Charleston, Missouri - The Dexter Bearcats gave their all for three quarters before falling to the Jays on their home court in Charleston on Tuesday, November 28, 2017 by a score of 62-53.
Dexter has lost 12 straight season openers to the Charleston Bluejays. Though the Jays were down as much as 9 points at one point in the first minutes of the game thanks to some impressive shooting from the Bearcats hitting their first five shots from the field leading to a quick 11-2 advantage.
"We came out early in the game and executed offensively in the halfcourt very well," stated Dexter head boys basketball coach Josh Dowdy. "That was encouraging. We also took care of our defensive assignments too."
Demarcus Sharp led the Jays with a game-high 22 points. Jeremy Tucker added 11 points and Terridean Bogan tallied 10 points.
"Charleston is a good team," continued Dowdy. "We have competed real well with them the last two years. We have not been able to finish the game off, but the boys gave a great effort tonight."
Clay Mullins finished with 15 points and five rebounds for Dexter. He had a four-point play at the end of the first quarter to give the Bearcats a 15-13 lead.
"Clay had a big night for us handling the ball," stated Dowdy. "He has really improved since last season."
Seth Rogers set the scoring run for the second quarter with a 3-pointer right out the gate. He finished the game with seven points.
Ben Sindle recorded 6 treys for a team-high 18 points.
"Our team chemistry is good and these boys are a fun bunch to be around," Dowdy said. "Despite coming up short, our performance tonight is something we can build on."
Final Score Dexter 53, Charleston 62
Dexter 15 16 8 14 - 53
Charleston 13 17 11 21 - 62
Dexter (53) - Seth Rogers 7, Braxton Foster 2, Ben Sindle 18, Clay Mullins 15, Dawson Kasting 3, Gabe Jackson 6. FG 18, FT 9/15, F 14. (3-pointers: Seth Rogers 1, Ben Sindle 6, Clay Mullins 1, Fouled Out: None)
Charleston (62) - Terridean Bogan 10, Samuel Bledsoe 3, Demarcus Sharp 22, Mardareyon Clark 9, Jeremy Tucker 11, Delontre Gillespie 7. FG 25, FT 8/12, F 18. (3-pointers: Terridean Bogan 2, Samuel Bledsoe 3, Jeremy Tucker 1. Fouled Out: None).
Dexter will host the Sikeston Bulldogs, another powerhouse SEMO Conference team on Friday, December 1, 2017. Charleston will be on the road at Notre Dame on Friday.
In JV action the Charleston Blue Jays also defeated the Dexter Bearcats 59 - 54
Dexter 4 14 16 20 - 54
Sikeston 15 15 20 9 - 59
Dexter (54) - Carter Dorton 11, Logan Wyman 2, Andrew Ellinghouse 11, Peyton Driskill 11, Haden Hillis 8, Riley Slusher 2, Garrett Henson 7, and A. Daniels 2. FG 21, FT 8/15, F 15. (3-pointers: Carter Dorton 3, Peyton Driskill 1; Fouled Out: Haden Hillis).
Sikeston (59) - Sam Bledsoe 3, Torridean Bogan 10, Preston Moore 5, Isaia Gillispie 6, Elmer DAvis 8, S. Fitzpatrick 2, Brian Viser 5, Javontrey Wiley 11, Blessin Kimble 8. FG 23, FT 8/19, F 22. (3-pointers: Bledsoe 1, Bogan 2, Viser 1, Wiley 1; Fouled Out: None).
