Dexter girls best Sikeston 55-50, Dexter boys fall at Cape Central 75-47

SIKESTON -- If Thursday's regular season finale between Dexter and Sikeston is any indication of how the upcoming Class 4, District 1 tournament might end up then fans are certainly in for a treat.

Dexter edged Sikeston 55-50 at the Sikeston Field House in a game that had the feeling of playoff basketball.

The Bearcats put an end to Sikeston's 13-game winning streak, which is now its longest streak in school history, and possibly gained the upper hand in what many think will be a rematch come next week. Only next time the stakes will be much higher.

"It was a battle tonight," Dexter head coach Chad Allen said. "Both teams played hard and next week with the district coming up I know they won't look past anyone and we won't overlook anyone either. If we see each other again next week it will be another tough battle."

Krysten Garrison led Dexter (15-9) with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Melanie McKuin finished with 19.

The Bulldogs (19-5) were paced by Tyeshia Mitchell's 16 points and six rebounds. Erica Peet had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Tyra Bonner added nine.

"Our girls wanted to win the game. It didn't matter if districts were next week," Sikeston head coach Matt Schonhoff said. "This game meant so much. The season that we've had and the streak we've had, this was a gut-wrencher."

Sikeston missed the chance to wrap up it's first-ever SEMO Conference title and threw the whole conference race into uncertainty.

In April, the SEMO Conference bylaws were changed to allow a head-to-head tiebreaker in the case of two teams with identical conference records. The Bulldogs entered Thursday with an undefeated conference record while Dexter had one loss. With a Dexter win and under the new conference rules, the Bearcats would be considered the sole champions. But, Dexter has not completed a full conference schedule. Their game with Poplar Bluff was cancelled due to winter weather.

A decision from conference officials and athletic directors will be made at a later date.

Sikeston entered the fourth quarter of the back-and-forth affair down seven points. Twice they pulled within one with the latest being at the 1:14 mark after a bucket by Peet. Within the last minute Sikeston committed three turnovers and missed on two point-blank chances to tie the game.

Dexter shot 3 of 6 from the free throw line during that same span which was just enough to close out the win.

"This game was a game of spurts," Allen said. "We'd make a run, they'd make a run. It went back and forth."

Dexter's biggest advantage was 10 points which was made possible by a three-point play from Garrison to start the fourth quarter. From there, Sikeston scored eight-straight -- including three pointers from Bonner and Miranda Harrison -- to make it a 44-42 game with 5:19 remaining.

Dexter shot 8 of 12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Sikeston shot 6 of 15 from the field during that time.

Dexter 55, Sikeston 50

DHS 16 11 14 14 - 55

SHS 7 20 7 16 - 50

DEXTER (55) -- Dakota Reynolds 8, Melanie McKuin 19, Cheyenne Mosby 2, Hannah Thurmon 2, Krysten Garrison 22, Harley Allen 2. FG 20, FT 13-22, F 24. (3-pointers: Reynolds 1, McKuin 1. Fouled out: none.)

SIKESTON (50) -- Dominique Roach 1, Tyra Bonner 9, Zayteanna Williams 1, Erica Peet 11, Arianna Beard 4, Miranda Harrison 8, Tyeshia Mitchell 16. FG 13, FT 21-31, F 22. (3-pointers: Bonner 1, Harrison 2. Fouled out: none.)

Boys Basketball

Al Young scored 22 points to lead the Tigers in their regular-season finale conference win at home over the Bearcats to notch their 20th win of the season.

Peyton Montgomery sank 15 points, all from behind the arc, for Central (20-4). Andre Statam recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Chase Hagerty pulled down an additional 10 rebounds for the Tigers in their last home game of the season.

Ethan Flowers scored 22 points, including six 3-pointers, to pace Dexter (9-14). Jason Jarrell added 17 points for the Bearcats.

Cape Central 75, Dexter 47

Dexter 11 11 16 9 -- 47

Central 14 16 24 21 -- 75

DEXTER (47) -- Jason Jarrell 17, Jacob Pedigo 4, Austin Chesser 2, Ethan Flowers 22, Addison Moore 2. FG 12, FT 5-6, F 15 (3-pointers: Flowers 6. Fouled out: None.)

CENTRAL (75) -- Nikylus Thompson 3, Al Young 22, Peyton Montgomery 15, Jawone Newell 3, Chase Hagerty 8, Kway'Chon Chisom 5, Kaleb Ward 3, Andre Statam 12, Garrett Jackson 3. FG 17, FT 15-17, F 11 (3-pointers: Montgomery 5, Young, Newell, Chisom, Ward. Fouled out: None.)

JV -- Central won 66-21