Sikeston, Missouri – The Dexter Lady Cats won the District Title for the 5th time in a row! They defeated the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs 51 – 38 after falling behind in the first quarter 12-10.
“Sikeston came out aggressive,” stated Lady Cats junior Melanie McKuin. “They came out and punched us in the face and we weren’t ready for it. We were getting mad at ourselves for the score being as close as it was and we just really buckled down on defense.”
And buckled down they did in the second period holding the Bulldogs to just 4 points; two points on free throws and one regular bucket. Half-time score put Dexter on top 26 - 16.
“Defensively, I thought we did a good job tonight, especially collapsing in on Peet and Mitchell,” commented Dexter head basketball coach Chad Allen. “Those two girls are great players that are hard to stop. I thought we did a good job denying inside and also helping when they dribble-penetrated.”
When asked how did it feel winning a District Title. “It feels a lot different this year,” stated Dexter junior Dakota Reynolds. “This year I had to step up and help out more than last year. We had four really good players last year and this year me and my partner Melanie had to step up and take over.”
Melanie McKuin paced Dexter with 20 points including one trey.
“I thought Melanie did a great job, especially with Dakota getting in foul trouble,” continued Allen. “In these kind of games she thrives. It seems like the bigger the game, the better she plays. I thought she did an outstanding job handling the ball for us, penetrating to get others open and knocking down shots when she had opportunities.”
Hannah Thurmon recorded 14 points including one 3-pointer. She also finished with a game-high 15 rebounds.
Krysten Garrison finished with 13 points.
“Hannah and Krysten are just phenomenal athletes,” McKuin said of her teammates. “They are very talented and it was really nice to see them both do really well tonight!”
Dexter (17-9) will take on North County on Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. in the Class 4 sectional at Jackson High School.
“We haven’t watched the play,” Reynolds said. “But we will probably watch film on them the next practice we have.”
“I filmed them early in the season when they were playing a preliminary game at Jackson,” Allen said of the North County team. “They are a great team and have a good player in Kekec. They are also well rounded; it’s not just her. They have got a pretty good team and hopefully we can develop a good game plan going into Tuesday night. We will see how we do!”
Final Score Dexter 51, Sikeston 38
Sikeston 12 4 8 14 - 38
Dexter 10 16 13 12 - 51
