Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
The Lady Cats were on fire as they overwhelmed the Pirates with their defensive moves forcing 29 turnovers in the game. They were also able to prevent the Lady Pirates from scoring much in each period as Perryville never scored more than 8 points in any one quarter.
The offensive side of the Lady Cats was also determined to win. Brittany Harris, #24, a 5 foot-11 inch Senior led the girls with 18 total points on the evening. Followed by Paige Patterson, #22, a 6 foot-1 inch Junior who contributed 12 points to help the Lady Cats win.At the half, it was Dexter 31, Perryville 16. With such an enormous lead the Bearcats were pumped for another half of high scoring and great defense. Nothing could stop them now and those girls are determined to become the District Champions for Class 4.
Perryville’s head Coach Vicki Lohmann said, “I knew they were going to pressure us. They have the ability to do that and to go more than five players deep.”
“That Brittany Harris is very athletic,” Lohmann continued. “She is very active, she never stands still. She’s able to post-up just about anytime she wants.”
Dexter’s assistant coach Eric Setze said, “Brittany is a hard worker. She jumps well, she’s active, and she’s a good finisher. She does a lot of good things for us.”
Final Score Dexter Lady Bearcats 61, Perryville Lady Pirates 27
The Lady Cats have set the bar pretty high in Southeast Missouri. They have several experienced players and with their two Seniors, Brittany Harris and Katelyn Frazier returning for their final year, they are determined to head to the State Championships and win.
“Our schedule has been a lot tougher this year,” commented Dexter Coach Chad Allen. “Probably the toughest schedule ever in the history of the girls basketball in Dexter and look what we have accomplished so far this year."
The Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs defeated the Cape Central Lady Tigers in the District semifinal following the Bearcats win on Monday. The Lady Bulldogs will be competing in the District finals on Thursday.
The last time the Cats and Bulldogs went head-to-head and competed was on February 5th at the BEC and the Lady Cats came out on top 74-42. The Bulldogs will be looking to even the score.
The Dexter Lady Bearcats will be in action on Thursday, February 28th to compete against the Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs in the District Championship Game at the Bearcat Event Center. Game Time is 6:00 p.m.
Come on Bearcat nation, let’s fill the house with red and black and support our girls!! Let’s Go Lady Cats!!
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Travis Waldner, Mason Keena, and Parker Vanslyke wrestle with the Jackson USA Wrestling Club. They were competing at AAU State Championships this weekend.
Travis placed 4th in the 75 lb weight class division with 16 other wrestlers in his bracket. Way to go Travis! After losing his first match he came back to win three matches to put him in the medal round. He then won his next match to place him in the 3 and 4 medal position. He was 4-2 for the day at AAU State Championships.
Mason Keena wrestled in the 80 lb weight class division and had 19 wrestlers in his bracket. He lost his bubble match and that put him in medal contention by a score of 1-2. Great job Mason!
Parker Vanslyke wrestled in the 95 lb weight class division and placed 6th. He had only 9 other opponents. He wrestled hard in his final match and it went into overtime. Unfortunately he lost that match, but what a day he had. Way to go Parker!
These three Dexter wrestlers will be competing very soon in the USA 8 District Championships on Saturday, March 9th at the Ste. Genevieve High School. We wish them the best of luck.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
The Lady Bearcats are the #1 seed for the tournament and have a record of 22-3 on the season. The Lady Pirates are 5th seeded with a record of 13-9. The Lady Pirates upset #4 seeded Kennett Indians to advance in the district tournament.
The second girls semifinal game on tonight will feature #2 seeded Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs against #3 seeded Cape Central Lady Tigers. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at the Bearcat Event Center. Whoever wins this game will play the Bearcats or Pirates for the Championship on Thursday, February 28th at 6:00 p.m.
Please support the Lady Bearcats and cheer for them as they fight to play in the championship game for 1st place in the district!
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Dexter, Missouri – The Class 4, District 1 Tournament was underway on Saturday night at the Bearcat Event Center with the Dexter Bearcats taking on the Kennett Indians.
The fourth seeded Indians were ready for action against the Bearcats. D.J. Dowdy shot for 15 points for the game, but it was not enough to beat the overwhelming scoring ability of Kevonte Mitchell who had an awesome 33 points in this district quarterfinal match-up.
