By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

MARBLE HILL - After a disappointing performance in Thursday night’s loss to the Notre Dame Bulldogs, the Dexter Bearcats picked up a much-needed victory when they faced the Woodland Cardinals on Friday night. The ‘Cats were a little flat to open the contest, but mounted a big lead in the late first and second quarters to propel themselves to a 78-55 victory.

Head coach Rob Nichols was pleased with his squad’s effort, but noted their defensive letdown in the second half as an area for improvement.

“We played alright, especially during that stretch in the early second quarter,” Nichols said. “Our lead ballooned pretty good there, but in the second half we didn’t guard very well and acted content to just trade baskets with them - we can’t play like that.”

“The kids attacked the basket and took what they gave us defensively,” he added.

The ‘Cats started a little sluggish on offense, and held a 9-6 lead at the 2:30 mark. Tyler Miller picked off an errant pass and dished the ball to Cody Neldon for a quick bucket to help push the ‘Cats to a 14-9 lead at the end of the first.

Chase Young and Miller both buried threes for the Bearcats in the second quarter, and a three point play from Jake Lee piled on to a 17-1 run early in the second quarter. Garrot Reyonalds knocked down the Redbirds’ only shot from beyond the arc at the buzzer to send the ‘Cats into the locker room with a 38-19 lead.

Dylan Miller had a 10 point effort for the Cardinals in the third, but two threes from Miller and an 11 point frame from Neldon kept the ‘Cats up 61-40 heading into the fourth quarter.

Lance Yount dropped in eight of the Cardinals’ 15 fourth quarter points, but it wasn’t enough to stop the ‘Cats potent offense. Matt Ridlen knocked down a deep three to seal the DHS victory with a 78-55 final score.

“I thought we played hard, I just think we lost focus at different parts of the game,” Nichols said. “We got content to trade baskets. We just have to guard better than that. We can’t keep giving up 55 points and a 36 point second half.”

“There wasn’t a really big difference mentally [from last night]. I think we just came out and made some shots early in the game,” Nichols added. “From a mental standpoint, when you get a few buckets early everything gets easier. It was a good, positive win, but I know we can play better.”

The ‘Cats had four players in double-figures in the blowout win; Miller paced them with 21, while Neldon added 17. Lee and Young each chipped in 12 points.

Yount led the Cardinals with 16 points; Miller and Skyler Liley added 12 and 10, respectively.

In the JV contest, the ‘Cats lost a first-half lead and never regained control of the contest. The young Cardinals capitalized on every Bearcat mistake, and defeated the ‘Cats by a 46-37 margin.

The ‘Cats will be in action again on Tuesday night, when they head back to Bloomfield to take on the Wildcats in another SCAA contest.

“It’ll be a tough, competitive game. They have a good team this year,” Nichols said. “We’ll have a target on our backs, and we’ll have to play well.”

Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

ADVANCE - The Bernie Mules and Advance Hornets faced off in a SCAA showdown on Thursday night. The Hornets took control of the game early, and held off a late offensive surge from the Mules to take a 65-56 victory.

Advance held a 14-8 lead after the opening frame, and opened up an even bigger lead in the second quarter thanks to threes from Tyler Middleton and Hunter Wilson. A late run from the Mules brought the score to 32-21 at the half.

Troy Kirkpatrick buried a pair of threes late in the third quarter, paired with a better defensive effort to open the second half, helped the Mules keep the game within reach after the third quarter.

Ethan Barr dominated the glass for Advance throughout the second half, and he took control of the game in the fourth quarter; the junior post dropped in nine of his 21 points in the closing frame to seal a 65-56 Hornet victory.

“Hats off to Advance tonight. They really came out with a lot of energy and aggressiveness, and we got behind and couldn’t make it up,” Bernie head coach Brad Botsch said. “They really outplayed us from a physicality standpoint and we really struggled to score against them.”

