Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Columbia, Missouri - The consolation game of the Missouri State Basketball Championship could be compared to “kissing your sister”. The Lady Bearcats left the MIZZOU Arena on Thursday with high hopes of returning on Friday afternoon to become the first Bearcat team to capture a win in the final four tournament bracket. Only two Bearcat teams in the history of the school have made the trip but DHS has yet to be able to mark a win.
Coming off a stunning loss against Incarnate Word by a score of 66-25, the ‘Cats determination did not work out as they had planned. The Lady ‘Cats were simply unable to jump start their offensive game early in the contest against the Smithville Warriors and were defeated by a score of 54 to 35.
Smithville was returning to the Final Four contest for the third year in a row, so this team was sporting a tremendous amount of playoff experience. The Warriors finished second in Class 4A the past two years, losing this year to Webb City in the semifinals by one point, 54 to 53.
Winning the opening tip off, the Bearcats patiently worked the basketball around the perimeter searching for that open shot. The Warriors offered their own brand of patience as they continued a strong defensive stand against the Lady ‘Cats.
Unsuccessful in their first attempt offensively, Smithville’s Kyli Nelson forced a turnover and went the length of the court for the opening basket. Very quickly, Bethany Piece for the Warriors followed with a 3-pointer to help her team take a 5 to 0 lead. This was a strong indicator of the strength held by the Smithville team.
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Brittany Harris finally got the Bearcats offense started with a quick move inside. Brittney continued her scoring to eventually get the ‘Cats even with an 8 to 8 score with 3:34 remaining in the first quarter. An excellent rebound by Erika Cobb created a fast break opportunity of the ‘Cats to take the lead, but the ‘Cats were tied offensively and the jump ball arrow turned the ball back over to the Warriors.
The Warriors battled by adding 4 additional points before the end of the quarter. But variety was not the best friend of the Lady ‘Cats as all four field goals were made by Harris and were all from inside in the paint area.
The second quarter continued to show the offensive variety of Smithville as they gathered their points from all over the MIZZOU arena. Many of their points were created from Bearcat turnovers and came from inside the paint, off of fast breaks as well as second chance opportunities.
Smithville went on a 10-point run in the second quarter with the help of Pige Imoff and Madison Nelson. But the Bearcat’s Hannah Noe stepped in with only 3:46 remaining in the half to break the Warrior run. Free throws by Paige Patterson and Brittany Harris added to Makayla Waldner’s field goal and bonus shot to bring the ‘Cats within 4-points.
However, Smithville’s Pige Imoff had another field goal to add before the end of the half, making the halftime score a 6-point difference, 24 to 18 in favor of the Warriors. Well within reach, the Lady ‘Cats continued to find a way to overcome adversity and battle back in the contest.
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The third quarter became a true turning point in the game as Smithville outscored the Bearcats 17 to 5. Smithville continued to create scoring opportunities from turnovers of the Bearcats, while pushing the ball inside to the paint.
A typical “hot-hand” from the three-point line, the Bearcats had not been successful on a single three-point shot in six quarters of play in Columbia. Going 0 for 10 in the previous game against Incarnate Word, three-point land was basically shutdown until Erika Cobb added the only long range shot for the ‘Cats at the 6:11 mark of the third quarter. Hannah Noe added a layout up late in the quarter.
With foul trouble looming over the Bearcats, overcoming the 41 to 23 lead of the Warriors was a tall order. Brittany Harris dropped in 7-points in the final quarter, along with a free throw by Mollie Whitehead, but it proved to be too little to overcome the third quarter lead Smithville had established.
With nothing to lose, freshman Dakota Reynolds came off the bench, adding two penetrating drives to the basket for four points. The final score ended with Smithville 54 and our beloved Dexter Lady ‘Cats 35.
Disappointment filled the faces of the Lady ‘Cats as they accepted the ending fate of the game. With an obvious great 2012-13 season, a little time would need to be injected into both bitter loses received in Columbia. Dexter proudly received their fourth place trophy and medals and celebrated a great season.
“It was a tough game for us and we just didn’t get off to a very good start,” commented Chad Allen, head coach of the Lady Bearcats. “Smithville finished 2nd in the State the past two years here and they have a lot of playoff experience.”
The Bearcats struggled overall during the game with 22 turnovers and being outscored by the Warriors 17 to 5 in the third quarter.
“Points didn’t come as easy for us,” noted Allen. “I think it had a little to do with nerves.”
The Bearcats were led in scoring by the Dexter High School career leading scorer, Brittany Harris. She had 17-points on the night. The senior was followed by Hannah Noe and Dakota Reynolds each with four points and Makayla Waldner and Erika Cobb with 3-points.
