Dexter M.S. girls conclude basketball season with sweep of Sikeston

Note: A photo gallery with 13 photos of the action is available at this link: View Photos Here

DEXTER, Mo. - The Dexter Bearcats seventh and eighth grade girls basketball teams ended their seasons with home victories Thursday night.

The Dexter seventh grade improved to 11-1 with a 50-31 win against the Sikeston Bulldogs.

Sikeston gave Dexter everything it wanted and more early.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 9-4 lead and led 9-8 after the first quarter.

The Bearcats limited Sikeston to one field goal in the first five minutes of the second quarter as it soared ahead 22-12 with 1:31 left in the first half. Dexter forced multiple turnovers with a press defense during the spurt.

Sikeston cut the deficit to 25-23 with 3:28 left in the third period but never got closer at the Bearcats outscored the Bulldogs 25-6 in the final nine minutes of regulation.

Dexter's Chaylea Mosby and Sikeston's Tebrya Benford tallied most of the points.

Mosby hit 15 2-point field goals on her way to a game-high 32 points.

Benford recorded a field goal in every quarter. She finished with a team-high 21 points.

The Dexter seventh grade's only loss in the 2013 season was to Jackson

7th Grade Girls:

Dexter 50, Sikeston 31

SIK 9 7 9 6 - 31

DEX 8 16 9 17 - 50

SIKESTON (31) - Sydney Stark 7, Tebrya Benford 21, Zaria Blissett 3. FG 13, FT 4/9, F 8. (3-pointers: Stark 1. Fouled out: none)

DEXTER (50) - Maycie Martin 2, Anna Bishop 2, Natalie Sitze 2, Maci McBride 2, Liza King 2, Keirstan Keirsey 2, Rylee Allen 4, Chaylea Mosby 32, Team 2. FG 24, FT 2/6, F 8. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none)

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DUSTIN WARD - dward@dailystatesman.com Dexter eighth grader Madelyn Webb takes a jumper.

The Dexter eighth grade improved to 12-1 with a 36-21 win against Sikeston.

Dexter led 10-1 at the 2:25 mark of the first quarter. The Bearcats increased its lead to 22-6 by halftime.

Sikeston trailed 30-10 at the end of the third quarter. The Bulldogs outscored the Bearcats 11-6 in the final six minutes of regulation.

Hannah Thurmon hit all three of Dexter's treys, including two in the first three minutes of the game. She scored a field goal in every quarter and finished with a game-high 21 points.

Madelyn Webb was the only Dexter player to make a free throw. She finished with five points.

Gloria Bennett led Sikeston with eight points.

The Dexter eighth grade won its last 12 games after dropping its season-opener at Doniphan.

8th Grade Girls:

Dexter 36, Sikeston 21

SIK 3 3 4 11 - 21

DEX 12 10 8 6 - 36

SIKESTON (21) - Gloria Bennett 8, Hailey Noon 4, Makiyla Jones 1, Olivia Nash 7, Morgan Merrill 1. FG 8, FT 5/11, F 13. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none)

DEXTER (36) - Madyson Crockett 4, Hannah Thurmon 21, Lauren Rascher 2, Taylor Wells 4, Madelyn Webb 5. FG 16, FT 1/10, F 14. (3-pointers: Thurmon 3. Fouled out: none)