With Kennett ahead in the first quarter by ten points, it was difficult for the Bearcats to keep the momentum going throughout the game. By half-time, the boys were down 28 – 11, scoring only 3 points in the second quarter. The Kennett Indians defense seemed unstoppable Saturday night and they wanted to win.
The Bearcats came out of the locker room at the half with more momentum than in the first two periods, scoring 13 points in the 3rd quarter. The Indians offensive players maintained large leads throughout the entire game while the Indians defense kept the Bearcats from scoring.Final Score Dexter Bearcats 36, Kennett Indians 73
This ends the season for the Dexter Bearcats but rest assured they will be ready again next year. They are losing some really good seniors this year, but keeping some top-notch juniors and sophomores. The Dexter community is very proud of the Bearcats and has enjoyed their basketball games throughout the season.
The Kennett Indian boys basketball team will continue on and play the #1 seeded Sikeston Bulldogs on Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m. in the district semifinal at the Bearcat Event Center.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Bloomfield, Missouri – There was a lot on the line Friday night as the Bernie Mules were about to see just how bad they wanted the District Championship. It was an extremely fast paced game and two tough competitors were neck and neck throughout the entire game.
The #1 seeded Bernie Mules were up to the challenge and finally prevailed over the #5 seeded South Pemiscot Bulldogs to win their 4th District Championship since 2009.
“It was hard fought game from the get-go,” Bernie Coach Brad Botsch said. “Hats off to South Pemiscot. I thought they really brought the intensity and played extremely hard. You have to give credit to the job Coach Bidewell has done and we feel fortunate to come out with a win!”
Bernie fans and South Pemiscot fans were on their feet most of the game cheering, screaming, and rocking the arena with music and chants. 
The Mules scored first with a 3 pointer, but the Bulldogs struck back with two of their own. They ran up and down the court so fast it was difficult to keep up with until time-outs were called or someone fouled. Even the referees were beginning to sweat a little trying to keep pace with the boys on the court.
Leading scorer for the Mules was David Baker, #31 who hit seven baskets and six points from the free-throw line, totaling 20 points on the night. Landon Woods, #10 had 11 points for the night including one 3-pointer and he was 2 for 2 at the free-throw line. B.J. Jennings, #12 contributed 8 points along with Sam Turner, #45 with 7 points including two 3-pointers and Joey Walker, #40 with 2 points.
Coach Brad Botsch said, "I’m really proud of our kids for gutting this win out. This was a tough, physical, defensive oriented game and you have to play gutsy basketball in order to pull out games like this. I’m really happy for our three seniors and all our guys for the hard work they have put in this season. Winning a district championship never gets old, and it makes all the time, hard work, and effort we put in to this season worthwhile."
Coach went on to say, "South Pemiscot really played hard. Coach Bidewell has done an excellent job down there and his kids pushed us to the limit. You have to give them a lot of credit for our struggles tonight offensively. They really played hard and hats off to them for the season they had."
"We had guys step up for us down the stretch when we really needed a key rebound, defensive stop, or bucket. Our entire team contributed in a positive way in some form. We’re really proud of our kids, and hope to keep winning,” stated Coach Botsch.
With just over a minute left in the fourth quarter, the Mules had their biggest lead of the game, 46-41. They won with a final score of 48-45. A very close win for the Bernie Mules and a heartbreaker loss to the South Pemiscot Bulldogs.
The Bernie Mules will play Winona in the Class 2 sectional on Wednesday, February 27th at 6:30 p.m. at Three Rivers College Bess Activity Center in Poplar Bluff. Winona is top seeded and defeated the #2 seeded Thayer in the Class 2, District 2, title game Friday night.
“I don’t think there is any team we cannot play with or beat on the way to Columbia,” Botsch stated. “I really believe that and I think our kids believe that also. I don’t know a whole lot about the teams yet, but I’ll do a lot of scouting over the weekend and make some contact. We are going to do the absolute best job!”
The Bernie Mules will be signing District Championship T-shirts on Tuesday, February 26th at 3:30 p.m. at the Bernie High School. Everyone is welcome to come out and get your autograph!
