SIKESTON -- Dexter's Natalie Sitze scored 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting from long range against Saxony Lutheran on Tuesday, in the quarterfinals of the SEMO Conference Tournament championship bracket, at the Sikeston Field House.
Dexter won 60-32, but it was not as easy as it looked.
The Lady Bearcats got off to an uncharacteristic slow start, leading by four after the first quarter -- at 12-8.
"I just thought we were a little flat-footed," Dexter coach Chad Allen said. "I definitely got a little loud there in the second half, tried to get them going. Once we started pressing, I thought we were a lot more active, and we played a whole lot better."
Things started to pick up though once the second quarter got underway, as the Lady Bearcats outscored the Crusaders 17-4 in the quarter, and then 21-11 to open the second half.
Early on, Chaylea Mosby was not finding her rhythm but eventually found it in the second half. She shot 3 of 8 from long distance and scored 15 points, to go along with eight rebounds.
Sitze though was able to contribute in a big way, scoring all but two points from beyond the arc.
"Natalie has really developed her game," Allen said. "She came out this year with a lot of confidence, knocking down a lot of shots and she's just a floor general. She's done a tremendous job for us. Even though Chaylea had a slow start, Natalie picked us up; all the other girls picked us up. You know, last year we almost relied on Chaylea a lot, and this year, its like we're more well-rounded as a team, and it's a lot more enjoyable as a coach, and we definitely have more success that way."
Sikeston 59, Cape Central 45
Rebounding from a close loss to Poplar Bluff on Monday, Sikeston forced 31 Lady Tigers turnovers and won in the semifinals of the consolation bracket Tuesday.
Taydrianna Barnett scored a game-high 26 points and attacked Cape Central with ease. She shot 8-of-13 from two-point range and 7-of-11 from the free throw line, to add on to her six rebounds.
The Lady Bulldogs also had help from the bench -- outscoring the Lady Tigers 20-11 in bench points. Micah Adams led all bench scorers -- with 14 points -- on 6-of-9 shooting.
Overall, Sikeston head coach Alicia Wills was pleased with how her team battled. She added that her group "took care of the basketball and capitalized on those turnovers that they made."
Sikeston takes on Notre Dame in the championship of the consolation bracket on Thursday, at the Field House.
Notre Dame 54, Kennett 20
Julia Williams scored 10 of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, lifting the Notre Dame girls basketball team to a 54-20 win over Kennett in the quarterfinals of the consolation bracket on Tuesday.
Megan Heisserer added 17 points of her own, while Riley Burger finished with 11 points.
The Lady Bulldogs take on Sikeston in the finals of the consolation bracket on Thursday, at the Field House.