“Brittany had great games in both games of this tournament,” added Coach Allen.
When asked about the loss of his senior leadership, Coach Allen shared that he’d been coaching these two young ladies since they were in the seventh grade.
“OH YEA – I’m gonna miss these two,” said Chad. “I’m definitely gonna miss them.”
Congratulations to the Dexter Lady Bearcat Basketball Team. You'll always be champions in the hearts of your fans.
“I have had a great time with my teammates. This season was so much fun,” noted Brittany Harris. “Our team was really good this year because we were so close.”
“This season was a lot of hard work with a lot of great memories,” added Katelynn Frazier. “It was just a good season.”
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
The dashed hopes of the Lady Cats became evident on their faces as the strong offense and unrelenting defense of the Red Knights dominated the entire contest.
“We talk about dictating the tone of the contest right off the bat and thought we did a good job doing that,” stated Incarnate Word Head Coach Dan Rolfes. “We attacked the basket and I think holding them (Dexter) to two points defensively in the first quarter set the tone of the game.”
With 4:51 remaining in the first quarter, Brittany Harris made a powerful move to the basket and was sent to the free throw line. Harris was able to break the ice making both shots. Having held the Red Knights to 7 points, the Lady Cats had a brief ray of hope with the score 7 to 2.
The rebounds were not going Dexter’s way as the talented 6’ 1” power forward, Napheesa Collier quickly sparked the Red Knights with her dominance on the boards. As a sophomore, Collier’s height and long arms were difficult to overcome for the Bearcats.
To add misery to the madness, Incarnate Word's guard Nakiah Bell displayed a soft touch from outside the three-point line, closing out the first quarter by draining a long shot for three at the buzzer. The Red Knights held a commanding lead of 21-2.
The Lady Cats remained poised throughout the entire game, patiently working the ball offensively in search of a scoring opportunity that never revealed itself. The Bearcats were able to penetrate the paint forcing the Red Knights into foul situations. The Bearcats were 15 of 19 from the charity stripe with a 78.9% average on the night.
The Red Knights continued to control both the offensive and defensive boards throughout the second quarter. A brief offensive spark by seniors Brittany Harris and Katelynn Frazier cut into their opponent’s lead, but the Lady Knights battled back to close out the half with a 26-point margin, 36 to 10.
The Bearcats showed real character in the third quarter with aggressive drives to the basket. The Bearcats were able to accumulate 10 points on the quarter with field goals by Katelynn Frazier, Brittany Harris and Hannah Noe and free throws by Makayla Waldner and Mollie Whitehead.
Incarnate Word would not remove the offensive pressure outscoring the Bearcats 21 to 10 in the third. Junior Nakiah Bell performed masterful as she worked the outside perimeter, dishing the ball inside to McKeena Treece and Napheesa Collier on a regular basis. When Nakiah wasn’t pushing the ball inside, she rained field goals for her total 28-points on the night.
A low scoring final quarter ended quickly as the mercy clock was evoked in the semifinal game. The Red Knights added an additional 9-points to win the contest by a final score of 66 to 25.
Incarnate Word simply was a very talented group of lady athletes. If there is any consolation prize for the Lady Bearcats, their performance was admirable against players that will certainly compete at the division one level in colleges.
“It was tough to see them (Incarnate Word) come from class five to class four,” commented Bearcat Head Coach Chad Allen. “They are an extremely talented team.”
The Red Knights had a good night on the boards with 15 offensive and 20 defensive rebounds. The Bearcats had 22 rebounds on the night, 9 offensive and 13 defensive. Erika Cobb had a great performance leading the Bearcats with 7 rebounds on the night, followed by Brittany Harris with four.
“We all were nervous obviously,” Harris said. “None of our shots were falling. We weren’t really aggressive driving to the basket. I think we let them being ranked in the nation get to us.”
Unfortunately, the Bearcats were unable to get anything rolling offensively. Overall, the Cats were unable to connect on a 3-point shot in the contest, which is typically a major strength of their offensive attack. Furthermore, the follow-up shots were not falling for them with their inside game. The Lady Cats shot 13% (5 of 31) on field goals on the night.
The Bearcats will take on the Smithville Warriors on Friday at 1:40 p.m. at MIZZOU Arena in Columbia. Smithville Warriors was defeated by Webb City by a score of 54 to 53 this evening.
“We just have to get over this game,” commented senior Katelynn Frazier. “No Dexter team has come this far and actually won a game. That would be a big deal for our team and our town.”
