Dexter edges Naylor 57-49 in Lady Royals Classic semifinal

BROSELEY, Mo. - The Dexter Bearcats varsity girls basketball team booked its third straight Lady Royals Classic championship date with the Neelyville Tigers Tuesday night.

No. 2 seeded Dexter outlasted the No. 3 seeded Naylor Eagles 57-49 in the nightcap semifinal Tuesday. Top-seeded Neelyville edged fourth-seeded Twin Rivers 63-57 in the other championship semifinal.

Dexter never trailed its semifinal, but also never led by much. The Bearcats' largest lead was 20-8 with 6:41 left in the first half. The Eagles trailed by only four at 29-25 at halftime and 36-32 at the start of the fourth quarter.

"Naylor's size definitely created some problems for us," Dexter coach Chad Allen said. "They are tough to stop defensively with their size, and I thought they did a good job of pounding it inside against us. Offensively, we haven't really shot the ball very well in this tournament compared to how we shot it at the start of the season. We need to knock down some shots Wednesday night against Neelyville."

Dexter's offense flourised early against Naylor as it built a 12-4 lead six minutes into the first quarter and increased its lead to 20-8 by the 6:41 mark of the second period.

Naylor ended the first half on a 15-8 run to cut the deficit to four by halftime.

"I thought we got off to a good start," Allen said. "Naylor made a big run, especially in the second quarter. Defensively, when you get a lead like that you really want to crank down and get after them more. But give coach Deckard credit. They were able to pound the ball inside and utilize their size."

Both teams were limited to three field goals in a third period that ended in a 7-7 stalemate.

Naylor got as close as 41-36 with five minutes left in regulation, but never cut Dexter's lead to one possession in the fourth period.

All five Dexter players who scored calculated at least eight points.

Dexter senior point guard Dakota Reynolds led the way with 15 points. Dexter sophomore center Krysten Garrison tallied 14 points, Dexter sophomore guard Harley Allen calculated 12 points, Dexter senior forward Melanie McKuin recorded eight points and Dexter freshman guard Chaylea Mosby tallied eight points.

"We definitely have some girls that can step up and score," Allen said. "The scoring was a little more balanced tonight. Sometimes one may have more than the others, but they can all score. Hopefully, we can come out Wednesday night at hit some shots."

Naylor five-foot-ten senior center Kabrien Rogers recorded eight of her 10 two-point field goals in the first half. Rogers finished with a game-high 20 points.

"She's real tough," Allen said of Rogers. "We talked about trying to limit her touches at halftime. I thought we did a better job the second half against her defensively, but when you've got those other two bigs in there when you concentrate on one the other two might get open. Naylor is definitely a great team that is a final four contender again this year."

Naylor six-foot-one sophomore forward Callee Pickrell scored seven points in the second half and six in the first half on her way to a 13-point performance.

Naylor five-foot-eleven junior guard Gracie Gargac and five-foot-five junior guard Hannah Cunningham both scored eight points.

Dexter will play Neelyville for the championship Wednesday at about 7:30 p.m. Neelyville beat Dexter in the championship last season and Dexter won the 2013 championship meeting between the two squads.

"Neelyville is a great team," Allen said. "Coach Hale does a great job with them. They will get after you and guard well. We just need to get prepared for them and be ready to go Wednesday night.

View box scores from Tuesday's championship semifinals below:

DUSTIN WARD - dward@dailystatesman.com Dexter senior point guard Dakota Reynolds glides to the hoop Tuesday night against Naylor at Broseley.

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No. 2 Dexter 57, No. 3 Naylor 49

NHS 8 17 7 17 - 49

DHS 14 15 7 21 - 57

NAYLOR (49) - Gracie Gargac 8, Kabrien Rogers 20, Hannah Cunningham 8, Calle Pickrell 13. FG 20, FT 9/13, F 16. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none).

DEXTer (57) - Dakota Reynolds 15, Melanie McKuin 8, Krysten Garrison 14, Harley Allen 12, Chaylea Mosby 8. FG 19, FT 13/20, F 13. (3-pointers: Allen, Reynolds 2. Fouled out: none).

No. 1 Neelyville 63, No. 4 Twin Rivers 57

TRS 4 18 14 21 - 57

NHS 13 12 16 22 - 63

TWIN RIVERS (57) - Catey Hester 2, Jaysea Morgan 12, Hannah Baxter 10, Katelyn South 7, Emily Joiner 2, Kira Cunningham 7, Kylee Lewis, Casey Douglas 6, Darian Doser 7. FG 18, FT 20/30, F 22. (3-pointers: South 1. Fouled out: none).

NEELYVILLE (63) - Shelby Moon 8, Jentri Worley 14, Maggie Eaker 13, J'Kayla Fowler 12, Ashley Oxley 12, Jamie Fowler 4. FG 23, FT 15/25, F 24. (3-pointers: Worley 2. Fouled out: Jamie Fowler, Russom).

Tuesday's Scores

Championship Semifinals

No. 1 Neelyville 63, No. 4 Twin Rivers 57

No. 2 Dexter 57, No. 3 Naylor 49

Fifth-Place Semifinals

No. 8 Kennett 42, No. 5 Doniphan 35

No. 6 Greenville 38, No. 10 Malden 37

Consolation Semifinals

No. 12 Portageville 56, No. 9 Clearwater 50

No. 14 NMCC 55, No. 7 Chaffee 45

Wednesday's Schedule

Consolation Championship

Portageville vs. NMCC, 3 p.m.

Fifth-Place Game

Kennett vs. Greenville, 4:30 p.m.

Third-Place Game

Twin Rivers vs. Naylor, 6 p.m.

Championship

Dexter vs. Neelyville, 7:30 p.m.

Editor's Note: Look for complete coverage of the championship game in the next print edition of Dexter Statesman Saturday.