Dexter girls pull away from Twin Rivers in second half

Risco falls in semifinals of the Tri-County Tourney

BROSELEY -- The Dexter Lady Bearcats overcame a slow start to defeat the Twin Rivers Lady Royals on the road Thursday night, 83-54.

The Lady Bearcats, ranked seventh in Class 4, came out a little sluggish after their loss to Poplar Bluff on Wednesday night.

Dexter led 20-15 after one quarter but Twin Rivers cut into the lead heading into halftime, 35-22.

The Lady Bearcats came out fired up in the second half and quickly took over the game, outscoring Twin Rivers 24-10 in the third quarter.

They continued to dominate in the fourth and rolled to the 83-54 win.

Dexter (20-4) was led in scoring by Ashlee Taylor's 17 points. Katelyn Heil finished with 16 while Brooke Thrower had 12.

Twin Rivers was led by Kaylee Blue's 19.

ORAN -- The Indians had four players in double figures as they rolled past the host Eagles.

Courtney Besand led St. Vincent (15-6) with 15 points. Lacey Siegmund and Brooke Brown each dropped 12 points, while Kelsey Cissell added 10 for the victors.

Cheyenne King netted 16 points to lead Oran.

Varsity Boys

COOTER -- The Risco Tigers (8-14) fell to the Clarkton Reindeer 92-64, in the semi-final game of the Tri-County Conference Tournament.

The Reindeer made nine 3-pointers in the first half to put away the Tigers early, making it a 67-28 lead at the break.

Clarkton made a total of 11 3-pointers throughout the game.

"They (Clarkton) came out on all cylinders," Risco head coach Brandon Blackenship said. "They drilled us. Clarkton is a good team."

"I was proud of my kids for not quitting. We could have folded, but we didn't. Kyle White led the Tigers with 20 points, and made Risco's only two 3-

pointers. Chris Williams added 16 points, and Tim Huskisson finished with 10.

Clarkton was led by Dustin Fergusen's 20 points. Casey Redden and Devaris Parker each had 19 points apiece. Redden connected for five 3-pointers, while Parker made three and Fergusen made one.

The Risco Tigers advanced in the junior varsity bracket with a win over the Reindeer, 53-31.

Brandon Bennett led the Tigers with 20 points.

The number two seed Tigers (15-6) will take on the number three seed Gideon Bulldogs in the finals.

BELL CITY -- Nick Niemczyk continued a stellar season by dropping 34 points on senior night to guide Bell City past Hayti, 70-63, in boys basketball.

Phillip Gross netted 20 points for the Cubs (21-2), who were ranked No. 3 in the latest Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association state poll.