Harris is perfect as Lady 'Cats advance

PARK HILLS, Mo. - As the near capacity crowd filed out of the Mineral Area College gymnasium after Wednesday night's girls Class 4 sectional game between Dexter and North County, most of them were unaware that they had just witness perfection on the basketball court.

Sure they knew Brittany Harris had scored a bunch of points in Dexter's lopsided 71-33 win over North County, but they weren't aware of what the recorded-setting Lady Bearcat senior had just accomplished.

Harris, Dexter's all-time leading scorer, had just help lead her team back to the MSHSAA quarterfinals without missing a single shot from the field or the free throw line. Harris was a perfect 13-of-13 from the floor, a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line while putting up a game-high 31 points.

JERRY JARRELL photo - Dexter's Brittany Harris (No. 24) takes a entry pass in the paint, during the second half of Wednesday night's MSHSAA Class 4 Sectional playoff game at Mineral Area College in Park Hills.

"That's her first perfect night probably ever," Dexter head coach Chad Allen said after the impressive win. "She had a great game and I thought girls did a great job of running the floor and getting it inside to her."

Dexter blew the game open in the third quarter as the state-ranked Lady 'Cats exploded for 31 points while limiting the Lady Raiders to just two. A 29-18 half-time lead swelled to 60-20 heading into the final eight minutes of play and brought the mercy clock into play.

"I think the girls took it to heart that first half and how they played defensively," Allen said. "And I thought they wanted to come out and really get after it and show how they could really play."

JERRY JARRELL photo - Mollie Whitehead (No. 3) gets a hand on a North County pass during the second half of Wednesday night's MSHSAA Class 4 Sectional playoff game at Mineral Area College in Park Hills.

Dexter forced nine turnovers on North County's first 13 possessions of the second half, opening the period on a 22-0 run before Brandi Hartup stopped the bleeding at the 2:52 mark.

"Really, defensively we didn't move our feet real well that first half," Allen noted. "I thought we did a poor job of containing the dribbler and keeping them in front of us. That second half, especially that third quarter limiting them to just two points... I just thought we moved our feet better. I thought we contained the ball better and most importantly I think we just sort of wore them down that first half and made the big run in the third quarter."

Harris and Hannah Noe sparked the second-half charge, combining to score 25 of the 31 points put up by the Lady 'Cats. The offense fed off of the defense. Noe scored all nine of her points in the third while Harris knocked down 16 of her 31 in the frame.

"We also hit some big shots from the preimiter," Allen added. "Hannah Noe and Erika Cobb (10 points) knocked some shots down and sort of opened it up inside even more. I thought offensively we weren't in a very good rhythm that first half. The second half, we were in a whole lot better rhythm and most of it was keyed off our defense."

Dexter forced a total of 29 turnovers on the night.

With the victory, Dexter is now 25-3 and one win away from a trip to the Final Four in Columbia. The Lady 'Cats will play Rosati-Kain Saturday night at 7:45 at the Farmington Civic Center. Dexter was eliminated from the playoffs last season in the quarterfinal round at the Civic Center by Miller Career Academy. Rosati-Kain (11-17) advanced Wednesday night with a 47-44 win over Lutheran South.

"We'll have to see who wins that game between Rosati-Kain and Lutheran South," Allen said, before knowing the outcome between his team's upcoming playoff opponent. "But we'll definitely get them prepared for whoever it is. We just need to play like we did that second half for all four quarters."

Note: View more photos from the game at the Daily Stateman's web site under Photo Galleries.