SIKESTON -- Everything seemed to go the top-seeded Dexter Bearcats' way Monday.
The Bearcats roared out to a 48-3 halftime lead and cruised to a 72-15 victory in the first round of the SEMO Conference girls basketball tournament at the Sikeston Fieldhouse.
The Bearcats will face fourth-seeded Saxony Lutheran in the semifinals at 7 p.m. today. Saxony Lutheran beat Notre Dame 53-47 in the first round.
Things were going so well for the Bearcats that Natalie Sitze shouted to her teammates that her 3-point attempt in the second quarter was "short."
However, the shot fell through for her fourth 3-pointer of the game. She finished with 12 points and was one of three Bearcats who scored in double figures. Chaylea Mosby scored a game-high 22 points, including four 3-pointers, and Maycie Martin tallied 18 points.
Mosby, who became Dexter's all-time leading scorer over the weekend, worked hard in the offseason in the weight room.
"Chaylea's got her numbers up a lot in the weightroom," Dexter coach Chad Allen said. "She's just a hard worker. I think she squats 275 (pounds). It's just crazy how strong she is. We're working on her flexibility more now. I think that's been helping more for her lately, too."
Dexter (2-1) made 10 3-pointers, bringing their season total to 30.
"We definitely came out hot," Allen said. "We're hitting a lot of treys. The girls have got a lot of confidence right now, and they're shooting the ball well."
Dexter held the Indians to eight points through three quarters.
"(Defense) was a main concentration (for us)," Allen said. "We watched film at 7 o'clock (Monday) morning on our Kirkwood game, and I saw some things in that game we've got to get better at. It's what we're going to concentrate on the next several weeks, and hopefully, we'll keep getting better."
The Bearcats' first six field goals were 3-pointers -- three by Mosby, two by Sitze and one by Maci McBride.
Martin broke the run of 3-pointers with a basket inside, and Keirstan Keirsey scored on an assist by Mosby to give the Bearcats a 22-0 lead.
Antonia Randle scored Kennett's first basket with 1:56 left in the first quarter, but the Bearcats led 28-2 after eight minutes.
The Bearcats held Kennett to one point in the second quarter on a free throw by Ara Spielman that cut their lead to 33-3.
Mosby scored nine points in the second quarter, and Martin added eight.
Keirsey and Sitze made a 3-pointer in the third quarter, and Martin scored six to stretch the Bearcats' lead to 65-8 by the start of the fourth.
The Bearcats relied on more than 3-pointers from the second quarter on.
"We've definitely been talking about (relying too much on 3-pointers)," Allen said. "I thought we actually worked on it, especially in that second half. We did a better job of driving. We want to drive and try to get to the free throw line. Seven free throws against Kirkwood the other day, that's not going to help you any."
The Bearcats played four reserves -- Sydney Asberry, Shea Baker, McKayla Dodson and Dulcey Pullen -- in the fourth quarter. Pullen scored six points, and Asberry made a free throw as time expired.
"She does a great job for us.," Allen said of Pullen. "She's really athletic."
The clock ran continuously in the fourth quarter because of the 30-point mercy rule.
Kennett's Caroline Patton scored all of her team-high five points in the final quarter.