Bloomfield, Missouri - It’s a Cinderella story for the Dexter Bearcats. It wasn’t expected that the #8 seed would upset the #1 seed Bloomfield and the #5 seed Malden and continue their trek to the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament Championship game.
Dexter rained on Malden’s hope of a first place title on Tuesday evening beating them 65-50 in a highly spirited game.
Dexter’s win propels them to the Championship game for the first time since 2010. It was 2004 that Dexter won their last Christmas Tournament title.
“It’s cool for the community,” Dexter’s head boys basketball coach Josh Dowdy said. “We are going to be able to come out and play in a championship game. I am just so happy for these kids because we took our lumps early in the year. I try to find a way to pick them up, but I guess I don’t have the right words. But tonight, I just cannot keep the smiles off their faces. It’s good to see hard work pay-off.”
And smiling they were with powerhouse Gabe Jackson recorded 16 of his 20 points in the first half on 6 two-pointers and four points at the charity stripe. Dexter jumped out to a 16-point lead by half-time securing their run to biggest game of their season thus far.
"The kids really executed early in the game and we were trying to play-off Gabe Jackson," stated Dowdy. "Malden played a 2 -3 zone and comes after you. We were trying to isolate him down low and play off of him. I told Gabe If he felt like he had an advantage take it right at them, and if not, we could kick it out to our shooters”
“Malden played over the top and he had a lot of lob finishes. Gabe just keeps getting better each game. I have coached that boy since he was in the 7th grade and it is nice to see his progression year after year. It is fun, and I am so happy for him,” continued Dowdy.
Jason Jarrell tallied 19 points on 6 two-point baskets, one trey, and four free-throws for the Bearcats.
Ethan Flowers recorded 14 points including three treys for Dexter.
“Everything looks fine tuned,” stated Dowdy. “Coming in we wanted to shut down Ison, of course. He’s quite a threat and had a little size on us. Tyler Heil like last night did a tremendous job for us on that.”
Dexter will have a rematch of the 2010 Championship game when they take on the #2 seed Kennett Indians on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. Kennett defeated Saxony Lutheran 54 - 47 in the other semifinal match on Tuesday
“Everything seems to be working well right now,” continued Dowdy. “It's a good place to be. We took our lumps early in hopes that kind of competition would help us in this kind of environment, and I think it is paying off.”
Final Score Dexter 65, Malden 50
Dexter 20 19 15 11 - 65
Malden 8 15 10 17 - 50
Dexter (65) – Jason Jarrell 19, Jacob Pedigo 6, Ethan Flowers 14, Tyler Heil 6, Gabe Jackson 20. FG 22, FT17/24, F 10 (3-pointers: Jason Jarrell 1, Ethan Flowers 3. Fouled Out: None).
Malden (50) – Kylus Thompson 5, Tyler Ison 8, Malcom McBride 1, Ned Lee 20, Shamaudre Barber 4, Trevor Ison 12. FG 20, FT 6/13, F 20 (3-pointers: Ned Lee 3, Kylus Thompson 1. Fouled Out: None).
Bloomfield, Missouri - East Prairie Eagles toppled the Van Buren Bulldogs in Game #18 of the 2015 Bloomfield Christmas Tournament by a score of 55-37.
East Prairie led by 6 in the first quarter and pulled away with a 28 - 11 first half lead.
Zach Griffin recorded a game-high 18 points, but it was not enough to propel Van Buren to a win. Griffin also tallied two treys.
East Prairie Eagles Deverence Jones, a 5'10" junior reached double digits contributing 11 on 4 two point baskets and 3 free throws.
Final Score Van Buren 37, East Prairie 55
Van Buren 6 5 4 22 - 37
East Prairie 12 16 14 13 - 55
Van Buren (37) - Eli Dameworth 3, Riley Reed 5, Logan Sanders 3, Spencer Burnham 1, Matthew Shrontz 7, Zach Griffin 18. FG 12, FT 9/17, F 19. (3-pointers: Dameworth 1, Reed 1, Griffin 2. Fouled Out: None).
