Bearcats no match for Bulldogs

Joe Siebert scored a game-high 25 points and Nathan Meystedt added 18 as Notre Dame Regional High School encountered little resistance in a 81-53 SEMO Conference win over Dexter Thursday night at the Bearcat Event Center.

Notre Dame's press took its toll early in the game forcing seven turnovers before Tyler Miller netted Dexter first points at the 3:06 mark of the first quarter. During that stretch Dexter managed to put up just four shots, three of those 3-pointers.

Fortunately for the Bearcats, the Bulldogs were also struggling on the offensive end of the court and could only manage a 14-7 lead heading into the second quarter.

JERRY JARRELL-jjarrell@dailystatesman.com Dexter's Cody Neldon hangs in the air while driving the lane during Thursday's contest against Notre Dame Regional High School at the Bearcat Event Center.

"We didn't play with very much energy, very much passion," a disappointed Dexter coach Rob Nichols said after the game. "We just came out flat. I think Notre Dame was a little flat at the start.

"We just turned it over and never would really attack the press," he added. "We basically got what we deserved."

Despite 17 first half turnovers (29 for the game), Notre Dame could only manage a 36-23 half-time lead. But the Bearcats opened the second half much like they opened the game, committing five turnovers on their first six possessions as the Bulldogs raced to a 44-23 advantage.

"They got some quick turnover conversions off the press and got them going a little bit," Nichols said of his team's start to the second half. "Joe Siebert really had a big game. That's probably his season high right there. He shot it well, Meystedt played well. We changed defenses back and forth and we really never got stops. A lot of their offense came off our turnovers."

Jake Lee continued his stellar play under the basket, scoring 19 points to lead the Bearcats. D. J. Dowdy's 10 point effort included two 3-pointers, while Cody Neldon netted 8 in his first varsity start of the season.

Notre Dame improved to 8-5 on the season, while the Bearcats slipped to 3-9 overall, 0-4 in SEMO Conference play.

Dexter will be back in action tonight at Woodland in a SCAA league game. The game against the Cardinals will start of stretch of four straight SCAA games, that will include Bloomfield on the road, Bernie at home and Puxico on the road.

Dexter supports a 1-0 record in SCAA play, but Nichols knows it will be tough to pick up wins if the 'Cats continue to turn the ball over and struggle to find offense.

"If we play like this tomorrow night (Friday) we'll have our hands full with Woodland," Nichols said. "That team is capable of beating you.

"It was definitely a let down from our effort at the Christmas Tournament," he added of his team's first game since the holiday tournament. "I just didn't see that same kind of fire or energy, ever tonight.

"Anytime we play in the county, those teams, we've got a big target on our backs," he continued. "They want to beat us. We'll get a good effort out of Woodland. They'll play hard. If we don't come out with a lot of intensity, and play well we are going to have a tough time winning."

NOTE: Dexter has been struggling at the free throw line this season, but the Bearcats produced a 9-of-10 effort from the charity strip against the Bulldogs.