“Our kids really fought and battled in the 2nd half. I rarely feel good after a loss, but I really think our kids came together tonight. I saw more competitiveness, leadership, and desire in the 2nd half than we’ve had all year,” Botsch added. “If a few more of our shots fall, this game could have ended differently. We really put forth great effort and showed guts in the 2nd half, and we’re going to build off of that.” Barr paced the Hornets with 21 points, while Lane Below added 16. The Mules were led by David Baker, with 18 points. Matt Eaves finished just off the mark with 17 points.

The Mules will be in action again on Friday, Jan. 13, when they face off against the Dexter Bearcats. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. at the BEC.

FULTON - Looking to continue its two-game winning streak, the William Woods University women's basketball team heads to Lebanon, Ill., on Saturday to take on former American Midwest Conference foe McKendree University. Tipoff for the game is set for 2 p.m. at the Melvin Price Convocation Center. This is the 57th meeting between the two schools, with WWU holding a 30-26 edge in the series.

By The Numbers

Coming into the game, WWU finds itself slightly outpaced on the offensive end of the floor, as McKendree averages nearly six points per contest more than the Owls and holds a .428-.375 edge in shooting accuracy. WIlliam Woods narrows the gap accuracy-wise from three-point range, but musters 3.8 treys per game to just 3.1 for McKendree.

The Owls hold a solid edge on the glass, pulling down 2.8 more rebounds per game and a rebounding margin of 3.4 per game to just 1.4 for the Bearcats. On the defensive end of the floor, WWU has allowed nearly 11 points fewer per game, and held its opponents to just .351 shooting compared to a .403 rate for McKendree foes.

About The Bearcats

McKendree University is finishing the transition process to NCAA Division II this year, and will become a full member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference for the 2012-13 academic year. After opening the season with three straight wins, the Bearcats have struggled to a 6-10 overall record. Caty Ponce leads McKendree with 14.8 pts/gm on the year, with Brittany Willis sitting just outside the double-digit plateau with 9.9 pts/gm. Shelby Woelfel is the top rebounder for the Bearcats on the year, pulling down 7.0 boards per contest. She also chips in a respectable 8.6 pts/gm.

As a team, McKendree shoots at a healthy .428 clip and holds its opponents to a .403 pace, but three-point shooting has played a much bigger role in the team's fortunes. The Bearcats are evenly matched percentage-wise with its opponents, with its .301 pace just shy of its opponent's .311 accuracy mark, but McKendree has just 50 makes from long-range compared to 87 for its opponents.

Last Time Out For The Owls

The Owls closed out the 2011 calendar with a pair of wins in the Cougars vs. Cancer Classic at Columbia College. WWU knocked off #12 Campbellsville by a 59-53 margin on Friday before rolling to a 75-60 win over Peru State College. WWU saw standout performances from a pair of players on the weekend, as Sharron Andrews and Megan Aubuchon each recorded new career highs and earned recognition on the All-Classic team.

Andrews posted her second double-double of the season against Campbellsville, rallying the team from an 11-point halftime deficit with 17 points and a career-best 16 rebounds. Aubuchon was one of two outstanding free throw shooters on the afternoon in WWU's win over Peru State, hitting at a 9-of-11 clip en route to her second double-double. The senior dropped in a career-high 23 points and added 11 rebounds in the win.

ShowMe Scoreboard, 1.06.2012

Games played Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012

High School Boys

• Notre Dame 81. Dexter 53
• Advance 65, Bernie 56
• North Pem 63, South Pem 47

High School Girls

• Poplar Bluff 50, Cape Central 42
• East Prairie 56, Puxico 30
• Notre Dame 73, Fredericktown 20
• Neelyville 58, Naylor 56
• St. Vincent 52, St. Pius 34
• DeSoto 64, Perryville 49 

NCAA Men

• SEMO 73, UT Martin 71
• Denver 53, Arkansas State 50 

NCAA Women

• Henderson State 82, Southeastern Oklahoma 69
• Missouri S&T 55, University of Southern Indiana50 OT
• Arkansas 72, Kentucky 84
• Tennessee 80, Georgia 51 