East Prairie (55) - Luke Marcum 8, Deverence Jones 11, Dylan Lingle 7, Derez Tipler 9, Brett Ellis 4, Jon Ross Slayden 1, Cade Douglas 9, Alex Cowgill 2, Aycock 2. FG 18, FT 17/32, F 16. (3-pointers: None. Fouled Out: None).
East Prairie will now face Twin Rivers in the Consolation Game at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 30th.
Photo credit to Dee Loflin, ShowMe Times Manager/Editor: Alex Cowgill #45 of the East Prairie Eagles in Game #18 of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.
Bloomfield, Missouri - Twin Rivers Royals eliminated Bernie from the 2015 Bloomfield Christmas Tournament on Tuesday afternoon.
The last quarter made all the difference for the Royals outscoring Bernie by 9 points.
Nate Dillinger recorded a game-high 20 points for the Bernie Mules.
Final Score Twin Rivers 65, Bernie 53
Twin Rivers 12 20 16 17 - 65
Bernie 12 16 17 8 - 53
Twin Rivers (65) - Hayden Thomas 6, Chance Wilkerson 22, Andrew Mittelstadt 2, Josh Suiter 11, Mikey Suiter 9, Logan Garrette 6, Jacob Mitchell 9. FG 26, FT 3/6, F 17. (3-pointers: Thomas, 2, Wilkerson 3, Mitchell 3. Fouled Out: Mikey Suiter).
Bernie (53) - Alex Guzman 4, Nate Dillinger 20, Alex Whitehead 10, Gavin Brown 16, Dalton Hobgood 3. FG 19, FT 12/17, F 12 (3-pointers Whitehead 2, Hobgood 1. Fouled Out: None).
Twin Rivers will be back in action on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. in the Consolation Game of the 59th Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. They will play either East Prairie or Van Buren.
Photo credit to Dee Loflin, ShowMe Times Manager/Editor: Josh Suiter, senior at Twin Rivers during the Twin Rivers vs Dexter Game #8 of the 2015 Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.
Bloomfield, Missouri - Game #13 was not so lucky for the #1 seeded Bloomfield Wildcats. Their chances of a Christmas Tournament Championship ended Monday evening when the #8 seeded Dexter Bearcats defeated them 43-35 at the 59th Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. They also suffered their first loss of the season.
"It's a big win for our program. These seniors are a good bunch and they haven't had a ton of big wins over their tenure." stated Dexter head basketball coach Josh Dowdy. "This is something they are going to remember and they don't feel like they are done yet."
Dexter outscored Bloomfield by 8 points in the last three minutes of the 4th quarter to secure their 43 - 35 win.
"Really what separated it was the free throws," stated Dowdy. "We were able to chase some and get some penetration at the rim and they were calling quite a few fouls. We were able to capitalize on them. We have been shooting 51% from the free throw line so to make 8 of our 9 in the 4th quarter was great for us. I thought that was the difference down the stretch."
Bloomfield jumped out to a 10 - 4 lead in the first period. Tyler Battles was first to score with a 3-pointer three minutes into the game followed by two free throws. Tim Hector shot a 3-pointer and a bucket to propel the Wildcats to 10 points.
Senior Bearcat Jacob Pedigo scored the first two points of the game for Dexter with just 48 seconds left in the first quarter. Jason Jarrell, a 5'11" junior recorded two with seconds remaining in the first.
"It was a defensive struggle," continued Dowdy. "It was a tribute to Bloomfield's defense. They packed it in and tried to take Gabe away."
Bloomfield scored only 8 points in the second period. Tim Hector recorded a 3-pointer, Nathan Newell hit one for two, Noah Vandiver tallied a couple of free throws, and Tyler Battles recorded a free throw.
Dexter answered with two 3-pointers by Ethan Flowers and four field goals from Jacob Pedigo, Gabe Jackson, and Jason Jarrell to tie the game 18 - 18 at the half.
