March 7, 2014
Patterson claims milestone during Dexter's 75-17 semifinal win
CAPE GIRARDEAU -- A nerve-racking situation materialized for Dexter center Paige Patterson as she headed to the free throw line to attempt a pair of free throws with her team leading Kennett 58-7 in the third quarter of its district semifinal Thursday night...
CAPE GIRARDEAU -- A nerve-racking situation materialized for Dexter center Paige Patterson as she headed to the free throw line to attempt a pair of free throws with her team leading Kennett 58-7 in the third quarter of its district semifinal Thursday night.
A typically routine free throw attempt took center stage as Patterson moved within a free throw of reaching 1,000 points in her high school career.
"I was kind of nervous," Patterson said of heading to the charity stripe. "But I knew I had to step up and knock it down."
Patterson exhibited nerves of steel as she drained the first of two free throws with an attentive Dexter crowd observing from the bleachers. A cheerful applause arose from the Dexter cheering section a few seconds later.
The senior standout reaching 1,000 career points proved to be the highlight of the night as the top-seeded Dexter Bearcats cruised past the fourth-seeded Kennett Indians 75-17 in a Class 4, District 1, semifinal at Cape Central High School.
"She's definitely excited about it," Dexter coach Chad Allen said of Patterson. "She has been working hard in the post. You definitely have goals in life and that 1,000th point was big for her, especially since she had three teammates already get to 1,000. It's good to get it over with today so we can get focused for Notre Dame Friday night and play good team ball."
Dexter dominated Kennett from the get-go as it tallied the first 15 points to move ahead 15-0 by the 4:20 mark of the first quarter. Patterson scored the first five points of the game and half of her 14 total points in the first quarter.
"I thought we were really focused and had a lot of energy to start the game," Allen said. "I told the girls at the start of the game to 'try to get the ball inside, dribble-penetrate and be aggressive.' Paige got off to a great start and that helped set the tone."
The Bearcats limited the Indians to one field goal in the second quarter and one field goal in the third quarter as it padded its lead to 53-7 by halftime and 75-17 by the start of the fourth quarter.
"Defensively, I thought we were really active, got after them in the full court, put a lot of pressure on them and created a lot of turnovers," Allen said. "We did a great job of matching up, not only in the full court, but also in the half court."
Freshman forward Heidi Shetley paced Kennett with eight points.
Hannah Noe tallied all of her team-high 21 points for Dexter in the first half.
Dexter's Alison Jarrell recorded 12 of her 15 points before halftime.
Dexter shot 52 percent (29 of 51) from the field and Kennett shot 33 percent (7 of 21).
The Bearcats forced 29 turnovers. Patterson had five of Dexter's 25 steals. Dexter sophomores Makayla Waldner and Melanie McKuin added four steals each.
"We've been preparing," Patterson said. "We are ready. We've been play a lot of defense. Defensive wins championships so we've been working on our defense as a team."
Patterson is the fourth Dexter player to reach 1,000 career points this season. Senior guards Noe and Jarrell reached 1,000 career points in a 80-35 win against Kennett Jan. 13. Senior forward Erika Cobb passed the 1,000-point milestone in a 72-50 win against Jackson Feb. 24.
"It was kind of a team effort," Patterson said of reaching the milestone. "We didn't do it by ourselves. We all helped each other."
The victory sets the stage for a sixth straight Dexter-Notre Dame Class 4, District 1, championship Friday at 6 p.m. at Cape Central High School. No. 2 seeded Notre Dame dominated No. 3 seeded Sikeston 59-29 in its semifinal Thursday.
"Notre Dame is always tough," Allen said. "They've got eight seniors. I know they are hungry and so are we. It's going to be a tough game."
Dexter edged Notre Dame 60-54 in the only regular season meeting Feb. 10. The Bearcats beat Notre Dame 48-46 in the 2013 district final, 62-38 in the 2012 district final and 56-52 in the 2011 district final. Dexter is ranked No. 6 in the final regular season Class 4 state poll and Notre Dame is ranked No. 9.
"It's going to be a good game," Patterson said. "They are a really good team so we'll have to play our 'A' game."
Kennett 5 2 2 8 -- 17
Dexter 24 29 15 7 -- 75
KENNETT (17) -- Khadijah Whitfield 3, Shondrea Wynne 4, Hadley Hilburn 2, Heidi Shetley 8. FG 7, FT 5/10, F 13. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none)
DEXTER (75) -- Dakota Reynolds 7, Hannah Noe 21, Melanie McKuin 4, Alison Jarrell 15, Erika Cobb 6, Paige Patterson 14, Makayla Waldner 4, Cheyenne Mosby 2, Olivia Sitzes 2. FG 29, FT 15/20, F 12. (3-pointers: Jarrell 1, Waldner 1. Fouled out: none)
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