Dexter Aces Ace St. Louis Tournament!

Dexter Aces 5th Grade Travel Volleyball Team celebrated its first place win last Saturday at the Mayors Cup in St. Louis. The team also placed first February 12th in the Mardi Gras Tournament in St. Louis. Team members include (back row, from left) Nicole Sells, Madelyn Webb, Bailee Williams, Morgan Aldridge, Addie Kruse; (front row) Maci Daniels, Lexie Barnes, and Rhylan Hillis. The team is coached by April Aldridge, Jennifer Barnes, and Casey Williams. Submitted by Coaches Aldridge and Barnes

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

PARK HILLS, Mo. - The stage was set for the Lady Bearcats to advance in the State Tournament Wednesday (March 2) night at Mineral Area College. All the young Lady ‘Cats had to do was get past a seasoned Farmington Knightette team. Despite a slow first quarter and getting dominated on the glass all night, the Lady ‘Cats were able to play with Farmington for the last three quarters, but Farmington came out on top with a 68-44 final score.

Hannah Noe started the game with a three-point play for the Lady ‘Cats at the 7:25 mark, but Farmington was able to put up 12 unanswered points in the next three minutes. A 12-footer from Brittany Harris ended the Knightette scoring spree and set the score at 13-5 with 4:40 left in the first. Brittany Gladbach hit a deep trey for Farmington at the 4:10 mark, and teammate Tayhlor Milfeld followed suit with 1:00 left in the first quarter. With a 24-7 Farmington lead after one, the Lady’ Cats had to pick up their play or face a blowout.

Rachel Williams was a force to be reckoned with during the second quarter, putting up nine points, four rebounds, and a block in the frame. Harris provided most of Dexter’s offense, putting up six of the Lady ‘Cats‘ nine points in the frame. Dexter’s defense showed up in the second quarter, with Alison Jarrell and Harris having a steal apiece and Noe coming up with two. The Lady ‘Cats also held Farmington to 12 points in the frame - their lowest in the contest. Despite a solid defensive effort in the quarter, the Knightettes held a bit 19-point lead going into halftime.

Brittany Gladbach hit a three for Farmington on their first possession of the second half, and helping the Knightettes put up another nine unanswered. A Mollie Whitehead free-throw at the 5:20 mark ended the scoring spree, and Erika Cobb hit a 12-footer on the ensuing possesion. Noe drained a three for the Lady ‘Cats with 3:45 left in the third. Whitehead had a block with just over 2:00 left on the clock. Harris fouled out for the ‘Lady Cats during the last minute of the frame, but Jarrell hit her only three of the contest with time expiring to cut the Knightette lead to 21 points.

Farmington’s free-throw shooting skills were put on display in the closing quarter of the contest, but the Knightettes were able to connect on seven of their eight attempts. Paige Patterson led the way for the Lady ‘Cats in the fourth, putting up five points and hauling in three rebounds in the frame. Katelynn Frazier came up with a steal and took it the length of the floor for an easy bucket with 3:30 left in the contest, but the ‘Lady Cats couldn’t get any offensive consistency in the frame. The Knightettes found themselves on top after the final buzzer, winning by 24 points and advancing to the next round of the tournament.

“They [Farmington] did a great job of getting out on us early and taking advantage of our mistakes,” LBB head coach Chad Allen said after the loss. “They’re a veteran team with a lot of seniors. Farmington seemed a lot more fluid and got the ball inside to their bigs since the last time we played them. They looked like the best team we’ve played all year, and they’ll go far.”

Allen noted foul trouble and a slow start in the first half as key factors in the loss.

“We got into foul trouble early, especially Brittany [Harris],” Allen continued. “I thought that was a big part of it. Overall, I just felt like we didn’t come out and compete hard at the beginning of the game.”



 Despite a dissapointing loss to end a great 2010-2011 season, the Lady ‘Cats ended with an 18-10 record. Allen seemed optimistic about this young group’s future.

“Our girls have progressed so much throughout the course of this year. They’ve definitely grown up a lot since the first game,” Allen said of his team. “I’m proud of these girls for how hard they’ve worked and how much they’ve improved. There’s never been a team to come through Dexter that was this young that got this much experience. I told them after the game to remember how this feels; we’ve gotta work harder to get better and to get beyond this point in the years to come.”

Photos above Top Photo: Hannah Noe drives to the basket during Wednesday night’s season-ending loss against Farmington.
Bottom photo: Paige Patterson (No. 32), Mollie Whitehead (No. 3) and Erika Cobb (No. 15) all battle Farmington’s Tayhlor Milfeld (No. 12) for a loose ball during the second half of Wednesday night’s action.

                                                                     

	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	FINAL
DEXTER	7	9	17	12	44
FARMINGTON	24	12	18	15	68

DEXTER: Noe-11. Harris-8. Cobb-6. Jarrell-5. Frazier-5. Patterson-5. Whitehead-4.

FARMINGTON: Williams-23. Ankrom-16. Littrell-10. Gladbach-8. Hicks-4. Milfeld-3. Peterson-2. Porter-2.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

Dexter's Lady Bearcats will take to the Mineral Area College Court Wednesday night to try their jousting skills against the Farmington Knightettes.

The Lady ‘Cats put together a season of epic proportions that culminated in something that many thought would never happen - a district title.

Dexter’s roster consists of one senior, one junior, two sophomores, and seven freshman, and the Lady ‘Cats will typically start at least two - most nights three - freshman in any given game.