"That was a scary moment needless to say," stated Dowdy about the first half of the game. "Gabe Jackson picked up two early fouls and we had to take him out, but we weathered the storm and were able to withstand that. We were down 10 - 4 at the end of the first quarter. I thought it was a win being down six We knew there were going to be some punches thrown left and right, and we were able to throw the last punch."
The Bearcats opened the final period with an old fashioned three-pointer by Jacob Pedigo. Gabe Jackson followed with a bucket giving them the lead for the first time in the second half 32-30.
Bloomfield's only field goal in the 4th quarter came from Noah Vandiver, his only one of the game, with a little over five minutes remaining. The Wildcats capitalized on a few free throws, one each by Vandiver, Alex Gibbs, Peyton Bell, and Nathan Newell.
Dexter held Bloomfield to 11 field goals throughout the game.
"We played three different defenses to try and keep them off balance," commented Dowdy about their defensive strategy. Tyler Heil did a tremendous job tonight on Noah Vandiver. He only had one field goal for Bloomfield. To hold a talent like that and hold Noah to one field goal was a feather in Tyler's cap and was just unbelievable."
Ethan Flowers had a game-high 13 points for Dexter including his two 3-pointers. Jason Jarrell recorded 12 points. Jacob Pedigo and Gabe Jackson each contributed 9 points.
Bloomfield's Tim Hector was the only Wildcat in double digits. He tallied 11 points with 3 treys and a bucket.
These kids know each other and they play each other throughout the season, sometimes three games per year," commented Dowdy. "We weren't fearful of the game, but we had a lot of respect for Bloomfield. They are senior loaded team with nice juniors. They are well-coached and we are thrilled to escape with a victory and move onto Round 3."
Final Score Bloomfield 35, Dexter 43
Bloomfield 10 8 1 6 - 35
Dexter 4 14 9 16 - 43
Bloomfield (35) - Tim Hector 11, Peyton Bell 3, Nate Newell 5, Tyler Battles 9, Noah Vandiver 6, Alex Gibbs 1. FG 11, FT 10/19, F 16. (3-pointers: Tim Hector 3, Tyler Battles 2. Fouled Out: None).
Dexter (43) - Jason Jarrell 12, Jacob Pedigo 9, Ethan Flowers 13, Gabe Jackson 9. FG 16, FT 9/10, F 19. (3-pointers: Ethan Flowers 2. Fouled Out: None).
Dexter (3-5) will be back in action on Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. in Game #21 of the 59th Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. They will play the Malden Green Wave. Malden defeated Doniphan 59-47 in Game #14 on Monday.
The Bloomfield Wildcats (7-1) will play at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 29th against Doniphan.
Bloomfield, Missouri - The Malden Green Wave kept their chances alive Saturday beating Portageville 55 - 43 in Game #5 of the 59th Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.
Portageville led in the first quarter 13 - 9 before the Green Wave recorded 26 points in the second period to lead 35 - 24 at the half.
Malden's powerhouse Trevor Ison tallied 16 points for the Green Wave.
Chris Garmon recorded a game-high 17 points for the Bulldogs. Ian Torrey tallied 16 points including two 3-pointers.
Final Score Malden 55, Portageville 43
Malden 9 26 10 10 - 55
Portageville 13 11 8 11 - 43
Malden (55) - Nikylus Thompson 5, Tyler Ison 8, Malcom McBride 4, Reggie Reed 4, Ned Lee 8, Shamaudre Barber 6, Trevor Ison 16. FG 22, FT 7/16, F 14. (3-pointers: None. Fouled Out: None).
Portageville (43) - Romez Mosby 2, Ian Rorrey 16, Chris Garmon 17, Tony Smith 8. FG 17, FT 6/13, F 12. (3-pointers: Ian Torrey 2, Tony Smith 1. Fouled Out: None).
Malden will play Doniphan on Monday, December 28th at 5:30 p.m. in Game #14 of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. Portageville was eliminated by Bernie in Game #9 on Monday morning.
