Columbia, Missouri - The consolation game of the Missouri State Basketball Championship could be compared to “kissing your sister”.  The Lady Bearcats left the MIZZOU Arena on Thursday with high hopes of returning on Friday afternoon to become the first Bearcat team to capture a win in the final four tournament bracket.  Only two Bearcat teams in the history of the school have made the trip but DHS has yet to be able to mark a win.

Coming off a stunning loss against Incarnate Word by a score of 66-25, the ‘Cats determination did not work out as they had planned.  The Lady ‘Cats were simply unable to jump start their offensive game early in the contest against the Smithville Warriors and were defeated by a score of 54 to 35. 

Smithville was returning to the Final Four contest for the third year in a row, so this team was sporting a tremendous amount of playoff experience.  The Warriors finished second in Class 4A the past two years, losing this year to Webb City in the semifinals by one point, 54 to 53.

Winning the opening tip off, the Bearcats patiently worked the basketball around the perimeter searching for that open shot.  The Warriors offered their own brand of patience as they continued a strong defensive stand against the Lady ‘Cats. 

Unsuccessful in their first attempt offensively, Smithville’s Kyli Nelson forced a turnover and went the length of the court for the opening basket.   Very quickly, Bethany Piece for the Warriors followed with a 3-pointer to help her team take a 5 to 0 lead.  This was a strong indicator of the strength held by the Smithville team. 

Brittany Harris finally got the Bearcats offense started with a quick move inside.  Brittney continued her scoring to eventually get the ‘Cats even with an 8 to 8 score with 3:34 remaining in the first quarter.  An excellent rebound by Erika Cobb created a fast break opportunity of the ‘Cats to take the lead, but the ‘Cats were tied offensively and the jump ball arrow turned the ball back over to the Warriors.

The Warriors battled by adding 4 additional points before the end of the quarter.  But variety was not the best friend of the Lady ‘Cats as all four field goals were made by Harris and were all from inside in the paint area. 

The second quarter continued to show the offensive variety of Smithville as they gathered their points from all over the MIZZOU arena.  Many of their points were created from Bearcat turnovers and came from inside the paint, off of fast breaks as well as second chance opportunities. 

Smithville went on a 10-point run in the second quarter with the help of Pige Imoff and Madison Nelson.  But the Bearcat’s Hannah Noe stepped in with only 3:46 remaining in the half to break the Warrior run.  Free throws by Paige Patterson and Brittany Harris added to Makayla Waldner’s field goal and bonus shot to bring the ‘Cats within 4-points. 

However, Smithville’s Pige Imoff had another field goal to add before the end of the half, making the halftime score a 6-point difference, 24 to 18 in favor of the Warriors.  Well within reach, the Lady ‘Cats continued to find a way to overcome adversity and battle back in the contest.

The third quarter became a true turning point in the game as Smithville outscored the Bearcats 17 to 5.  Smithville continued to create scoring opportunities from turnovers of the Bearcats, while pushing the ball inside to the paint.

A typical “hot-hand” from the three-point line, the Bearcats had not been successful on a single three-point shot in six quarters of play in Columbia.  Going 0 for 10 in the previous game against Incarnate Word, three-point land was basically shutdown until Erika Cobb added the only long range shot for the ‘Cats at the 6:11 mark of the third quarter.  Hannah Noe added a layout up late in the quarter. 

With foul trouble looming over the Bearcats, overcoming the 41 to 23 lead of the Warriors was a tall order.  Brittany Harris dropped in 7-points in the final quarter, along with a free throw by Mollie Whitehead, but it proved to be too little to overcome the third quarter lead Smithville had established. 

With nothing to lose, freshman Dakota Reynolds came off the bench, adding two penetrating drives to the basket for four points.  The final score ended with Smithville 54 and our beloved Dexter Lady ‘Cats 35.

Disappointment filled the faces of the Lady ‘Cats as they accepted the ending fate of the game.   With an obvious great 2012-13 season, a little time would need to be injected into both bitter loses received in Columbia.  Dexter proudly received their fourth place trophy and medals and celebrated a great season.

“It was a tough game for us and we just didn’t get off to a very good start,” commented Chad Allen, head coach of the Lady Bearcats.  “Smithville finished 2^nd in the State the past two years here and they have a lot of playoff experience.” 

The Bearcats struggled overall during the game with 22 turnovers and being outscored by the Warriors 17 to 5 in the third quarter.     

“Points didn’t come as easy for us,” noted Allen.  “I think it had a little to do with nerves.”

The Bearcats were led in scoring by the Dexter High School career leading scorer, Brittany Harris.  She had 17-points on the night.  The senior was followed by Hannah Noe and Dakota Reynolds each with four points and Makayla Waldner and Erika Cobb with 3-points. 

“Brittany had great games in both games of this tournament,” added Coach Allen.

When asked about the loss of his senior leadership, Coach Allen shared that he’d been coaching these two young ladies since they were in the seventh grade. 

“OH YEA – I’m gonna miss these two,” said Chad.  “I’m definitely gonna miss them.” 

Congratulations to the Dexter Lady Bearcat Basketball Team.  You'll always be champions in the hearts of your fans.

“I have had a great time with my teammates.  This season was so much fun,” noted Brittany Harris.  “Our team was really good this year because we were so close.”

“This season was a lot of hard work with a lot of great memories,” added Katelynn Frazier.  “It was just a good season.”