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Indians win back-to-back titles
BLOOMFIELD -- Looking for their first Bloomfield Christmas Tournament championship since 2004, the Dexter Bearcats saw their title hopes quickly disappear in the fourth quarter Thursday night against the defending champion Kennett Indians.
After building up a five-point lead entering the final frame, the Bearcats saw the Indians fight their way back to a tie before taking the lead for good with just over five minutes to play in Kennett's 58-48 win.
"That's something that every basketball player who is in this thing wants to do," Dexter senior Alan Flannigan said of winning the tournament. "It's one the highlights of the season that you circle at the beginning of the year on your schedule.
"To not come through with it hurts, but we'll build from it, learn from it and we'll be better toward the end of the year because of it."
Outscoring the Indians in each of the first three quarter of play, the Bearcats had built a seven-point lead until Kennett's Jack Walls hit one last shot in the paint with a minute left to cut Dexter's lead to five at 38-33.
Building on some late third quarter momentum, the Indians opened up the fourth with back-to-back baskets from Jajuan Wallace and Jay Shavers to cut their team's deficit to one.
A little over a minute later after Logan Robey had put the Bearcats up by three, Kennett was able to come back to finally tie up the game seconds later when Fred Garmon got fouled on a basket, connecting on the free throw to tie things at 42-42.
With momentum having swung their way, the Indians were able to mount a 12-0 run thanks in part by two big steals by Randrick Wallace on back-to-back Dexter drives that led to Kennett scores.
"Once they turn that pressure up and get the game at a fast pace it really fuels their fire," Dexter head coach Rob Nichols said. Once that happened we were stuck on 42 (points) for a long time.
"We got to 42 (points) and it was like the scoreboard didn't go past that. Part of that was turnovers, part of it was we missed a couple of shots. We just kind of stalled out on 42 offensively."
Down by 12 points with a minute-and-a-half to play, Dexter was to build fight back to within seven with 56 second to play led by two big baskets from Flannigan.
Unfortunately for the Bearcats, with no room for error, a turnover at midcourt on their next possession let Kennett hit one last shot plus ensuing foul shot to ice the game.
"With guards like they got, if they spread you out it's very difficult once they have a lead to pressure them and try to get turnovers because they're going to spread you out and take you off the dribble," Nichols said. "That's their game and you're playing to their strength at that point."
After seeing his team keep pressure on the Bearcats all through the third frame, Kennett head coach Jim Vaughan was confident his team chances at a comeback in the fourth.
"Even though I think we lost the third quarter by a point, I still think our kids had a little momentum going in to the fourth just knowing we can come back and do this," Vaughn said. "These kids are just gutsy."
Though they came short of the title, Dexter's second-place finish is the Bearcats best since their run seven-straight championships came to end in 2004.
The All-Tournament Team was named after the championship game. Members of the team were: Ryan Kleffer, Richland; AD Hamilton, Hayti; Seth Hill, Bloomfield; Jamie Massey, Holcomb; Cameron Shipman, Bernie; Jordan McGowan, Bernie; Cole McBroom, Twin Rivers; Dustin Teague, Twin Rivers; Tevin Walker, Portageville; Jake Lee, Dexter; Fred Garmon, Kennett; Fred Treadwell, Portageville; Alan Flannigan, Dexter and Randrick Caruthers, Kennett.
Dexter | 17 | 12 | 9 | 10 | -- | 48 |
Kennett | 14 | 11 | 8 | 25 | -- | 58 |
DEXTER (48) -- Jake Cox 7, Jordan Fitts 4, Alan Flannigan 25, Logan Robey 8, Jake Lee 2, Taylor Jarrell 2. FG 20, FT 5-11, F 15. (3-pointers: Robey 2, Cox 1. Fouled out: none).
KENNETT (58) -- Jay Shavers 8, Randrick Caruthers 7, Cameron Wallace 11, Fred Garmon 10, Jack Walls 14, Adam Grantham 4, Andy Lack 2, Jajuan Wallace 2. FG 23, FT 10-16, F 16. (3-pointers: Wallace 2. Fouled out: none).