Lady Bulldogs end regular season with loss to Delta

DELTA -- Sikeston's girls basketball team lost its final game of the regular season on Thursday night, falling to Delta on the road, 43-37.

The Lady Bulldogs led at the end of the first quarter, only to see Delta outscore them 13-5 in the second frame.

"It was a good game," said Sikeston coach Lee Brooks. "I thought we both came in with a good game plan. (Delta) had a lot more at stake than we did, and we didn't come out fired up right off the bat. We played a little tentative up front."

In the post, Joy Daniel was held to five points and Mia Welch scored seven. Jennifer Medlin led all Sikeston scorers with nine points in the loss.

"I was very proud of our kids," said Delta head coach Randy White. "We had a real good defensive effort. Sikeston has a good inside game, and I thought our kids really did a good job on them inside. The Daniel girl positions really well, and Rebecca Below did a super job on her, holding her to two field goals. Mia Welch also does a good job for them, and Sarah Jo Cook held her to seven on the inside."

Below paced the Lady Bobcats with 25 points. Katrina Flores contributed eight points. In the second half, Delta ran a delay and was sent to the free throw line 13 times, making 12 of them.

Delta (20-2) will play Greenville in a makeup game on Saturday at 3 p.m. Sikeston (9-15) will take on Fredericktown in the first round of the Class 4, District 1 Tournament on Monday at 6 p.m. at Notre Dame High School.

In Thursday's junior varsity game, Sikeston defeated Delta 62-30. Whitney McCray and Robyne Morris each scored 18 points in the win. Delta was led by Rachael Ware with 11.

DEXTER -- Dexter pulled off a mild upset in its final game of the regular season Thursday night, toppling Twin Rivers 58-47.

"It was a big game for us," said Dexter head coach Gavin Miller. "A lot of people get to looking at the area polls -- sometimes they mean something, sometimes they don't. (Twin Rivers) was the second team in the area and we were sixth. It was Senior Night and we had never beaten them before, so we had a lot on the table. The girls just stepped up to the challenge and played well."

With four minutes left in the first quarter, the score was tied 4-4. The Lady Bearcats then ended the period with a bang, scoring eight unanswered points. Dexter outscored the Lady Royals 17-10 in the second frame to hold a 29-14 halftime lead.

The momentum carried over into the second half as Dexter increased its lead to 22 in the third quarter. Twin Rivers standout Amanda Lance caught fire in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of her 21 points. It was enough though as Dexter held on for the 58-47 victory.

Katie Dunlap paced the Lady Bearcats with 14 points. Rachel Blunt scored 13 and Stephanie Rose followed with 11. For the first time all year, Amy Rose didn't score.

"We played good defense early and established an inside game with Krapu, Blunt and Dunlap," said Miller.

For Twin Rivers, Jessica Knodell scored 10 points behind Lance's 21.

Dexter (19-5) will face the winner of a Perryville-Ste. Genevieve game in the Class 4, District 1 Tournament on Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. at Notre Dame High School.