The Richland Rebel Basketball Team played their hardest tonight as they had their second home game this week against the Puxico Indians. The Rebels recently lost their winning streak and although the fans thought that the game would eventually turn around, the Rebels lost to the Indians on their own court tonight with a final score of 77 to 66.
The Rebels are used to getting the tipoff due to their man in the middle, senior Richard Forshee. During the first quarter of tonight’s game, the Rebels lost the ball in the very beginning to Puxico’s sophomore player, Zack Tucker. The Indians quickly scored the first two points of the game and kept the lead the entire night.
Although the home team stayed on their opponent’s tail throughout the first quarter, their defense was extremely weak, allowing the Puxico players to easily run in for layups. Forshee scored the Rebels’ first points at the free throw line as he made both of his shots, with his team only being down by four points. The first quarter was a struggle for both sides due to both teams playing strict offense. The Indians eventually gained a ten point lead, making a three pointer at the end of the first quarter with a score of 24 to 14.
In the second quarter, things on the court got even tougher for the Rebels. The Indians pulled back and started playing more defensively, making it very difficult for Forshee and sophomore Marcus Grayson to get the rebounds for the Rebels. The home team made most of their points from free throws after multiple fouls on Puxico. The Indians jumped even further ahead in the lead while the Rebels stuck to their offensive strategy. Both teams seemed to double their points but the players could not make secure passes for most of the night. The second quarter ended at 45 to 27 with the Indians still ahead.
During halftime, the Rebel Rouser Pep Band played their favorite songs for the Friday night crowd. The cheerleaders and the Rebel fans sang along with the band as they played Go Big Red, Centerfold, and Chameleon. The Rebel Rousers Pep Band and the Pep Club play a big part of the home games with their theme nights and cheers.
After halftime was finished and the players reassembled on the court, the Rebels gave their coaches and fans a little shimmer of hope as they began to catch up to their rival. For a short period of time, the home team was only four points away from tying with the Indians. With quicker defense and by grabbing the rebounds, the Rebels seemed to be making their way back up to the top.
Senior Nick Daniels accounted for many of the layups that were made for the Rebels tonight, along with his teammate and classmate, Jesse Barnes. Barnes and Daniels both ran offensively and were quick with their passes and shots. Sophomore Skyler Harper was quick on his feet and was a key player on the court for his team when it came to setting up the shots and weaving through the Indians’ defense.
The Indians had an advantage of a full bench while the Rebels only had three players on the sidelines. Puxico switched out their players and with fresh boys on the court, the Rebels slowly began to fall behind again with the third quarter ending at 61 to 53.
In the fourth and final quarter, the Rebels took nearly every rebound and got more than halfway down the court before losing the ball to their competition. It was a back and forth run for both teams and the eight minutes on the scoreboard seemed much too short. In the end, the Indians took the win and kept their ten point lead that they held for the whole game.
The Rebels are excited for their next home game against the Bernie Mules. This home game will be their last of the season and it will also highlight the team’s seniors: Richard Forshee, Nick Daniels, and Jesse Barnes, who will all be truly missed by their teammates and their fans.
Written by
Jessica Snider, SMT Writer
Dexter, Missouri - It's Friday again and tonight many high school basketball teams will be traveling or hosting a game sure to draw in a crowd to many local gyms.
One of the games being played tonight will be the Dexter Bearcats, who are hosting the Kennett Indians.
The Kennett Indians are never competitors to be taken lightly, so the Dexter Bearcats are going to have their work cut out for them tonight.
Coming off a win Tuesday night against the Cubs, hopefully the Bearcats are back in their groove and can battle with the Indians for a victory.
The Bearcats will be in their own house, and hopefully will draw in a big crowd for tonight's game. With the cheerleaders cheering, the dance team dancing, and the players playing; there's always a reason to come out and support your hometown Bearcats!
Junior Varsity will kick things off against the Indians in the Bearcat Event Center at 6:00 P.M. with Varsity directly following.
The Lady Cats jumped out to an early 7 - 0 lead and never really looked back. Early baskets by Brittany Harris, Katelynn Frazier, Allison Jarrell and Erica Cobb pushed the Cats to a 19-10 first quarter lead. The Lady Cats had six different players score in the second quarter, including 4 points each from Hannah Noe and Mollie Whitehead and a basket by Paige Patterson that lead the Cats to the 45-22 halftime lead.
