Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
"The Holcomb Hornets are a great team and they are well-coached." stated head coach Brad Botsch of the Bernie Mules. "They always play hard-nosed disciplined basketball."
The Mules were on fire as they scored three 3-pointers within the first few minutes of the game, giving the crowd something to really cheer about. The crowd standing on their feet, roared as each ball sank into the basket!
B.J. Jennings #12 hit two 3-pointers along with a 3-pointer from Sam Turner #45 to make it an 11 - 3 in just the first three minutes of the game. Within just two more minutes the Bernie Mules were leading by a score of 19 - 3. The Hornets didn't know what hit them and the game was extremely fast paced from the beginning. The Mules maintained a 26-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
"We had a very focused effort tonight. This time of the year, it is all on the line and our kids came in loose from the start and executed what we wanted to do." Coach Botch stated. "Our guards really played well from the get-go, and got us going early and our kids stepped up and hit some shots early. We just game out of the gate scoring!"After a short break between quarters, the Holcomb Hornets seemed to a little more confident in their strategy as they cut the deficit to 26-12 at the 6:28 mark. However the Mules fought back and increased their lead to 38-22 by halftime.
Coming out of the locker room at half-time seemed to give the Hornets some much needed confidence and to turn up the defensive pressure, but never got closer than nine point allowing Bernie to secure a spot in the District Finals on Friday night.
"We were just a step slower than Bernie tonight," state Holcomb's Head Coach Seth McBroom. "It was a tough game and we have had a tough week with some adversity. No one wants to hear excuses. They played hard and I am proud of each and every one of them."
The Bernie Mules had four players in double digits. B.J. Jennings, #12 lead the Mules with 20 points, Tory Kirkpatrick, #14 had 16 points, David Baker, #31 had 13 points and Landon Woods, #10 rounded out with 10 points on the evening.
B.J. Jennings hit three 3-pointers, five baskets and four field goals to lead the Mules to an awesome win. Troy Kirkpatrick wasn't far behind him with his 16 points which included four 3-pointers and he was four for four from the free-throw-line.
"The Mules were unbelievable in the first half and really throughout the game," Coach McBroom added. "They know how to play ball and it is a testament to them and their coach. You have to tip your hat to them tonight!"
Coach Botsch said, "I am really proud of my guys for getting this win, but we must keep our eye on the ultimate goal. It is so difficult to win district championships, and the opportunity to get another one is there for us. South Pemiscot will be ready and they are a very good team. We will have to play very well to win!"Hornets senior Jamie Massey #32 scored a team-high of 27 points with 19 of those points in the second half. Massey finishes his high school career with 2,019 points. "What an amazing career with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and over 300 blocks," McBroom stated. "He has unbelievable character.
Holcomb finished its season with a record of 23-5. They won the 16-team Bloomfield Christmas Tournament for the first time in school history. They also finished undefeated against Tri-County Conference teams and won the Tri-County Conference Tournament for a second straight season. "Everyone in the school needs to thank them," Coach McBroom said of their accomplishments. I can't thank them enough or tell them I love them enough as they know that because they are part of my family. It has been an awesome four years with those seniors!"
Holcomb will be graduating Tyler Lewis #5, Chase Davis #1, Aaron Sikes #14, Lance Ruff #21, James Vance #30, Jamie Massey #32 and Michael Glover #33 from its historic 2012-2013 team.
Final Score Bernie Mules 70, Holcomb Hornets 49.
The Bernie Mules will be back in action on Friday, February 22nd at 7:30 p.m. They will look for their fourth district title in the last five seasons as they compete against the South Pemiscot Bulldogs out of Steele, Missouri for the District 1 Championship Title for Class 2. South Pemiscot is ranked #5 and has upset 4th seeded Portageville Bulldogs and top-seeded Hayti Indians to advance to the district tournament finale.
The Bernie Basketball team has a Facebook page, Bernie Basketball. Send them your best! Go Bernie Mules! They are Souled Out!
Written by
Jessica Snider, SMT Writer
Going into last night's game, Dexter knew it was not competition to be taken lightly. The Dexter Bearcats traveled to take on Notre Dame last night for their next to last regular season match up.
Besides the fact of the Bulldogs being on their home court, it was also senior night for the Notre Dame basketball players and cheerleaders. The seniors were announced prior to the Varsity game.
Despite the tip off going in Dexter's favor thanks to Senior Brad Potts, the first few possessions were totally owned by Notre Dame. The Bulldogs took off with the ball numerous times leaving the Bearcats speechless on the other end of the court.
Many Bearcat fans hoped that a break before the second quarter began would help the Dexter team to regroup and take control of the competition. The plays during the second quarter went a little more towards the Bearcats side than in the first quarter, but it was never enough to catch up to Notre Dame's lead.
Free throws seemed to be all that were keeping the Bearcats alive in the first half of last night's game. Dexter and Notre Dame parted ways at halftime with ND leading Dexter 41-20.
Dexter and Notre Dame fans both were entertained during the halftime break by the Notre Dame Dance Team routine.
After the Bearcats had time to visit the locker room and have a talk with Coach Nichols, they stepped back out onto the court ready to play their best throughout the third and fourth quarters.
