Mistakes, poor shooting hurt Lady Bearcats

Jerry Jarrell photo Cape Central's Farrah Malik (No. 15) passes out of a double team during the Lady Tigers' 53-47 win over Dexter. [Click to enlarge]

Poor shooting and turnovers cost the Lady Bearcats as Cape Central took advantage of Dexter's misfortunes for a 53-47 SEMO Conference win at the Bearcat Event Center Thursday night.

Dexter could only manage two points in the second quarter, but the Lady 'Cats still managed to hang around and even take the lead early in the fourth quarter. But the missed open shots and missed free throws that put Dexter in a hole returned late in the game as the Lady Tigers pulled away for the road win.

"We struggled in the second quarter with the pressure," Dexter coach Chad Allen said after the game. "We just couldn't put the ball in the hole that second quarter. We missed a lot of chip shots and missed a lot of free throws tonight which definitely cost us the game."

Jerry Jarrell photo Dexter's Abbie Warren puts up a shot against Cape Central Thursday night at the Bearcat Event Center. [Click to enlarge]

Dexter was 1-of-9 from the floor in the second quarter and finished 18-of-45 for the game. From the foul line, the Lady 'Cats could only manage 9-of-22 for 40 percent.

If it wasn't the poor shooting, it was turnovers. Dexter had 17 in the first half and finished with 28 for the night.

"I felt like we just made some poor decisions with the ball passing," Allen said. "But the girls played hard. I mean they played hard. They blocked out well, so we had some positives, we just couldn't get in a rhythm offensively."

Cape Central's quickness and full court press for the entire game played a big part in Dexter's woes. But even with all turnovers and missed shots, the Lady Bearcats still managed to regroup and cut a 23-16 half-time deficit to just three points, 31-28, heading into the fourth quarter.

Baskets and Lauren Ward (11 points) and Abbie Warren (14 points) to open the scoring in the final frame briefly pushed Dexter out front, 32-31, but a hoop by Paige Smith, who led all players with 17 points, ignited a 5-0 run that gave the Lady Tigers a 4-point lead (36-32) and they never trailed again.

"We had a great comeback, but we just couldn't get over the hump," Allen commented. "Cape Central is a great team. They got the No. 1 seed in their district. They are a great ball team but I really thought we should have got them tonight but it just didn't work out that way."

Cape Central senior Sadie Pittman was out front on the press and her quickness forced several of Dexter's turnovers.

"Sadie Pittman is definitely the quickest point guard around this area," Allen noted. "She's tough to guard and she can get the ball to the right people Not only does she score a lot, but she gets a lot of assists."

Pittman finished with 12 points, while teammate Chelsea Pannier added 13 for the Lady Tigers, who improved to 14-7 on the season.

Dexter got off to a quick start as freshman Brittany Harris scored the team's first eight points as the Lady 'Cats took a 14-6 lead before things began to come unraveled in the second quarter. Harris got in foul trouble early in the third and was forced to the bench for much of the second half.

Dexter dropped to 13-7 on the year. The Lady Bearcats will next be in action Monday at home against Poplar Bluff, then will travel to Cape Girardeau for a makeup game against Notre Dame Regional High School.

Note: The Lady Bearcats were voted the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Class 4, District 1 Tournament to be played at the Bearcat Event Center, Feb. 22, 24 and 26. Look for more on the upcoming district tournaments in later editions of the Daily Statesman.

Varsity

Cape Central 53, Dexter 47

CAPE CENTRAL -- (fg-ftm-fta-tp) Pittman 5-2-2-12, Malik 1-0-0-3, Pannier 3-6-6-13, Smith 7-3-6-17, Thomas 1-0-0-2, Vinson 3-0-5-6. Totals: 20-11-19-53.

DEXTER -- Frazier 2-1-2-5, Ward 4-1-3-11, Hessling 2-2-3-6, Harris 5-1-2-11, Warren 5-4-10-14. Totals: 18-9-22-47.

3-Pointers: Cape 2 ( Pannier 1, Malik 1); Dexter 2 (Ward 2).