C4D1: Bearcats rally past Notre Dame for first title since ‘04

DEXTER — The wait is over for the Dexter Bearcats.

The ‘Cats claimed their first district championship since 2004 with a dramatic second-half comeback Friday night to top the Notre Dame Bulldogs of Cape Girardeau 42-36 in the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 championship game at the Bearcat Event Center.

Down by 11 points at the half, Dexter coach Chad Allen made the necessary adjustments to turn the tide in the Bearcats’ favor.

“We had to find something different offensively to run,” Allen said. “The main thing was that we turned it up defensively.”

Notre Dame turned over the second half inbounds pass, and Cole Nichols made them pay by hitting a 3-pointer, followed by another 3 from Matthew Stone.

Two more buckets from Nichols and Brayden Pullum pulled the Bearcats within two points, and they tied the score at 23 with 90 seconds left in the third quarter.

Dexter outscored Notre Dame 14-2 in the third, with the Bulldogs’ only points coming off two free throws that gave them a two-point lead.

With seconds left in the third, Pullum hit a dramatic 3-pointer from behind the halfcourt line to give Dexter a 26-25 lead.

Pullum hit two more 3s in the fourth quarter, a tense, back-and-forth battle in which both teams traded leads. He finished with 14 points, all coming after halftime.

“I thought Brayden Pullum played his best basketball game of the year in the second half,” Allen said. “He was the biggest difference in the game.”

Also making a difference was Dexter’s Truman Kropf, who was shut out for three quarters but went six-for-six at the free throw line in the fourth, each trip either giving Dexter the lead or extending it to a two-possession advantage.

Dexter outscored Notre Dame 30-13 in the second half to claim the district title.

The first quarter was close, with Notre Dame leading 13-12 at the end of the period. The Bulldogs’ diamond-and-one defense shut out the Bearcats in the second quarter, outscoring the home team 10-0 to lead 23-12 at the half.

Nichols, who scored a game-high 18 points, scored 11 of Dexter’s 12 first-half points. Their second quarter was marked by missed 3-pointers and few inside opportunities.

Notre Dame was led in scoring by Colton Johnson with 14 points.

Dexter will face Park Hills Central in state sectional play Monday night in Farmington.

“We’ve got another tough one ahead of us, and it’s a quick turnaround, so we will have to get prepared quickly,” Allen said.