DEXTER -- The underdog Dexter Bearcats landed an early punch against top-ranked Sikeston.
The fourth-seeded Bearcats trailed by only four points after one quarter before the Bulldogs kicked into gear to win the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 semifinal 62-32 Tuesday night at the Bearcat Event Center.
Sikeston (24-2) will face second-seeded Cape Central (23-4) for the district championship at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Bearcat Event Center. Cape Central, the seventh-ranked team in the state, beat third-seeded Notre Dame 54-52 in the other semifinal.
The top-seeded Bulldogs, who are ranked No. 1 in the most recent state coaches poll, seemed frustrated early as they held a 7-3 lead after one quarter.
"We play them. We know that's going to happen," Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield said of the Bearcats' zone defense and patient play on offense. "We have to be patient with the basketball. They did a great job of holding the ball and controlling the tempo."
The Bearcats, who trailed 27-13 at halftime, remained in striking distance into the second half before Sikeston scored 17 of the third quarter's first 21 points to take control.
"We were standing bad in the first quarter," Holifield said, "but I thought in the second, third and fourth, we did a much better job penetrating and getting in and kicking out. I thought we played pretty well after the first quarter."
Dexter coach Josh Dowdy credited the hard work of all his players and the leadership of his seniors, even though three of the five were on the bench with injuries.
"They've put in a lot of time. They've put in a lot of effort. We've placed a lot of demands on them. They showed that tonight," Dowdy said. "That's the reason they didn't lay down tonight. They didn't really have a reason to go out and compete against Ste. Gen (in the first round) because they knew what was ahead of them (against the top-ranked team in the state). They knew how much time they've put in. They've worked for it. They deserve it. When you put in that much time and effort, you're going to keep fighting to the end. I was very proud of them."
The Bearcats finished the season 18-10, the most wins in a season by the program in at least a decade.
"These kids have done everything we've asked this year. We're very proud of them," Dowdy said. "They practiced hard. They've won a few games along the way. They've won a tournament (the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament). They won another Stoddard County conference championship."
The Bearcats' season ended with seniors Clay Mullins, Alan Pippins and Ben Sindle on the bench because of injuries. They also played games without senior Dawson Kasting. The only senior who stayed healthy throughout the season was Gabe Jackson, who scored a team-high 12 points against Sikeston.
"I think this season's taught us a lot of valuable lessons," Dowdy said. "The lessons have reminded us the value of each day (and understanding) how important a team is. That means more than just one individual. Despite all of the unfortunate injuries to our seniors late in the season, our kids came off the bench, and they fought to the finish. I couldn't be more proud of them. That showed a lot about their character."
Payton Howard and Owen Long paced Sikeston with 13 points each. Dylon Mills added 11. All-stater Fred Thatch scored eight.