Turnovers began to add up quickly for the Bearcats. Many passes were made right to a Notre Dame player, who then ran to their side of the court to make an easy lay-up.
It wasn't hard to see the frustration on the Bearcats' faces as the mercy clock began to run during the fourth quarter. The Dexter Bearcats' defense had an off night last night, and Notre Dame's offense was almost flawless.
The Bearcats walked away last night with a 35-76 loss to Notre Dame. Despite the loss, Dexter fans were pleased with how their Bearcats continue to play just as hard in the fourth quarter as they did in the first no matter the score.
The Dexter Bearcats will be playing in their last regular season game on Friday as they travel to take on Cape Central. Junior Varsity will begin at 6:00 P.M. with Varsity following directly after.
Good luck, Bearcats!
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
The #2 seeded Mules were behind in the first quarter with two minutes left; however Bernie pushed forward and was able to hold the Lions back. They were tied going into the locker room at the half 26 to 26.
After locker room chatter and coaching encouragement, the Bernie Mules were fired up when they hit the court and opened the second half with a 10-0 run and never trailed again.
"I thought they had more intensity than we did in the first half and played a lot harder than us," commented Bernie Coach Brad Botsch. "Out struggles had to do with how hard they were playing, but I think our guys didn't want to see their season come to an end and they started playing more fundamental basketball. We got some better looks and some of them went down for us in the second half."
Troy Kirkpatrick hit five 3-pointers in the third quarter leading the Mules with 28 points. David Baker scored 17 points for Bernie along with Landon Woods and B.J. Jennings who tallied 11 points each.
"Troy really got hot and things started opening up in the 3rd quarter. He is a streaky guy and tonight he was on! I hope that continues because he is a hard working kid and he deserves it," stated Coach Botsch.
The Senath-Hornersville Lions finish their season with a record of 8-16. Coach David Heeb said, "It was a rebuilding year for our program. I am really proud of my kids. We had one goal all year and that was to win a game in our district because to win a game in our district you are going to have to beat one of the top 10 teams in the state."
"And what can I say about Kirkpatrick? He just caught fire tonight!" continued Coach Heeb.
Final score Bernie 73, Senath-Hornersville 53. A great win for the Mules!
Bernie (21-6) will play its District Semifinal on Wednesday, February 20th at 7:30 p.m. against #3 seeded Holcomb Hornets. This should be a great game between these two schools. Come out and cheer for the Mules! Show your school spirit for Bernie and wear your blue!
Written by
Jessica Snider, SMT Writer
It's hard to believe the 2012-2013 high school basketball season is coming to an end, but it is approaching quickly.
The Dexter Bearcats only have two regular season games left before they will begin competing in district competition.
Tonight, the Bearcats will travel as they take on Notre Dame in what is expected to be a very tough competiton for the Dexter team.
Although tonight's games are away, the Dexter Bearcats are hopeful of a large crowd in attendance for their next to last regular season game.
The Junior Varsity will start things off at 6:00 P.M. with the Varsity directly following.
The Bearcat's last regular season game will be played Friday against Cape Central, which is also an away game.
Good luck, Bearcats!
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Dexter, Missouri - The Lady Bearcats traveled to West Plains, Missouri on Saturday to play the Republic Lady Tigers.
It looked like an easy win for the Lady Cats as they were leading 31-16 early in the second quarter. Then the Lady Tigers came alive with energy as they made up 10 points in the last four minutes of the first half. End the period at 31-26 before going into the locker room.
Coming out in the 3rd quarter, the Dexter Bearcats scored four straight points to extend the lead to nine, but Alice Heinzler (Lady Tigers) was on fire and hit two 3-pointers and a free throw to make it a one-point game. Sarah Kreul (Lady Tigers) scored a bucket and hit a free throw. The Lady Tigers had their first lead of the game with 2:02 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
The Lady Tigers owned the 4th quarter with Alice Heinzler scoring 15 points in the final eight minutes to help Republic hold off Dexter. She was seven of seven from the free throw line in the 4th period.
Sarah Kreul was playing with a broken nose and ripped her face mask off in frustration when the Lady Bearcats built their lead early in the game. That must have given her the momentum to score against the Cats as she was the only other lady tiger in double digits with ten points.
Alice Heinzler (Lady Tigers) tied a school record with 36 points to overcome a 15-point deficit to topple the Lady Bearcats. She rained down seven 3-pointers on the Bearcats defense, and 22 of her 36 points came in the second half. It was just her day!
Hanah Noe #10 lead the Bearcats with 15 points during the game. Paige Patterson #22 was also in double digits with 10 points for the Lady Bearcats.
The Dexter Lady Bearcats have had an extremely promising year with their record of 22-2 and ranked #5 in their Class. It just wasn’t enough to overpower the Republic Lady Tigers who are 22-1 and ranked #2.
The Lady Bearcats (22-3) will be in action again in Jackson, Missouri on Monday, February 18th as they take on the Lady Indians. Game time is 6:00 p.m.
YHCtv will be broadcasting the game live on Dexter's Hometown Channel 21.