According to Coach Chad Allen the team discussed defense in the locker room at halftime and the Lady Cats took the discussion to heart, allowing only 5 fourth quarter points from the Lady Tigers.
Also, the girls continued their offensive domination with a 32 point third quarter which was highlighted by two 3-pointers from Erica Cobb. The fourth quarter featured a running "mercy' clock and the final 75-27 margin of victory.
The Dexter squad out rebounded Cape 39 to 14 on the night and dominated the inside game. They were lead in scoring by All Stater Brittany Harris with 19 points, followed by Allison Jarrell with 13, Paige Patterson with 12 Erica Cobb with 10 and Hannah Noe with 8. Patterson also had 12 rebounds and Harris had 11, with Mollie Whitehead contributing 7.
The JV Lady Cats moved to 9-0 on the season with a 34-22 victory over the younger Lady Tigers.
Both teams will be in action on Monday night as they travel to Poplar Bluff for a SEMO conference match-up with the Lady Mules. JV game time is 6 p.m. with the varsity game to follow.
Dexter, Missouri - The local high school basketball teams are well on their way as they prepare to soon end their season and attend Districts in just a number of weeks. Aside from the high school teams and players, there are also many local elementary schools that are participating in Little Dribblers where younger kids can learn the basics of basketball and fall in love with the sport as they do so. Dexter is a part of this program and has assembled their very own fifth grade basketball team.
This traveling team just got done competing in a tournament at Delta in late January, where they won first place after beating Delta twice and also taking a win from Campbell’s team. The final game at the Delta tournament was against the home team and it was a fight for the first place spot. The fifth grade team tied with Delta at 33 to 33 and won in overtime after scoring an extra two points, pulling the lead out from under Delta and taking home the first place trophy. Although none of the three games were easy wins, the Bearcats still made their way to the top and overcame their opponents.
The team has also won against Bernie and Cape Girardeau and has participated in the elementary basketball tournament at Bernie. The Little Dribblers Team from Dexter isn’t on a regular schedule like the high school, but they have had multiple tournaments and games throughout the past couple of weeks.
This team of ball players holds great potential and is lead by none other than Steve Wyman. To corral a group of nine fifth graders must be a lot of hard work, but Wyman has shown that the team is very skillful and can work well together. Aside from learning the basics of basketball and how to function as a team player, the boys have also had a lot of fun during their games and practices.
The fifth graders are supported by their families and have many other fans that attend their games. The competitions are both fun and exciting to watch, just like the other high school basketball games. It will be a thrilling opportunity to watch this group of boys continue to learn, grow, and play basketball throughout the next couple of years as they enter into middle school and high school.
We are looking forward to their upcoming games and tournaments after seeing their excellent victories over the past couple weeks of their season.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Dexter, Missouri – The DHS Bearcats traveled to Bell City to compete against the Cubs Tuesday evening. It was Senior Night for the Bell City Basketball Team.
There were four Bearcats in double digits last night. D.J. Dowdy #11 had a great game with 20 points including four field goals. Brad Potts #22 and Freshman Chandler Young #32 both scored 12 points, five baskets and two field goals for each of them. Nick Noble #4 had 11 points for the game including two 3-pointers.
The Bell City Cubs tried to hold off the Bearcats through most of the game. The first quarter was all Bearcats ending with a 21 – 13 lead; however the second quarter was much tighter on the points. The Cubs and Bearcats scored only 13 points more before the end of the first half. Half-time score Dexter 34, Bell City 26.
The Cubs did get some momentum in the second half, but not enough to close the gap and beat the Bearcats. Final score Dexter Bearcats 62, Bell City Cubs 51.
Dexter Bearcats Coach Rob Nichols commented, “I felt we played well early in the game getting out to a sizable lead; however I think we lost focus defensively near the end of the first half. We didn’t shoot the ball very well tonight and I think that frustration led to some lapses defensively.”
The Bell City Cubs leading scorer was Jared Yates #5 and Aaron Smith #11. Both had 13 points against the Bearcats. Aaron Smith shot three great 3-pointers. Trey Grigel #12 followed them in double digits scoring 10 points for the Cubs.
“We are a team that has to compete every possession and value the ball offensively to give ourselves a chance,” continue Coach Nichols. “We have to give Bell City credit as I thought they played a very hard game on their Senior Night.”
The Dexter Bearcats will be in action again at the Bearcat Event Center on Friday, February 8th where they will take on the Kennett Indians. Game time 6:00 p.m.
