Experience, late free throws lift Bearcats past Bluejays 62-54

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Dexter High School sophomore guard Will Guethle handles the ball against the defensive pressure of Charleston High School sophomore guard De'Marion Lane on Tuesday at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

DEXTER – The Dexter High School boy’s basketball squad started three returning players in its season-opening game against Charleston on Tuesday at the Bearcat Event Center.

Conversely, the Bluejays started three sophomores and a freshman among its starting five. That difference in experience showed as the game wore on, and the older Bearcats ultimately prevailed 62-54.

“We’ve got experience back,” veteran Dexter coach Chad Allen said following the win. “Last year, we didn’t really have any experience at all.”

Charleston utilized its athleticism and speed to pressure Dexter defensively from the outset, and the strategy worked as one might think it would in the first game of the season.

The Bluejays took an early lead, which forced Allen to call a timeout, but his team began to settle down and led 17-14 by the end of the initial quarter.

Offensively, Charleston (0-2) demonstrated its ability to knock down shots from the perimeter throughout the first half, which enabled the visitors to take a 30-25 lead into halftime.

The Bluejays got early three-pointers from sophomore Treshaun Schandon (two), sophomore De’Marion Lane, and freshman Da’Kyrious Williams.

“It will be,” veteran Charleston coach Jamarcus Williams said of shooting being a team strength this season. “We have several guys who are able to knock the ‘three’ down.

“We just need to become more efficient.”

Dexter hung close into the final quarter after trailing 43-40 early in the fourth period with free throws proving to be the difference over the final minutes.

The Bearcats hit 9 of 12 free throws in the final quarter, after starting the game by missing five of seven attempts in the initial three quarters.

As proficient as Charleston was from 3-point range, it struggled at the free-throw line.

The Bluejays only attempted six free throws in the second half and missed 8 of 14 attempts throughout the game.

“I was explaining to the guys,” Williams said of his postgame locker room talk, “if we make four of those, at the end of the game when it is close, now you’re counting possessions.”

Though the outcome wasn’t what the Bluejay fans desired, the future is bright for Willliams' young group.

Schandon paced his team with 19 points while Lane, Williams, and senior post Deshaun Henderson each had 11 points in the loss.

Bearcat senior guard Tucker Temples came off the bench to score a team-best 16 points while junior John Sepulvado added 12 points, junior forward Devin Turnbo had 11 points, newcomer sophomore forward Elijah Ibrahim added 10 points, and sophomore Will Guethle chipped in nine points.

“We really want it that way,” Allen said of the scoring balance. “It’s good to see that because we will be better as a team with that balance.”