Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Poplar Bluff, MO – Senior Erika Cobb helped propel the Bearcats to a victory with back-to-back 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the game. A little foul trouble early in the game put seniors Hannah Noe and Alison Jarell in a pickle, but the Bearcats persevered and defeated Park Hill 59 – 42 in the Class 4 state sectional.
“At the start of the game we definitely wanted to try to put a lot of pressure on them,” commented Dexter’s head basketball coach Chad Allen. “We actually got in some foul trouble, but our pressure was good and we wore them down. Overall, I thought our sophomores stepped up and had a great game tonight.”
“Erika Cobb did a really good job at the start of the game,” continued Allen. “She looked to score, was really active and stepped up at the beginning for us.”
It was a little scary going into the second quarter. The Bearcats were up by only by 2 points. However Hannah Noe came back off the bench and tallied eight points to help increase the margin by ten points going into the locker at half-time.
“The first time we played Park Hills they played us close the first half,” Allen said. “I thought if we put pressure on their guards they would have a tough time getting the ball and if we continued to pressure we could wear them down. The second half I thought we did just that.”
Dexter’s defense kept the Rebels to only nine points in the third quarter. Sophomore MaKayla Waldner hit two treys and drew a charge in the fourth quarter off Sydney Skaggs who fouled out. Skaggs led Park Hills with a team-high 15 points before leaving the game and was the only Rebel in double figures.
“It was a big charge,” commented Allen. “I could see it coming and MaKayla was definitely excited about it. Coach Size and I were excited too.”
Hannah Noe tallied a game-high 20 points for the Bearcats.
Erika Cobb added 18 points including four 3-pointers.
Paige Patterson and Dakota Reynolds each added 6 points.
MaKayla ended the night with a total of 7 points, two treys and one free throw.
Park Hills ends their season with a record of 26 – 2, both losses were to the Dexter Bearcats.
Dexter will advance to the Class 4 state quarterfinals. The Lady ‘Cats 25 – 3 will play Battles out of Columbia, Missouri (12 – 15) on Saturday, March 15th at the Farmington Civic Center. Game time 6:00 p.m.
When asked about Battles, “I’ve already got some film on them. We will break it down and get ready for them,” stated Allen.
Written by
Jessica Danielle, SMT Writer
The Vipers are a minor league team playing in the United Basketball League which is a spring league in the Southern United States. It was founded by Mac Claire in 2006 as the Regional Basketball Leauge with the UBL having it's inaugural season in the spring of 2008.
Their goal is to provide stable, family-friendly basketball teams for all to enjoy, the UBL plays with 12 teams in cities in Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
Vipers Head Coach is Austin Bridges and Assistant Coach is Brian Nelson.
Players are: Ross Whelan 6'8" Poplar Bluff, Caleb Johnson 6'3" Scott County Central, Cameron Wiggins 6'1" Sikeston, Dillion Steen 6'2" Bloomfield Guards- Stewart Johnson 5'11" Scott County Central, Drew Thomas 6'1" Scott County Central, Julian Beard 6'2" Sikeston, Randy Timmons 6'0" Scott County Central, Alan Timmons 5'7" Scott County Central, Zach Pounds 6'1" Bloomfield, Derrick Caldwell 6'0" Bloomfield, Aaron Tilley 6'3" Bloomfield, Jeremy Granstaff 5'6" Clarkton, Antron Jones 6'0" Clarkton, and Casey Redden 5'10" Clarkton, Missouri.
Their first home game of the season will be Saturday, March 15th at 7 p.m. at the Dexter Parks & Recreation Gym on Fairground Drive off Hwy 114 against the Jackson, Mississippi Tornadoes.
If you would like to find out more about this team, check them out on their Facebook Page by clicking HERE.
Their schedule is as follows:
Saturday, April 5th 6:00 p.m. (HOME) Little Rock Warriors
Saturday, April 26th 5:00 p.m. (AWAY) Jackson, Mississippi Tornadoes
Saturday, May 10th 6:00 p.m. (TBD) Little Rock Bobcats
Saturday, May 17th 6:00 p.m. (HOME) Little Rock Bobcats
Saturday, Ma31st All Star Weekend in Addison , Texas
Saturday, June 7th 6:00 p.m. (HOME) Little Rock Bobcats
Saturday, June 14th 1st Round Playoffs (AWAY) Little Rock, AR
Saturday, June 21st UBL Championship (AWAY) Addison, TX
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Cape Girardeau, Missouri – It’s a 4-peat!! Dexter Lady ‘Cats earn another Class 4 District 1 Championship defeating the Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs 65 – 58 in overtime! The win is pretty special to four Dexter seniors, as they have won four District Championships.
“It was pretty nerve-racking,” Dexter’s sophomore MaKayla Waldner said of the overtime. “But we knew we had to come together and play as a team.” This is Waldner’s second District Championship.
"Anytime we play a Notre Dame team it's always going to be tough," Allen said. "Those eight seniors definitely didn't want to go out their senior year with a loss and they played with a lot of heart and passion. We really had to work our tails off to pull out this game."
