Written by
Jessica Snider, SMT Writer
Dexter, Missouri - Friday night the crowd rolled in to the Bearcat Event Center with high hopes of some entertaining high school hoops. A large number of fans from both the Bearcat side and the Indian side were in attendance for Friday night's match up.
The Junior Varsity teams started the night rolling with a very exciting game. Coach Guethle got the Dexter Bearcat Junior Varsity team well-prepared for Friday's game.
The JV Bearcats came out strong and kept a lead over the Indians almost the whole game. As the fourth quarter approached, the Bearcats let their leading margin slip, and the Kennett Indians still had a chance for victory as the clock began to run out.
As the fourth quarter came to an end, the Bearcats had possession of the ball and had to be very careful to not cause any turnovers. The Kennett Indians were persistent in their efforts all throughout the game, but ultimately the Dexter Bearcat Junior Varsity team took the victory with a 54-49 final score.
Shortly after the conclusion of the Junior Varsity Bearcat victory, the Dexter Varsity team ran out and took the court. Fans from both teams were excited for the start of this match up.
With the first possession going to the Bearcats due to a violation on the Kennett side during the tip off, the momentum was quickly sent to the Dexter side.
Dexter held their own once Kennett was on offense, but a few of the Indians could not be stopped.
With the injury of senior Chase Young still causing the Dexter Bearcats some need for adjustment, the team continued to play hard on both ends of the court Friday night.
Going into halftime, the Kennett Indians continued to escape further away from the Bearcats with a 32-8 lead.
After the halftime warm-up and a pep talk from Coach Nichols, Dexter turned the momentum back over to the Bearcat side.
The Dexter Bearcats were finding the open player right under the goal for easy shots causing the Bearcat fans to really get excited. Dexter senior Jordan Miller was on fire throughout the fourth quarter as he was found making wide open shots to help close in on the Indian's lead.
Towards the end of the fourth quarter, the Bearcats cut the Indian's lead to six points, but couldn't completely close the gap.
It was a hard-fought match and the Dexter Bearcats held their own in a game that many fans had previously thought would be much more of a struggle for Dexter.
When the end of the fourth quarter buzzer sounded, the Dexter Bearcats walked off the court with a loss of 62-51 against the Kennett Indians.
Catch the Dexter Bearcats in their next game as they head to Poplar Bluff on Tuesday, February 12th to tackle the Mules. Game time 6 p.m. And don't forget, Friday night is Senior Night for the DHS Bearcat Boys Basketball Team.
Rolla, Missouri - Dexter High School and the Dexter community is proud to have Katelyn Heil representing them at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla as she takes on her fourth year of playing basketball for the S&T Lady Miners. Heil is majoring in Biology and has always had an interest in basketball, which she has played for a majority of her life. In her team’s most recent game, Heil played a large part in the back and forth battle between the Lady Miners and the Maryville Saints.
Unfortunately, the Lady Miners had to mark the game against the Saints as a loss due to a shot that was made by the Saints on the final buzzer, bringing the tied score to 56 to 54. The game was a constant struggle, especially in the second half, where it continuously stayed tied or the score was only separated by one or two points. During the second half, there were a total of four lead changes and ten ties, making it a very intensely played game by both sides.
In the opening half, Heil went in for a layup and helped her team nearly tie with the Saints after falling behind with eleven minutes on the clock. Heil and her teammates played hard and were quick to get the ball whenever it was possible but was not able to get their offense to flow. The Saints started the game off with a 18 to 7 lead in the first half but the Lady Miners fought hard to bring their score up as Heil shot a layup and brought their score up to 29 to 28.
The Miners have a current record of 12-9 and have faced off against the Maryville Saints twice this season and have only lost by a handful of points. This was by far the closest game that they’ve had with their rivals. Heil scored four points during the game and was a key player on the court when going up against the Saints. She will be playing in the Lady Miner’s next game that will take place in Springfield, Illinois, where Heil and her team will battle it out against the Prairie Stars on Valentine’s Day.
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.
