By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The DMS Bearcats fell to the Sikeston Bulldogs in the next to last game of the season on Tuesday night at the Bearcat Event Center.


The seventh grade squad found themselves on the receiving end of a 61-46 decision, while the eighth grade squad lost a close 56-52 contest that went right down to the wire.


The seventh grade ‘Cats were tied at 11 with the Bulldogs at the end of the first quarter, but Sikeston’s offense exploded with a 20 point effort in the second to take a 31-20 lead going into the half.


Jason Jarrell took the Bearcat offense under control during the second half, scoring 22 of Dexter’s 26 points in the second half and 36 of 46 in the entire game. The Bulldogs had another big offensive quarter in the third, putting up 17 points opposed to Dexter’s 10.


The Bearcats were able to outscore Sikeston 16-13 in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late for the seventh grade squad, as they fell 61-46.

The eighth grade contest was an exciting, action packed game. When these two teams met in their seventh grade seasons, Sikeston was able to nudge a one point victory.

The score was tight through all four quarters, with many ties and lead changes throughout. Ethan Flowers knocked down a three early in the first quarter for the Bearcats and spark a 21 point effort by the team in the opening frame. Cole Renken was dominant on the boards throughout the contest, and was able to chip in eight points in the first quarter alone.

The ‘Cats led by five at the end of the first, but the Bulldogs were able to hold Dexter to just six points in the second to tie the game at 27 heading into halftime.

Austin Chesser hit threes in the third quarter to help the ‘Cats to a 42-37 lead at the end of the frame.

Sikeston’s speed and physicality shocked the Bearcats at times, and helped Sikeston to a big fourth quarter comeback and a 56-52 victory.


The Bearcats will close the 2011 season Thursday (Dec. 1) night at Charleston.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

"The Presidents and Chancellors of the Southeastern Conference are pleased to welcome the University of Missouri to the SEC," said Dr. Bernie Machen, president of the University of Florida on Nov. 6.


Much to the joy (or chagrin, depending on your motivations) of Mizzou fans across the state, the long-awaited move to the SEC is happening.


Bye, bye Kansas and Oklahoma; see you later Texas.


The face of the Big XII is changing - Colorado left for the PAC-12, Nebraska jumped to the Big 10. Texas A&M, tired of always playing second fiddle to big brother Texas, has gone to the SEC, and now so has Mizzou - and the ShowMe Times Sports team wants to know how you feel about it.


We’ve put together a quick survey regarding NCAA Conference Realignment - click here to take the survey and let us know what you think!

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

CHARLESTON - The Bearcats battled hard for four quarters in the season opener against Charleston on Tuesday night, but fell victim to a 77-49 loss.


The final score didn’t reflect the Bearcats’ effort in the contest - they fought hard all night, and pulled within a point of the Blue Jays several times, but Charleston’s sheer athleticism and deep bench proved too much for the Bearcats.

“I’m disappointed the way the score ended up, because the kids played better than that,” head coach Rob Nichols said after the game. “Fatigue got us there in the end - we played six deep tonight, and when Charleston’s going nine or 10 deep off the bench over the course of the game, that pressure is going to get to you and it got us tonight.”


Jake Lee had an outstanding performance in his senior season opener, leading the Bearcats with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Tyler Miller chipped in 10 points and 7 boards, while Chase Young had eight points. Sophomores D.J. Dowdy and Cody Neldon both saw extensive time in the contest, and did a pretty good job of adjusting to the tempo of the varsity level.

“Jake [Lee] played great tonight, but our guards will need to play better as the year goes on,” Nichols said. “It’s one of those things, you’ve got young kids playing and having to learn their roles, and trying to learn that against Charleston, Sikeston, and Sikeston again [in the SEMO Tournament], it’s a brick wall for them to learn against.”

The ‘Cats were right there with the Blue Jays throughout the entire first half, never trailing by more than 5 points in the opening two frames. Some great defense by Miller and pure dominance on the defensive boards by Lee helped the ‘Cats stay within three at the end of the first and five at the end of the half.

The ‘Cats were able to hit a few quick buckets to pull within one at the beginning of the third quarter, but Charleston’s dangerous offense quickly rattled off 12 points, aided by a three point play from Gregory Tucker at the 5:45 mark.


The Blue Jays also transitioned into a full-court press in the second half, and Nichols felt his team didn’t do a great job against it.

“The press hurt, but we had kids open in the back of it, we just couldn't see it,” he said. “Charleston’s a good basketball team - they don’t go to the final four and finish third last year by luck or happenstance.”

Dowdy hit a big bucket to kill the Charleston run with 4:15 left in the third, but the Jays still held a commanding 53-38 lead heading into the final quarter of play.

Ryan Parham hit back to back threes to open the fourth quarter for the Blue Jays, but the Bearcats kept fighting despite trailing by 20-plus. Lee and Neldon each had a steal, while Miller picked up three offensive boards in the closing frame, and Young showed improvement in his defensive performance in the final quarter.

