BLOOMFIELD -- Dexter's five seniors made it 2 for 2 in the championship game of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.
Clay Mullins, Gabe Jackson, Ben Sindle, Alan Pippins and Dawson Kasting each played key roles Friday night in the top-seeded Bearcats' 54-41 win over second-seeded Hayti to win their second straight championship.
The Bearcats, who have won a tournament-best 11 championships, beat Hayti 57-34 last year to win the title.
"It's awesome," said Mullins who scored a game-high 19 points, drew a charge and went 4 for 4 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.
"All the early mornings and staying late with shooting and everything, it was for this. It all paid off."
Jackson contributed 11 points and numerous assists while battling double teams most of the night.
Sindle scored nine points, including two 3-pointers, and drew a charge,
"It's crazy. It's crazy. I can sleep now," Sindle said. "Being a senior, it feels like everything ended how it should have ended. I can't be more proud of the team."
Pippins made two 3-pointers, and Kasting scored four points, helping the Bearcats (6-5) move above .500 for the first time this season.
Hayti (8-3), known for its athleticism and frenetic play, caught the Bearcats off guard early.
"They kind of threw us off coming out in the zone," Dexter coach Josh Dowdy said. "We didn't even talk about a zone for three hours of practice today. ... We were kind of surprised. At the same time, we kind of understand. We have Gabe in the middle. They didn't have much size in there."
Sindle scored all nine of his points in the first quarter, including two early 3-pointers as part of an 8-0 start, to give the Bearcats a 13-10 lead while they adjusted to the zone.
Dexter began to assert itself inside in the second quarter, getting a pair of putbacks by Jackson and one by Kasting.
"I feel like we really executed well," Jackson said of his team's play inside. "They were sagging off on Ben and they were able to get me the ball and I was able to work with it."
Sindle drew a charge and Seth Rogers had a steal as Dexter extended its lead to 26-15.
"We spent some time talking about charges," Dowdy said. "We knew those guys can put their head down and go. Even with that, it's still hard to get in front of them. (Bloomfield's) Peyton Bell, I watched him the other night. Talk about some guts standing in front of that freight train, (Kobe Cooper), and he did. I used him as an example. I told the boys I don't know if I'd stand in front of (Cooper), but they've got something to play for, and it's that trophy."
Pippins made a 3-pointer right before the buzzer, sending the Bearcats to the locker room with a 29-18 halftime lead.
The Bearcats came out of halftime and passed the ball around the perimeter, running about 2 1/2 minutes off the clock. They repeated the strategy at the start of the fourth quarter.
"They're sitting in a zone and we're up 11. There's no reason to force it from our standpoint," Dowdy said. "We just moved the ball around. I knew we had Gabe in there as a mismatch. They were going to have to come get us and extend their defense. We were going to feed our monster. He had a great game."
While Jackson only scored seven second-half points, he still played a major impact by feeding his teammates for open looks at the basket.
"We were saying (passing) might be his best quality," Hayti coach Aaron Bidewell said of Jackson. "Coach (Dowdy) does a wonderful job of putting him in the right spots and keeping him organized and doing different things."
Jackson found Kasting open for a layup in the third quarter, and Rogers and Mullins benefitted from Jackson passes in the fourth quarter.
"He was scoring well. His footwork was so good. There was some tremendous passing," Dowdy said of Jackson. "He saw where the doubles were coming from. He's a nice high school basketball player."
Each team scored eight points in the third quarter, and the Bearcats took a 37-26 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Bearcats opened the fourth quarter with a 12-4 run to take control.
"We stuck with our gameplan, spread it out and slowed them down," Mullins said. "Eventually they stopped hitting the shots they were hitting. We kept them out of transition. I think that's what did it."
Jackson scored five points during the run, Pippins made a 3 and Mullins drew a charge to give the Bearcats a 49-32 lead.
Cooper and Chrivonte Moore followed with 3-pointers, as Hayti attempted to rally, but the Bearcats made five of six free throws, including four of four by Mullins, to secure the victory.
Darius Jones paced Hayti with 17 points, and Cooper finished with 12.