Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
From jump shot to lay-ups to free-throws, those boys played their hearts out and the fans cheered with every basket. The Mules had a few wobbles in the beginning of the first period and were a little out of their groove, but they quickly stepped up and ran the court like champions.
"I think we could have played better offensively in the first half and our shooting woes came back to bite us in the second half." this according to Bernie's Head Coach Brad Botsch.
The fans were on the edge of their seats most of the game. The last five seconds were nail-biting! "I thought David Baker was going to will us to the win, but we just couldn't get over the hump and get the lead." stated Botsch.
With just 34 seconds remaining in the game, Bernie's Sam Turner missed a 3-pointer. Winona hit one of two free throws with 27 seconds left on the clock. Another foul and the Wildcats hit two more free throw shots. And with just seconds on the clock, Bernie's David Baker made a last second attempt to tie the game with a 3-pointer, but to no avail.
"It never feels good to lose your last one." Botsch continued, "We got down by 14 points at one point in the second half, and our kids could have given up and quit, but they didn't. We kept fighting and cut it to one there late in the quarter."
Senior, David Baker, #31 lead the team with 32 points. What a night for him! Way to go David!
B.J. Jennings #12 scored the most three 3-pointers in the game for nine points. One each in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters. Troy Kirkpatrick #14 scored two 3-pointers and one field goal giving him 7 points for the Mules. Senior Landon Woods, #10 scored a three pointer in the 1st quarter.
The Mules fought hard, but Winona seemed to be a little more aggressive on the court.
After is was all said and done, the Bernie Mules were unable to outscore the Winona Wildcats. It will be the last time they untie their shoes for this season as they lost by a score of 65 to 62. Just three points away evening the score and perhaps gettinng to the next level.
"I am really proud of our kids for the season they had. We played an extremely tough schedule for a Class 2 school and winning 23 games is a tremendous accomplishment." commented Coach Botsch. "We are really going to miss those three seniors. You will not find better young men than David, Landon, and Sam. I have really gotten close to those guys this year and appreciate the hard work and dedication that they have shown to our program. They are three of the best young men that I have ever coached! They will be hard to replace."
It was heartbreaking to say the least seeing three Seniors walk off the court for the last time of their high school career. Sam Turner #45, Landon Woods #10, and David Baker #31 have played basketball together for years. They are good friends on and off the court and push each other to do their best. With a hug and a pat on the back, Coach Botsch has always supported their efforts, win or lose. "The boys did their best tonight. We had our ups and downs, but Winona prevailed in the end. I am very proud of them and of our entire team."
What's next for the Bernie Basketball team? "We have some ability in the sophomore and junior classes. The task now is to see who develops the most and works the hardest between now and next year." stated Coach. "It is so hard to win a district and advance to the next step. Hopefully, our underclassmen will give us the opportunity to compete in this game again. It will be interesting to see who will improve the most as we have a very balanced group of 10 - 15 kids right now that we could see on the court playing next season."
Bernie ends their season with an impressive record of 23-7. They have won three tournaments and finished third in the 16 team Bloomfield Christmas Tournament and are the District Champions. What an awesome job they have done this year! And for them everyone is glad they are SOULED OUT!
Rolla, Missouri - The last time the Lady Miners from S&T University in Rolla faced the Rockhurst Hawks, the game ended in a loss. The Lady Miners nearly doubled their score from the last game against the Hawks in the first quarter and ended up coming out on top with a 61-47 win when the final buzzer sounded.
The Lady Miners instantly took the lead when the first half started and scored points for the first five out of six shots that were made. The Hawks attempted to catch up and narrowed the score into a four-point gap within the first few minutes. The Lady Miners played keep away with the Hawks for more than six whole minutes, scoring a total of twelve points while the Hawks only managed to toss a layup.
Katelyn Heil, a senior at S&T and a graduate of Dexter High School, scored seven out of the twelve points during the stretch in the first half. Heil shot two three pointers and concluded the six minute running with a free throw, bringing the score to 27 to 13. Things were not looking good for the Hawks, but they were definitely looking good for Heil as she continued to play strong and quick throughout the rest of the game.
The Hawks began to shorten the Lady Miners’ lead with only a minute left on the clock until the end of the second quarter. The Lady Miners pulled it together and shot two free throws, closing the first quarter with a score of 32 to 17. Throughout the half, the Lady Miners took a total of ten points from the Hawks due to turnovers.
Things were not looking good for the Hawks as they tried to keep up with the home team, who took advantage of another six minute scoring period. For a total of six whole minutes, the Lady Miners pushed their lead all the way to 21 and the Hawks could not get the ball long enough to attempt to score, leaving them with 17 points in the third quarter. With only ten minutes left, the Lady Miners continued to score and the Hawks put in two free throws.
The Lady Miners held the lead the entire game and extended their lead to twenty throughout the last ten minutes of the game. The home team only made seven shots throughout the second half but made 14 out of 20 free throws. Dexter’s very own, Katelyn Heil, was the lead scorer of the game with 12 points. Heil received 5 steals during the Rockhurst game, which was her personal best this season.
This was S&T’s second to last game of the regular season but the Lady Miners are preparing for their final competition against Drury on their home court tomorrow (February 28th). During their final game, they will be honoring their four seniors that have represented their team this year, including Heil.
Heil has played on the team all four years of her college career and played for the Dexter Bearcats throughout her high school years as well. She has started 20 out of 24 total games this season but has played in all 24. She has scored nearly 120 total points this far into the season and averages at 5. She has been a great addition to the Lady Miners Basketball Team but will leave the team due to graduating college in the spring, where she will receive her degree in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Pre-Physical Therapy.
The Dexter community is very proud of Heil and all of her accomplishments over the past couple of years at S&T along with her many years playing for the Bearcats.
Written by
Jessica Snider, SMT Writer
Dexter, MO- It's a busy week in the Bearcat Event Center as many district competition games have been played. The games got started on Saturday and will continue to be played throughout the remainder of this week.
Although there are many great games to be in attendance for, one that many people are talking about is the Lady Bearcat game to be played tomorrow night. The 23-3 Dexter Lady Bearcats will be taking on the 21-5 Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs for the District Championship.
Hopefully the Dexter Bearcats will feel the presence of their hometown filling up the bleachers surrounding their home court.
We ask everyone who can to come out in red and black Thursday night to support your Lady Bearcat Basketball Team as they take on Notre Dame for the championship at 6:00 P.M. in the Bearcat Event Center.
Good luck, LBB!
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!!