Despite the lopsided final score, Nichols thought there were still some positive things for the team to take out of the game.

“I saw a lot of good things - we played well all night, and in the first half executed in the half court pretty good,” Nichols said. “I had two sophomores out there tonight, and its probably a one point game at the half if we didn’t have that technical there at the end of the second. Fatigue got us in the third quarter, and [Charleston] really ramped the pressure up after that.”

In the JV contest, the young Bearcats' struggles continued as they dropped a 62-23 decision. Nick Noble and Stevie Payne led the 'Cats with seven points, while Cody Gibson chipped in six. The JV squad is now 0-4 on the year.


The Bearcats will be in action again on Friday night when they host the Sikeston Bulldogs in the season opener.


Tipoff is set with JV action at 6:00 p.m., and Varsity action immediately following.

The snow that fell last night is quickly becoming slushy water on the side of the road, and athletic events scheduled in the area schools for Tuesday night are being played.

The ShowMe Times has received word from Dexter Athletic Director Chuck Powers that games and matches will be played as scheduled.

The Dexter Bearcats will take on the Bluejays of Charleston on the Bluejays home court. Both the junior varsity and varsity teams will play this evening, with the JV matchup beginning at 6 p.m. in Charleston.

In addition the Dexter Middle School basketball boys will play the Sikeston Bulldogs tonight. The middle school games will begin at 6 p.m. and the Bearcat Event Center on Grant Street.

In addition, the middle school wrestling squad will be on the road tonight to take on Sikeston. The matchup will begin at 6 p.m. in the Sikeston High School Field House.

Bernie Tournament

Action in the Bernie Tournament will continue tonight after a delay on Monday night due to the weather.

According the Bernie Athletic Director Brad Botsch, the Bernie Mules will take on the Campbell Camels at p.m., followed by Holcomb Hornets and Puxico Indians game at 7:30. Games will be played at Bernie High School.

Photo Above: The Dexter Junior Variety squad is ready for Tuesday night's matchup against the Bluejays in Charleston. Watch the Wednesday ShowMe Times for complete game report! (SMT Photo by Andrew Cato)

EASTON, Penn. - The Leopards are hovering at .500 and will venture to Princeton for a Wednesday matchup. In its last outing, Lafayette erased a 14-point second-half deficit before Delaware drilled a three in the closing minute to brush away a comeback attempt.

Princeton (2-5) is coming off a three-game swing in the TicketCity Legends Classic in Lewisburg, Pa. during which the Tigers went 1-2.

In personnel news, senior guard Jim Mower and freshman guard Seth Hinrichs earned Patriot League weekly honors.

In the first game of the week, Mower made a school-record 10 three-pointers in a win over FDU, shooting 10-of-13 from beyond the arc and finishing with a career-high 37 points. At Delaware, Mower had 19 points, including 7-of-8 at the line, and a season-high seven rebounds. It is the second honor of Mower's career.

Hinrichs becomes the first Lafayette player to garner Rookie of the Week accolades in two straight weeks since Bilal Abdullah '08 accomplished the feat in 2004-05. Hinrichs was in the starting lineup for both games and averaged 10 ppg, including a career-high 13 points at Delaware. He is shooting 57.1 percent from downtown (8-14) and ranks second in the league in that category. The last time two Lafayette players swept the weekly awards was Dec. 26, 2007, when Andrew Brown '09 and Deirunas Visockas '11 were named Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively.

Dexter, Missouri native Alan Flannigan has had success coming of the bench for the Leopards this season, despite missing two weeks with injuries earlier in the year. Flannigan has shown great promise on the boards, as well as some ability to score in the paint.


Princeton, an NCAA Tournament team in 2011, comes into the game with a 2-5 mark, last competing in the TicketCity Legends Classic. The Tigers were 1-2 in those three games, losing to Bucknell and Morehead State before beating West Alabama. Princeton also claims Buffalo as a win on Nov. 19, but has losses to Wagner (73-57) in the season opener and at N.C. State (60-58).

Junior forward Ian Hummer is the team's leading scorer (16.1 ppg) and rebounder (8.2 rpg). Classmate Brendan Connolly (2.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg) has started six games at center. Juniors Mack Darrow (6.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and Will Barrett (4.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg) also have spent time in the frontcourt.

Senior guard Doug Davis is second on the team in scoring with 11.7 points per game and has a team-high 16 three-pointers. His younger brother, sophomore Deoliver Davis, was a key member of the Lafayette football defensive backfield in 2011.

Sophomore guard T.J. Bray is the team's best distributor, averaging 4.4 assists per game while starting all seven games.

Princeton perennially is among the nation's leaders is scoring defense, as its offense limits the number of opponents' possessions. Teams are averaging 59.1 ppg. The Tigers are coached by Mitch Henderson '98 who is in his first season.

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Lafayette College is a NCAA Division 1 school, located in Easton, Pennsylvania, and is a member of the Patriot League.


Dexter native Alan Flannigan is a member of the basketball team.