DEXTER -- The top-seeded Dexter Bearcats put together three strong stretches Monday night in the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 semifinal.
Those runs proved pivotal in the Bearcats' 64-41 victory over fourth-seeded Cape Central.
The Bearcats (21-5) will meet Notre Dame in the championship game at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Bearcat Event Center. Second-seeded Notre Dame beat third-seeded Sikeston 74-46 in the other semifinal.
"They're so dangerous," Cape Central coach Lance Tollison said of the Bearcats. "They have so many weapons. It's hard to guard them all. We try to limit runs the best we can, but a couple of them got away from us, but we battled. We battled hard. I'm proud of them."
The Bearcats strung together 15 straight points in the first quarter to take a 15-3 lead. They made three 3-pointers during that stretch -- one each by Chaylea Mosby, Natalie Sitze and Hannah Thurmon, who finished with 10 points.
Sitze, who made four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points, sank another 3 in the quarter, and the Bearcats led 20-9 after one period.
"We were struggling a little bit offensively there at the beginning. Natalie hit three big 3s (in the first half) for us to really get us going," Dexter coach Chad Allen said. "That girl, she's put a lot of time in. She comes in in the morning and shoots. Stays after practice and shoots. It's really paying off now."
Dexter padded its lead by two in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers 17-15.
Mosby scored six -- two 3-pointers -- of her game-high 20 points in the second quarter.
"Mosby's the top player in our conference, the top player in our area," Tollison said, "and I thought we did a really good job on her."
Mosby averages around 27 points a game.
The Bearcats opened the second half with a 7-0 run featuring a 3-pointer by Rylee Allen.
Dexter focused on attacking inside at the start of the third quarter.
"That was definitely one of our points of emphasis at halftime," Coach Allen said. "We were settling for too many jump shots. I thought we were a little more aggressive off the dribble in the second half."
Maycie Martin, who finished with 10 points, made a basket inside, and the Bearcats attempted six free throws during that stretch. However, they missed four of the foul shots and eight of 13 overall.
Maci McBride and Sitze added 3-pointers, and the Bearcats took a 50-31 lead into the final quarter.
The Bearcats scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to secure the win. Mosby scored all seven and extended their lead to 57-33.
Overall, the Bearcats sank 11 3-pointers with Mosby and Sitze making four each.
Abbie Reece paced the Tigers with 12 points. Abby Dumey added nine, and Scarlett Young had eight.
Cape Central finished the season with a 14-13 record, posting a winning campaign for the first time since 2011.