Bearcat fans went wild when Alison Jarrell hit a 3-pointer for the first points in overtime. It was the girls could do to contain their excitement. They were on a roll now and nothing could stop them from a win.
“I told Alison Jarrell when she was subbed out she was going to hit a big three for us at the end of the game,” continued head Coach Chad Allen. “As soon as she went in we ran a play for her to shoot a 3-pointer in the corner and she nailed it.”
“This was the biggest 3-pointer of her career,” commented Allen. She gave Dexter a 55 – 52 lead with just under three minutes remaining in overtime and gave the girls momentum to come up with the win.
“Coach Allen had it drawn up on the board and we figured out how to rotate right and after that we executed very well,” stated senior guard Alison Jarrell.
Steals and free throws were implemented extremely well during the overtime portion of the game. MaKayla Waldner had two back-to back steals, which helped the girls increase their lead.
“We have been working on defense a lot in practice and those two steals definitely sealed the deal in the game,” Hannah Noe said of MaKayla Waldner.
“When we starting subbing offense for defense MaKayla came up with some big steals at the end and we hit some big free throws as well.”
Hannah Noe and MaKayla Waldner each hit four free throws in the overtime portion.
Another impressive Lady ‘Cat was Melanie McKuin. “Melanie played one of her best games for us and really set the tone, not only handling the ball out front, but also defensively,” commented Coach Allen. “She got some good steals at the beginning of the game and scored off some of those turnovers. She had a great game, not only offensively, but defensively as well.”
Hannah Noe finished with a game-high 27 points and was 10 of 12 from the charity stripe. She also contributed a 3-pointer.
“Hannah did a great job of trying to calm the girls down.” Coach Allen said. “She thrives in a game like this and is a big time player. She really helped them keep their composure.”
Paige Patterson #22 was also in double figures for the Bearcats tallying 10 points. Both Melanie McKuin and Erika Cobb added 9 points each. McKuin shot 67% from the field and 100% at the charity stripe. Cobb hit two 3-pointers and so did Alison Jarrell. Way to go ladies!!!
Dakota Reynolds summed the game up the best saying, “We did pretty good tonight. Our defense has gotten a lot better throughout the year and we were ready for them tonight!”
Dexter 24-3 will play Park Hills Central 26-1 on Wednesday, March 12th at 6:30 p.m. in a Class 4 sectional at Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff. Park Hill’s only loss this season was to Dexter in January when the Bearcats defeated them 77 – 58.
“Park Hills is a team that has really improved. They lost their point guard pretty much the whole season last year and they really struggled without her,” commented Coach Allen. “The Skaggs girls are pretty good post players and they have got a lot of size. We played them once before and we know it’s going to be a tough game again. We will have to look at some film and see what we can improve on from last time. I know we beat them last time, but any game from here on out we’ve got to be ready to play.”
Final Score Dexter 65 Notre Dame 58 OVERTIME
Notre Dame 15 18 6 13 6 - 58
Dexter 16 18 9 9 13 - 65
Notre Dame (58) - Kaitlin Welter 12, Annie Siebert 10, Karsen Powers 13, Shelby Beussink 4, Halle Lynch 8, Taylor Feeney 2, Madeline Rosenquist 4, Kayce Landewee 5. FG 20, FT 13/15, F 20 (3-pointers: Kaitlin Welter 2, Karsen Powers 1, Kayce Landewee 1, Annie Siebert 1. Fouled Out: none)
Dexter (65) - Hannah Noe 27, Melanie McKuin 9, Alison Jarrell 6, Erika Cobb 9, Paige Patterson 10, MaKayla Waldner 4. FG 21, FT 18/22, F 20 (3-pointers: Hannah Noe 1, Alison Jarrell 2, Erika Cobb 2. Fouled Out: none)
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Cape Girardeau, Missouri – The Dexter Lady ‘Cats easily defeated the Kennett Lady Indians, but the real excitement of the night was Paige Patterson reaching her 1,000th career point.
Patterson knew coming into the game that she could acheive the same milestone that three of her classmates had reached earlier in the season. She got her chance in the third quarter when she went to the charity stripe.
“I was kind of nervous,” stated Patterson, “But I knew I had to step up and knock it down.” As the ball sank, cheers from Bearcat fans were heard throughout the gym! Because of District play, the announcer was unable to note her accomplishment.
“It was a team effort,” commented Patterson. “We didn’t do it by ourselves. We all helped each other reach our goals.”
“She was definitely excited about it,” Dexter head coach Chad Allen commented. “She has been working hard. That 1,000th point was definitely a goal of hers and it was big for her, especially since she had three teammates already get to 1,000. It’s good to get it over with so we can get focused on the District championship game.”
Patterson was the fourth Bearcat to reach her 1,000th point this season. Seniors Hannah Noe and Alison Jarrell both reached their goal in the same game against the Kennett Indians back in regular season play in January. Erika Cobb, also a senior, reached her 1,000th point against the Jackson Indians in February.
