night.  Junior D. J. Dowdy also had a strong offensive night putting up 15-points.

The Bearcats won the game by a score of 64 to 23.  Overall it was a great second win for the Bearcats for the season and should give some confidence for the team. 

The junior varsity game was much closer but the Bearcats were able to rally in the final quarter to defeat Woodland by a score of 41 to 36.  There were several lead changes throughout the game, with critical fourth quarter free throws by Blake Horton helping to seal the win.  Horton lead the JV Bearcats with 17 total points and was 5 of 7 on free throws in the final quarter.  Austin Chesser had 6-points on the night, followed by Ethan Flowers and Noah Kronk with 4-points each. 

The Bearcats will be back in action with both junior varsity and varsity action against the Bloomfield Wildcats.  The game will be Tuesday, January 8th at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter and will begin at 6:00 PM.

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^{Written by}

^{Beth Farrah, SMT Writer}

Essex, Missouri - Tonight was an exciting night for the Rebel fans as the basketball team played a tough game against the Bell City Cubs on their home court. The Rebel Rousers, Richland’s Pep Club, showed their support by wearing crazy socks and shoes with their slogan “Kick Those Cubs to the Curb”. The high school cheerleaders and the school’s mascot, Colonel Red, kept the crowd cheering with excitement throughout the night.

This was the team’s first Friday night game and their second home game of the season, which allowed the bleachers to fill up fast with fans from both schools. Richland quickly got on the court and got the ball and kept the lead throughout the first quarter, but only held it by one or two points. The Cubs constantly tied with the Rebels, sinking free throws left and right. The first quarter ended with the Rebels barely holding onto the lead at 19 to 17.

The second quarter was a definite power struggle for both teams. While Bell City hit nearly every free throw that they shot, Richland had trouble with their defense. Bell City took the lead due to senior Jerad Yates (#5), who was quick on his feet and had multiple chances to sink the ball through the net. Senior Richard Forshee (#50) quickly retrieved the ball on the rebounds and helped the Rebels keep up with the quick pace of the Cubs. In the last few seconds of the second quarter, the Rebels once again pulled ahead, keeping the score at a three point gap. Halftime began with a score of 33 to 30, with the Rebels leading again.

Just like every home game at Richland High School, the Pep Band led by Amber Duley, played a few songs to keep the crowd energetic and entertained. While the Rebels were in the locker room working on a strategy, the band played the Hey Song, Land of a Thousand Dances, September, and their favorite classic: Go Big Red. Colonel Red helped the cheerleaders with their cheers during the break as the crowd anxiously waited for the second half of the game to continue.

The next two quarters had the audience on the edge of the bleachers and their hearts racing. Senior Nick Daniels and sophomore Marcus Grayson played great defense for the Rebels as they slowly but surely took a larger lead from the Cubs. Sophomore Skyler Harper and Forshee also had multiple layups and great offense. Senior Jesse Barnes shot many free throws that helped out his team, bringing the third quarter into the Rebels’ advantage of 56 to 40.

The last quarter was a total steal for Richland and the Cubs couldn’t get their hands on the ball. With Grayson and Forshee constantly passing and scoring, the Rebels seemed to have a strong front as Bell City lost the ball to them nearly every time they tried to make a pass.

The Rebels recently lost each game in the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament two weeks ago, but after a few long and tiring practices, their efforts have paid off because their improvements as individuals and teammates have been phenomenal. These advances shined brightly during the fourth quarter of tonight’s game when the Rebels played keep away with the Cubs and ended their second home game with a score of 83 to 55.

Tonight’s game was a great way for Richland to start off the brand new year of 2013 and both the Rebel Rousers and the fans in the crowd went wild as the team celebrated their victory. The Rebel Basketball Team is currently preparing for the next home game on Monday, January 7^th, against the Woodland Cardinals. The boys are also practicing hard to ready themselves for their upcoming Homecoming game on January 18^th, against the Zalma Bulldogs. 

Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer

Bernie, Missouri – The Mules traveled to Advance Thursday evening to swat the Hornets.  Bernie’s Sam Turner threw a 65-foot shot winning basket at the buzzer to beat the Hornets 69-66.

Bernie Coach Brad Botsch said, “Sam’s 65 footer at the buzzer was pure luck, but we are happy it went in!”  He continued by saying, “We stopped being aggressive in the fourth quarter and they really stuck it to us."

Bernie ended the half with a considerable lead of 40 – 29; however both teams slowed down in the 3^rd quarter with Bernie scoring 13 and Advance with only 14 points.  But in the final quarter of the game, the Hornets rallied strong and almost stole the game away from the Mules.

Advance came from a 53-43 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter.  They scored 23 points to take the lead.  Lane Below scored a game-high 24 points for Advance and Ethan Bar had 22 for the Hornets. 

David Baker led the Mules with 21 points while Joey Walker had 16 total for the game.  With his 3-pointer at the buzzer Turner finished in double-digits with 11 on the night.

Bernie will travel to Caruthersville on January 8^th.  Game time will be 6 pm.  The Mules will then play Dexter on January 11^th at Bernie.

Dexter MO - After a two week layoff, Lady Bearcat fans had to question if the team could continue the outstanding play that had shown before the Christmas break.  Consider the question answered with an emphatic "Yes".

Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer

Dexter, Missouri – The Dexter Lady Bearcats will take the court at the Prepcasts Elite Girls Shootout V, which will be held at the DeSmet High School on Saturday, January 5^th.  Game time is 1 pm (CT).  Admission is $5 for the entire day.

The Lady Bearcats have had a phenomenal season with a record of 11-1 and will take on the girls of the Webster Groves Lady Statesmen who are 7-3 on the season.  The Bearcats were a STATE quarterfinalist team in the Class 4 last season.  This surging program has upgraded their schedule significantly as they travel to St. Louis as part of that effort.

Coach Chad Allen (108-32) has taken two Dexter teams to the Final Four in his six-year tenure.  The Lady Cats return eight players from last year and they are led by the 2011-2012 SEMO Girls Player of the Year, Brittany Harris.  They have already won two tournaments this year.   Over the holiday break they won their second straight Twin Rivers Lady Royals Christmas Classic tournament.

This should be a great shootout and a chance to play some powerful teams.  If you can’t make it to St. Louis on Saturday, then check out the Lady Bearcats tonight as they host the Farmington Lady Knights at 6 pm at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter.