Dexter falls to Malden in fifth-place semifinals at Bloomfield

sports@standard-democrat.com

BLOOMFIELD -- Despite going in the fourth quarter knotted up with Malden on Monday, Dexter's limited depth caught up with them in the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament fifth-place bracket semifinals.

Unable to match the Green Wave's depth, the Bearcats were outscored 21-8 in the fourth quarter to end their tournament run with a 56-43 loss.

"Honestly I think we were fatigued," Dexter head coach Josh Dowdy said of the fourth quarter. "I hate to admit that, but we're playing limited numbers and to compete for four quarters we're going to have to get in better shape. My kids weren't short on heart again tonight. They grinded it out.

"Everything is coming pretty difficult for them, but we're going to get over that hurdle."

After sitting out the first half, Cortez Dobbins started Malden's fourth quarter run with a pair of free throws that led to the Green Wave scoring nine-straight points.

A basket from Gabe Jackson with 3:20 to play kept the Bearcats in the game, 44-37, but an 8-0 Malden run over the next two minutes put a comeback out of reach.

Though Dobbins had a quiet night playing limited minutes, Shamaudre Barber picked up the slack, finishing with a game-high 23 points. He had all three of the Green Wave's 3-pointers and was the only Malden player to post a double-digit scoring total.

"Barber, we didn't anticipate him," Dowdy said. "But it's good to see someone else step up and knock some shots down against us. We were focused on Dobbins, (Shaeen) Perkins and (Trevor) Ison, but we weren't anticipated Barber."

For Dexter, Jacob Pedigo had 15 points, including four of the team's eight 3-pointers. Jason Jarrell finished with 12 points and Austin Chesser added 10 points to the cause.

The Bearcats' struggles with a thin roster shown in that only six players saw action in all four quarters and few other players seeing a handful of possessions. This included starter Peyton Pollock, who fouled out with 3:46 to play after fighting through foul trouble most the night.

Not helping matters was the Bearcats watching a regular contributor leave the team this weekend while starter Ethan Flowers continues to be sidelined with an injury.

This on top of a brutal opening schedule has led to a 2-7 start to the season for Dexter.

"The kids are used to it, but at the same time everyday we have to go back in there and grind it out in practice," Dowdy said of their struggles. "We're doing everything to keep their heads up. They're actually handling it better than probably what I am. I'm super proud of them.

"I have a great bunch of kids here and we're looking forward to the second half of the season."

Malden 11 14 10 21 -- 56

Dexter 11 12 12 8 -- 43

MALDEN (56) -- Shaeen Perkins 8, Dremond Robinson 2, Cortez Dobbins 8, Reed 7, Shamaudre Barber 23, Orlandis Farr 4, Trevor Ison 4. FG 23, FT 7-10, F 15. (3-pointers: Barber 3. Fouled out: Farr.)

DEXTER (43) -- Gabe Jackson 6, Jason Jarrell 12, Jacob Pedigo 15, Austin Chesser 10. FG 15, FT 5-8, F 15. (3-pointers: Jarrell 2, Pedigo 4, Chesser 2. Fouled Out: Peyton Pollock.)