Dexter goes into Wednesday night’s contest coming off a close 56-52 win over rival Notre Dame for the District 1 Title. With a solid 18-9 record, LBB head coach Chad Allen has great faith in his team’s ability.

“They don’t put their heads down, and they never give up,” Allen said of his team. “They don’t play like freshman and sophomores anymore - they play like juniors and seniors. They’ve definitely grown up a lot this year. Early on in the season, we played weak. I think, overall, they’ve become more aggressive and played stronger throughout the season. I also feel like they’ve gained a lot more confidence. Moving from eighth grade ball to varsity ball is a huge jump. The speed of the game, the physicality of the game, it all changes. We’ve also cut down on turnovers a lot. They’re more patient on offense and playing better as a team now. As the season’s gone on, it just seems like they keep on improving. They’re focused and ready to go. ”

The Lady ‘Cats have been led all season by the one-two punch of sophomore Brittany Harris and freshman Alison Jarrell.

“Brittany’s always active on both ends,” Allen said of Harris. “She definitely gets a lot of rebounds and blocked shots, as well as some great looks inside because she is so active.”

“Alison [Jarrell], even when she misses threes, she keeps on shooting, and that’s what great shooters do,” Allen commented. “Once she knocks down a few, it really opens up the inside and gets Harris some great looks.”

The Lady ‘Cats will face off against the Farmington Knightettes to see who advances in the state bracket. The Knightettes have an impressive record of 20 wins and five losses in the 2010-2011 season.

The Knightettes forced 26 turnovers, and were led by Morgan Ankrom and Rachel Williams (with 17 and 13 points, respectively) to their fifth consecutive Class 4, District 2 title Friday (Feb. 25) night over the North County Lady Raiders.

Admission is $6.00, with no passes accepted per MSHSAA regulations. The doors will open at 5:00 p.m. for the evening’s first game between the Sikeston and Farmington boy’s teams at 6:00, with the Lady ‘Cats and Knightettes facing off in the nightcap at 7:45.

Whoever wins the girl’s game will move on to face the winner of the Notre Dame (St. Louis)-Miller Career Academy game on Saturday (March 5) at the Farmington Civic Center in Farmington, Mo.

Make sure to head to MAC Wednesday night to support your Lady ‘Cats! If you can’t make it, stay tuned to The ShowMe Times for score updates via Facebook and Twitter, and check back Thursday morning for the full story on the Lady ‘Cats game!


Let's Hear It For the Bearcats!

The Dexter Seventh Grade Boys Basketball Team hosted a tournament Saturday with teams from Advance, Bloomfield, Doniphan, Park Hills, Piedmont and Poplar Bluff participating in the double-elimination tournament. Dexter Team members include (front row, from left) Ethan Flowers, Jacob Pedigo, Austin Chesser, Tyler Heil, and Alex Whitehead; (back row, from left) Cody Pullum, Addison Moore, Chandler Young, Cole Renken, and Jacob Crumley. Coaching the team are Chris Guethle (left) and Chris Hyten (right) Congratulations, fellows! 

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

DEXTER, Mo. - In the final game of the Class 4, District 1 Tournament, the No. 3 Notre Dame Bulldogs battled the No. 1 Sikeston Bulldogs. Sikeston held the lead the first three quarters of the contest, but a late offensive surge by Notre Dame saw the ND Bulldogs up by a point early in the fourth quarter. The two teams swapped leads for nearly a minute, but the offensive juggernaut of Sikeston exploded late, putting up 5 points in 10 seconds, and jumping to a 66-52 victory for the District Championship.

Willian Holifield dropped in the first of his four threes for Sikeston early in the first quarter. Sikeston’s defense shut Notre Dame down in the first quarter, and the only shot from the field they gave up was a Joseph Siebert three with 30 seconds left in the opening quarter. Sikeston held a 12-6 lead after the first quarter of play.

Siebert hit his second three of the night for Notre Dame midway through the second quarter, and teammate Jacob Tolbert chipped in five points and four rebounds in the frame. Caleb McGee and Holifield both knocked down trey’s for Sikeston to give the Bulldogs a 28-20 lead going into halftime.

Notre Dame’s picked up their play in the third, holding Sikeston to just 12 points and putting up 20 in the frame. Nathan Meystedt had a big quarter for Notre Dame, contributing 10 points and helping tie the game at 40 apiece after the third.

Sikeston’s offense exploded in the fourth quarter, with Holifield putting in nine points and Janeil Hatchett scoring eight. After a huge play at the 3:15 mark, with Hatchett making a layup, picking off the ensuing inbounds pass, and dumping the ball to Corey Porter for a three point play, the game was Sikeston’s to the end. The Sikeston Bulldogs came out on top over Notre Dame, claiming the District Championship with a 66-52 final score.



With the victory, Sikeston will move on to face Farmington Wednesday (March 2) at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Mo. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.

Photos above Top Photo: Sikeston’s Vashawn Ruffin drives against Notre Dame’s Nathan Meystedt during Friday night’s District Championship game.
Bottom photo: Kl’Ron Coleman tries to squeeze a shot between Notre Dame’s Joseph Seibert (No. 14) and Jacob Tolbert (No. 32).

                                                                     

	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	FINAL
SIKESTON	12	16	12	26	66
NOTRE DAME	6	14	20	12	52

SIKESTON: Hoifield-20. Hatchett-14. C. Porter-14. Jamison-8. McGee-3. Ruffin-2. Howard-2. Gibson-2. Warfield-1.


 NOTRE DAME: Meystedt-16. Tolbert-13. Seibert-6. Beussink-5. Londewer-4. Heisserer-4. Hayes-2. Lynch-2.