Dexter, Missouri - Homecoming came right down to the wire. It was truly a battle between the Bearcats and the Woodland Cardinals.

Trailing by two points with less than 4.1 seconds remaining the Bearcats knew they had only one opportunity.  Coach Josh Dowdy's last play could not have been played out any better.

It took four long throws.  First Alan Pippins in-bounded the ball to senior Ryan Mayo  who threw it to half court with Gabe Jackson waiting for the ball.  Jackson pitched it to senior Jason Jarrell who stood at the right side of the basket and shot for a perfect 3-pointer to earn a game ending 64-63 win over the Woodland.

"Those four guys executed the ball perfectly," Dowdy said. "Sindle was there somewhere, supposed to get the rebound, but he was probably jumping up and down if I know Ben."

His trey was his only field goal in the game.  His other four points came from free-throws earlier in the game totaling seven for what is normally a high scoring athlete.

"Jason has been clutch for us a couple of different times this year," stated head boys basketball coach Josh Dowdy.  "He hit two huge free throws against Kennett in the semifinal game of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament and tonight he hit a big shot in his last Homecoming game of his high school career.  I bet he and the rest of us will remember that for a while."

Dexter led 18-15 at the end of the first period.  The second quarter belonged to Woodland, outscoring the Bearcats 20 - 12 by the half it was 30-35 Woodland!  Dexter pushed back in the second half and defensively holding the Cardinals to just 9 points in the third. 

Dexter junior Clay Mullins led all scorers with a game-high 23 points.  Ten of those points from the charity stripe.

"Clay hit some big free throws down the stretch," Dowdy said. "He did a real nice job of attacking the basket also."

Gabe Jackson tallied 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 blocks for the Bearcats.

Senior Ryan Mayo hit two 3-pointers in the second half.

"Ryan Mayo played another great game.  He hit a big three that ignited us and created a couple of key turnovers on the defensive end.  He is playing like a senior - like he only has a few games left."

"This team is having fun and it is awesome to see the smiles on their faces," Dowdy said.  "They deserve it - Their road has not been easy.  The hard work continues to pay off  for them!"

Woodland's Michael McCormick led with 14 points. Tyler Womack tallied 10 points. Two were 3-pointers. Paul Duncan added 10 as well.

"Woodland was well prepared and played a great game," stated Dowdy.  "We have a lot of work left to do on the defensive end. We made some crucial mistakes down the stretch that usually cost you games.  We are fortunate to escape with a victory."

Dexter returns on Friday against rival Bernie at the Mule Barn!  Get there early for a good seat as that gym fills up fast!  Game time 6:00 p.m.

Final Score Dexter 64, Woodland 63

Dexter         18   12   12   22  -  64

Woodland    15   20     9  19  -  63

Dexter (64) - Jason Jarrell 7, Alan Pippins 3, Ben Sindle 3, Clay Mullins 23, Dawson Kasting 7, Ryan Mayo 7, Gabe Jackson 14. FG 20, FT 18/28 F 19. (3-pointers: Jarrell 1, Pippins 1, Sindle 1, Mayo 2.  Fouled Out: Mullins).

Woodland (63) - Tommy Grindstaff 7, Tyler Womack 10, Tyler Massa 1, Jamie Wiseman 7, Connor Goodwin 7, Bruester Young 7, Paul Duncan 10, Michael McCormick 14.  FG 25, FT 7/13, F 26. (3-pointers: Grindstaff 1, Womack 2, Wiseman 1, Goodwin 1, Young 1. Fouled Out: Womack, Young.)