Bloomfield, Missouri - The consolation game for the Stoddard County Athletic put the varsity Dexter Bearcats against the Bloomfield Wildcats.  Guaranteed to be a a great game, fans were not disappointed in the action as the Bearcats got the win over the Wildcats 40 to 37.

Bearcats were at a slight disadvantage on the night as senior Chase Young was sidelined with a knee injury he sustained late in the semi-final game.  Much of the load shifted at the point to D. J. Dowdy for the Bearcats. 

A very competitive game by both teams, neither team was able to load up the goal with baskets during the game.  Only one player in the game was able to reach double figures in scoring as the game was an overall offensive struggle.  Dexter was able to gain a narrow lead of 8 to 6 with a big 3-point basket by Nick Noble. 

Bloomfield improved their offensive performance in the second quarter as Caleb Baker got smoking hot for the Wildcats.  Caleb dropped in all nine of his points in the 2nd quarter to give Bloomfield a halftime 4-point lead over the Bearcats by halftime.

The second half continued to be a sleeper for both teams with strong defense and low scoring.  Neither team showed a lack of effort on the court, but sometimes the offensive angels simply don't provide a lot of points for the scoreboard.

The 'Cats were able to take the Wildcats out of their normal offensive continuity only allowing points by Brett Ruch during the final quarter of the game.  In the final minutes of the game, the Bearcats regained the lead by a narrow 1-point margin over the Wildcats. 

With what looked to be one last attempt to win the game, Bloomfield brought the ball down the court in search of an opening in the Bearcat defense.  Bloomfield's Brett Ruch made a driving attempt through the middle of the lane but was off the mark.  A big rebound by Dexter's Brad Potts looked to move the advantage back to Dexter.  Potts was immediately fouled and sent to the line for a one-and-one with only 8-seconds remaining in the game. 

Brad stepped to the line for the 'Cats and rolled in both crucial free throws giving the Bearcats a 3-point advantage.  Bloomfield quickly traveled down the court in hopes of a 3-point basket for the tie, but those hopes fell short on two separate attempts by the Wildcats.  Bearcats held on for the victory by a score of 40 to 37 to earn the 3rd place trophy.

Bloomfield was led in scoring by Caleb Baker with 9-poitns.  He was followed by Ruch with 8-points, Williamson with 7-points, Goode with 6, and Battles and Propst with 2 each.

Dexter was lead in scoring by D. J. Dowdy with 10-points.  Brad Potts added 9-points for the Bearcats, along with 8-points by Nick Noble.   Jordan Miller came off the bench and had an outstanding game defensively for the 'Cats while scoring 6-points.  The Bearcats also had points by Austin Richardson (3), Ryan Joyner (2) and Chandler Young (2).

Check out the Bearcats as they go up against Puxico at home on Tuesday, January 29th.  This is a rescheduled game due to some recent bad weather in the area.  Game time 6:00 p.m.