The Bearcats overpowered the Indians early in the first quarter. Paige Patterson scored first and by the end of the first quarter it was 24 – 5.
“Defensively, I thought we were really active, got after them in the full court, put a lot of pressure on them and created a lot of turnovers,” continued Allen. ‘ We did a great job of matching up, to only in the full court, but also in the half court.”
Dexter’s defense was really good. They held Kennett to only one field goal in the second and third quarters giving the Bearcats quite the lead at half 53 – 7. By the end of the third quarter it was a 68 – 9.
Hannah Noe scored a game-high 21 points.
Alison Jarrell tallied 15 points including one trey. She was also 100% at the charity stripe hitting 4 free throws.
Paige Patterson hit 14 points including her 1,000th career point with an awesome free throw.
MaKayla Waldner hit one 3-pointer.
For the fourth straight year it will be a Dexter-Notre Dame Class 4, District 1, Championship game on Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. at the Cape Central High School.
“We’ve been preparing,” stated Patterson. “We are ready. We’ve been playing a lot of defense. Defense wins championships, so we have been working on that as a team. We are going to have to play our ‘A’ game.”
“Notre Dame is always tough,” according to Coach Allen. “They have got eight seniors. I know they are hungry and so are we. It’s going to be a tough game.”
Good luck to tonight! Go Bearcats! One Team One Dream!
Final Score Dexter 75 Kennett 17
Kennett 5 2 2 8 - 17
Dexter 24 29 15 7 - 75
Kennett (17) - Khadijah Whitfield 3, Shondrea Wynne 4, Hadley Hilburn 2, Heidi Shetley 8. FG 7, FT 5/10, F 13. (3-pointers: none. Fouled Out: none)
Dexter (75) - Dakota Reynolds 7, Hannah Noe 21, Melanie McKuin 4, Alison Jarrell 15, Erika Cobb 6, Paige Patterson 14, MaKayla Waldner 4, Cheyenne Mosby 2, Olivia Sitzes 2. FG 29, FT 15/20, F 12. (3-pointers: Alison Jarrell 1, MaKayla Waldner 1. Fouled Out: none)
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Bloomfield, Missouri – The Bernie Mules have something to be very proud of and they gained more than a second place win on Friday night! They graduate seven seniors – B.J. Jennings, Troy Kirkpatrick, Jr. R. Pregel, Jake Wagner, Bubby Schwent, Justin Stanfield, and Joey Walker and over the past four years have earned many titles, but most of all they learned about themselves and how to work together as a team.
They had one goal and that was to win each game. You don't have to love sports to realize that on or off the court, these young boys grew up to be impressive young men. They have so many good memories to last them a lifetime!
They may not have won that district title, but they won the hearts of their fans. They also earned first place wins at the Bernie Invitation Tournament, and the Stoddard County Athletic Association Tournament. They placed second in the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament and the Class 2, District 1 Tournament this season. Pretty impressive!
The Bernie Mules finished their season with a record of 23 – 6.
"We had a great season," according to head coach Brad Botsch . "Our kids have nothing to be ashamed of. We battled through a lot of adversity injury-wise and never really got to put a healthy team on the floor all year. I'd love to have seen what we could've done 100 % healthy, but injuries are part of the game and you just have to battle through them and keep competing. We've got a bunch of good kids whose hearts are broken, and we are going to miss those seven seniors. Even though we never like to lose, I'm proud of the season we had and the young men they've become."
South Pemiscot improved their record to 19-6 with the victory over the Mules 63 – 36.
"Coach Bidewell does a great job over there and he's probably going to win a lot of these," Botsch continued. "It was an outstanding performance by South Pemiscot and we wish them the best of luck in the next round."
The Mules had an outstanding performance by senior, B.J. Jennings, who hit a team high 15 points including one trey. He was the only Mule in double figures.
Matt Vernon and Jake Wagner each had one 3-pointer.
Final Score South Pemiscot 63 Bernie 36
Bernie 12 9 6 9 - 36
South Pemiscot 16 6 14 27 - 63
Bernie (36) - Matt Vernon 3, Jacob Wagner 3, B.J. Jennings 15, Justin Stanfield 1, J.R. Pregel 2, Bubby Schwent 8, Joey Walker 4. FG 13, FT 7/13, F 12. (3-pointers: Matt Vernon 1, Jake Wagner 1, B.J. Jennings 1. Fouled Out: none)
South Pemiscot (63) - Jarvis Johnson 5, Anthony Primer 15, Jacob Trammel 10, Glen Jackson 6, Anton Wilbourn 3, Logan Carter 10, Contrell Johnson 14. FG 26, FT 5/8, F 16. (3-pointers: Jarvis Johnson 1, Jacob Trammel 3, Contrell Johnson 2. Fouled Out: none)
We wish them good luck in their future endeavors and are so very proud of their accomplishments. No Delay!