Tonight

• Dexter @ Woodland
• Leopold @ Risco
• Meadow Heights @ Advance
• Scott City @ Chaffee

Photo Above: Dexter's Cody Neldon and Joe Siebert of Notre Dame tussle for ball control during Thursday night's game at the Bearcat Event Center. The 'Cats go down to defeat in the first game of the new year, 81-53. Dexter is in action again Friday night, traveling to Woodland. (SMT Photo by Andrew Cato)

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

On Thursday night, the Dexter Bearcats looked like a completely different team than the one on the court during the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament; the ‘fire’ and intensity that were there when the ‘Cats nearly upset Kennett and played the Doniphan Dons within seven points were long gone, replaced with a lackluster performance devoid of emotion.

The Bulldogs of Notre Dame took advantage of the Bearcats’ mistakes in their first contest of the new year; the Bulldogs forced 14 Bearcat turnovers on their way to an 81-53 victory at the Bearcat Event Center.

“We didn’t play with very much energy, we didn’t play with very much passion. We came out flat. Notre Dame looked a little flat too, but they picked up as the game went on,” DHS head coach Rob Nichols said after an extended post-game talk with his team. “We just turned it over and never really would attack their press - we got what we deserved tonight.”

“ It was definitely a letdown from our effort in the Christmas tournament - I didn’t see that fire, energy, or effort tonight,” he added.

Both teams played a sloppy first quarter; the Bearcats struggled against Notre Dame’s press and missed several easy layups, while the Bulldog offense was only able to generate 14 points, their lowest total of the night.

After trailing 14-7 at the end of the first - and a nearly ten minute delay due to technical difficulties with the scoreboard - the Bearcats were able to cut the Bulldog lead to just five points at the six minute mark. Following a quick timeout, the Bulldogs proceeded on a 16-5 run, aided by several Bearcat turnovers.

“They got some quick turnover conversions off their press to open the second quarter. Joe Siebert really had a good game - that was probably his season high right there. He shot it well, [Nathan] Meystedt played well,” Nichols commented. “We changed defenses back and forth, but couldn’t get stops in anything tonight, but a lot of their offense came from our turnovers.”

A trey from D.J. Dowdy and layup from Cody Neldon brought the score to 36-23 at the half.

The Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run to open the third quarter before a layup from Tyler Miller at the 4:45 mark. Jonathan Lynch buried a three for the Bulldogs, but was quickly answered by Dowdy on the next possession. A buzzer-beating jumper from Meystedt brought the score to 60-38 in favor of the Bulldogs.

A Jake Lee layup early in the fourth quarter pulled the Bearcats within 20 points, but the Bulldog offense kept pushing ahead and closed the door on the ‘Cats with a pair of threes from Siebert midway through the third. Lee completed a three-point play at the 2:00 mark, but the Bulldogs still took home the 81-53 victory.

The JV Bearcats also struggled against the Bulldogs; playing Dowdy down for a few quarters wasn’t enough to stop the Bulldogs from handing the young ‘Cats a 66-32 beating.

Due to MSHSAA regulations, Dowdy only played two quarters in the JV contest, but still paced the Bearcats with 12 points. Devin Hampton, Stevie Payne, and Nick Noble added six apiece.

The Bearcats will be in action again on Friday night, when they travel to Marble Hill to face the Woodland Cardinals in the second SCAA contest of the season; the 'Cats opened SCAA play with a blowout victory - also their first of three thus far in the season - over the Richland Rebels.

“If we play like this tomorrow night, we’ll have our hands full with Woodland,” Nichols said. “Anytime we play in the county, we have a big target on our backs - those teams really want to beat us. We’ll get a good effort out of Woodland; they’ll play hard, and if we don’t come out with a lot of intensity and play well, we’re going to have a very tough time getting a win.”

Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.