One Team One Dream! You girls got this! The Dexter community is proud of the Lady Bearcats and what they have accomplished. They are heroes on and off the court. Gaige knows you are playing for him and he can't wait to meet all of you! You are already #1 in his eyes!
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Dexter, Missouri - The Lady Bearcats will be headed to Columbia for the ShowMe Showdown Final Four Championship games following the Pep Rally at the Bearcat Event Center at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday morning. With a record of 26-3, they have had one awesome season! Now they face undefeated Incarnate Word with an impressive record of 29-0.
Game time is 6:50 p.m. Thursday, March 14th.
This is only the second trip to the ladies state tournament in the school’s history. The last time was in 2009. These girls are impressive. They have set the bar high and have been working towards this dream for four years. They are inspired, excited, dedicated, and committed to winning. No matter win or lose Thursday night, they are heroes to Dexter Bearcat fans. This small town is alive with Bearcat Fever! The girls’ motto of One Team One Dream has become everyone’s motto.
Who is Incarnate Word? It is a private, all female Catholic Academy located in St. Louis, Missouri. There are about 380 female students and 100% of their graduates go on to college and universities. They are dedicated to their basketball team, no different than Dexter. They practice daily, no different than Dexter. They are good and so are the Lady Cats. Do not estimate the Dexter Bearcats, as they want to win just as much or more than the Red Knights.
Coach Allan knows his team, he believes in his girls. He knows they have it in them to WIN! Incarnate Word may be ranked #1 in the state, but the Lady Bearcats are #1 in our hearts and we love them. They are heroes to so many young students and each year they inspire girls to try-out for high school basketball. They are model citizens, leaders in our community, admired by many and well respected in Dexter.
The Red Knights can be defeated! They are not immortal and they are not unbeatable. Dexter is ranked #11 in the state according to MaxPreps and is 5-0 in the District.
Incarnate Word fell to Class 5 Rock Bridge in the semifinals last season, but then dropped down to Class 4 this year. The schools they have been playing are smaller and the challenge was just not there. On the other hand Dexter has stepped up this year and has an extremely tough group of competitors all year long.
It’s anyone’s game Thursday night, but one thing is for sure…….Lady Bearcats are #1 in the hearts of everyone in Dexter and we are proud you represent us in the Final Four. Whether on or off the court these ladies are awesome! You got this! Go Cats!
The ShowMe Times will be in Columbia catching all the action and will update throughout the Final Four ShowMe Showdown.
You can also watch from your computer on the 2013 MSHSAA Class 4 Girls Basketball Semifinal #1 (Event): Missouri: PlayOn! Sports on the website www.mshsaa.playonsports.com as they will have it live.
Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Dexter, Missouri – The Dexter High School welcomes new Head Football Coach Justin Peden. He is the head coach of the Hayti Indians Football program.
Coach Peden is not a native to Missouri, but is originally from Bolivar, Ohio. This small town is about twenty minutes south of Canton, Ohio. He graduated from Tusky Valley High School in 1997 and attended Heidelberg College, where he played offensive line.
Coach Peden finished his degree at the University of Central Arkansas, where he was a member of Phi Alpha Theta, an honors society for History majors. While living in Little Rock he met his wife, Jennifer. They have been married for eight years and have a wonderful son Jaxson, who is three.
Coach Peden has been at Hayti for seven years, the last two years as head coach. His team won the SEMO South Conference Title in 2011 with an undefeated conference record. He was named SEMO South Coach of the Year award.
During his time at Hayti his offense has set numerous school records, including most points in a game in 2012. He prides himself on running a program that the players and the community can be proud of. At Hayti he taught American History and American Government, raising the state test scores 45 and 58 percent respectively.
“I am very proud and excited to be named the new Head Coach at Dexter High School,” state Coach Peden. “I am ready to hit the ground running and put a product on the field that will be exciting to watch and create a sense of pride for both my players and the community.”
“I realize that a great responsibility has been given to me and I do not take that lightly, continued coach. “I know that with hard work from the coaches, the players, and myself we will be successful.”
Written by
Jessica Snider, SMT Writer
Dexter, MO- Tonight at Dexter High School, coaches will be honoring players of each winter sport at the 2013 Winter Sports Banquet.
The sporting participants to be recognized will be those from: boys and girls basketball, wrestling, basketball cheerleading, and dance team.
Senior players/participants will be recognized along with individual athletes who will receive awards.
All winter sports have drawn to a conclusion with the exception of the Lady Bearcat Basketball team who will be traveling to Columbia on Thursday for state competition.
