When she was a little girl, Madison Pixley dreamed of being a cheerleader. Well, the little girl’s dreams came true, and tonight she will be cheering on national television!
Madison cheers for the University of the Ozarks Bobcats, and tonight the Lady Bobcats will make their fourth appearance in the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship.
The Lady Bobcats will make their fourth appearance in the national title game in school history when they battle Northwestern on Tuesday at 8 p.m. in a game televised live by CBS Sports Network. George Wilson, who has been the coach for all three of the Ozarks’ title game losses, and the Bobcats are hoping for better luck the fourth time around.
Tuesday’s National Championship game is a rematch of the 2008 title contest when Northwestern won 82-75. Ozarks also lost in the championship in 2006 to Hastings (Neb.) and in 2007 to Indiana Wesleyan.
Madison is the daughter of Amy and Aaron Pixley of Dexter and is a 2011 graduate of Dexter High School, where she was was a basketball cheerleader, a varsity volleyball player and ran track.
The CBS Sports Network is channel 363 on New Wave cable, as well as channel 613 on DirecTV and channel 152 on DISH Network.
Area residents are urged to turn out to cheer on the Raiders as they take on the Region IV Champions Highland (Ill.) Cougars. The winner of this game will advance to the NJCAA Men's Basketball National Championship Tournament March 20-24 in Hutchinson, Kansas.
The Raiders, who were third seed in the Region XVI tournament, pulled off two upsets to win the regional title, including defeating top-seeded Moberly 66-63 on Saturday.
“These last postseason games are all that really counts,” Three Rivers coach Gene Bess said after Saturday night's Region XVI win over Moberly. “Right now, we’re 2-0 and we’ve got Highland coming in Tuesday (for the district title game). We’ve got to win one more to make it to the big house. The early games prepare you for this postseason play. We didn’t have a great season overall but what’s really important is the postseason play. That’s what really matters.”
“Wouldn’t it be amazing for us to win about five more and be the national champions,” Bess added.
Admission to Tuesday’s game is $5.
For more information about the Raiders, visit RaidersAthletics.com. For information about the NJCAA National Championship, visit njcaa.org.
Werneck came in second place, knocking down 20/25 free throws - a new personal best. She was barely defeated, as the overall winner knocked down 22/25.
Flowers finished in fourth place overall, also hitting 20/25 free throws. The 14 year old boys division was incredibly tough this year, with the winner missing just one free throw in the contest.
Alexa is a fourth grader, and is the daughter of Chad and Amber Werneck. Ethan is an eighth grader, and is the son of Tim and Kim Flowers. Both are students in the Dexter Public Schools system.
Thanks to Amber Werneck and Kim Flowers for the photos!
