St. Louis, Missouri - The duo of Alex Kerr and Kelly McLaughlin outscored Dexter as they combined for 38 points in the St. Joseph's Turkey Shootout on Friday, November 25, 2016. St. Joseph's Academy is ranked #9 in the STLhighschoolsports.com large schools rankings.
"St. Joe came out in a 3-2 zone and typically they play man-to-man," commented Dexter head varsity girls basketball coach Chad Allen. It through us off guard a bit. They really packed it in and it was a great defense for them due to their size, length, and strength causing us some problems tonight."
"We just weren't knocking down perimeter shots we were just so cold if we could have gotten into a rhythm early on and started knocking down a lot of shots it could have opened up that zone a little bit and get the ball inside a little bit.
"On our defensive end it was tough to guard McLaughlin," continued Allen. "She is alone inside and it is tough for anyone to guard her inside."
It was good experience for the Lady Cats of Dexter. They never gave up fighting such a formidable group of athletes. Going into the shootout the Lady Bearcats knew it would be a battle, but also a great learning experience for them as it will help them later in the season as well as in District play. The first few games of the season will be some of their toughest on the 2016-2017 schedule.
"We just couldn't match up with both of them," Allen said of Kerr and McLaughlin. "One of the reasons we come up here is to play these types of teams. We just won't see these kind of athletes until late in the year or maybe in the play-offs. It will definitely make us better."
Chaylea Mosby led Dexter with 13 points including three treys.
"Chaylea could not penetrate that 3-2 zone for us, but she is a very athletic girl and a powerful player," stated Allen. "It was just tough to score inside and not many opportunities to get to the goal."
It was also great experience for the young sophomore squad. Natalie Sitze, Macie Martin, and Rylee Allen each got some playing time.
"Natalie played well for us tonight. She is going to make a good point guard. Macie got a lot of minutes as well and is quite athletic. It was good for Rylee to get that experience also. It will pay off for us."
Kelly McLaughlin who has already signed to play women's basketball at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio scored a game-high 30 points.
Final Score Dexter 36, St. Joseph's Academy 61
Dexter 4 14 10 8 - 36
St. Joseph's Academy 20 16 13 12 - 61
Dexter (36) - Macie Martin 4, Rylee Allen 4, Natalie Sitze 3, Cheyenne Mosby 5, Hannah Thurmon 1, Harley Allen 6, Chaylea Mosby 13. FG 13, FT 3/6, F 1. (3-pointers: Natalie Sitze 1, Cheyenne Mosby 1, Harley Allen 2, Chaylea Mosby 3. Fouled Out: None)
St. Joseph's Academy (61) - Mallory Stock 2, Mary LaBelle 4, Claire Shackleford 1, Erika Pudlowski 2, Annie Lally 4, Alex Kerr 8, Meredith Yalden 4, Zarnice Little 2, Grace Lewis 2, Annmarie Tyson 2, Kelly McLaughlin 30. FG 23/35 FT 14/23, F 12 (3-pointers: Annie Lally 1, Fouled Out: None)
Shown in the photo is Chaylea Mosby #35 for the Dexter Lady Cats. Photo taken during the SEMO Conference first round game against Cape Central Tigers on Monday, November 28, 2016.
