Dexter GBB to be tested defensively right off the bat

Dexter High School girl's basketball coach Eric Sitze speaks to his team during a game last season against Saxony Lutheran at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

With just one starter returning on the basketball court this winter, veteran Dexter High School girl’s coach Eric Sitze is a tad concerned with how his team plays early in this season.

“We lost a lot of girls (five) from last year,” Sitze said.

The Bearcats open their regular season tonight against Kennett in the opening round of the SEMO Conference Tournament at Notre Dame High School at 6:30 p.m.

The Bearcats are the No. 6 seed while the Indians are the No. 3 seed.

Dexter returns senior guard Kate Nichols, who is a prolific scorer, but offense isn’t Sitze’s primary concern with his inexperienced group.

“We’re going to have to figure out how to guard on the perimeter,” Sitze said.

The Bearcat players will learn by fire against Kennett.

Indian sophomore guard Alyce Edwards is the reigning Bob Gray Award winner, which is given to the top female player in the league.

Last season, Edwards averaged nearly 25 points per game and became the first Kennett player, male or female, t be named as the best in the SEMO Conference.

“When she was a toddler, Alyce took off dribbling,” Alyce’s father, Alando Edwards, told Semoball.com earlier this year. “When other kids couldn't dribble with two hands, she was passing the ball between both hands dribbling.

“As she got older there was some stuff she was doing that was far advanced for kids her age,” he added. “I thought, 'I'm gonna try to push this on her a little harder.' That's how we got here. I still push her.”

Experienced, talented Nichols to carry Bearcat load

Tom Davis

The Dexter High School girls basketball program has strung together three consecutive non-losing seasons, but if the Bearcats hope to make it four successful seasons, it is going to take a good dose of coaching acumen from veteran leader Eric Sitze and a whole lot of Kate Nichols.

The Bearcats are going to be a work in progress for a while, as inexperienced players gain confidence. Two of those young players will be senior Febe Worley and sophomore Mauriana Menley, who are both in the 6-foot range.

“Febe had a really good summer for us,” Sitze said. “I think that she is improving every day.”

Sitze said that Menley may surprise some people with her play this season.

“I think people will be impressed with what they see from (Menley) this year,” Sitze said. “She has improved a lot and had a really good summer.”

According to her coach, Menley has offensive skills both facing and being posted on the blocks, which makes her a “hard guard.”

“She’s got good length,” Sitze said, “and she shoots the ball. She can be a tough assignment for some people.”

Sitze also said that senior guard Kenady Krapf has come out for the team this season after not playing for a couple of years. She will be joined in the backcourt by Nichols and sophomore Brooklyn Goodman.

The three of them will be responsible for containing Edwards while also contributing offensively.

“I hope they can knock down a couple of (three-pointers) for us,” Sitze said, “and stretch that defense out a little bit.”

These two teams recently faced each other in a jamboree at Kennett and the Indians prevailed 20-15.

The winner of tonight’s game will advance to face the winner of No. 2-seed Notre Dame and No. 7 Cape Central on Thursday at 8 p.m.

The loser of tonight’s game will move on to play the loser of the New Madrid County Central vs. Poplar Bluff matchup on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.