C4D1 Boys: Kennett falters late in District loss to Blackcats

DEXTER – It’s been a mixed bag of a 2022-23 season for the Kennett High School boy’s basketball program. On one hand, the Indians improved from five to eight wins under first-year coach Noll Billings. However, on the other hand, Billings’ team had dropped eight of its final nine regular-season games, as it headed into Monday’s MSHSAAA Class 4 District 1 game with Fredericktown at the Bearcat Event Center at Dexter.

The 32 minutes against the Blackcats was a microcosm of the entire season.

At some points, much of it actually, the Indians dominated Fredericktown, but over the final eight minutes, the Kennett mojo faltered and the Blackcats rallied for a 63-58 win.

“They took advantage of some mental lapses that we had,” Billings said of losing a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. “You can’t turn your head away from the ball. You can’t have your hand down on a kid that is averaging 25 (points) a game.”

The Indians (8-18) led 15-10 at the end of the first quarter and 28-20 at the break, as they had balanced scoring from five different players, but more importantly, Kennett was defending.

The Indians had held Fredericktown (12-15), which was averaging nearly 56 points per game to a mere 20 points by halftime.

“We got up just enough to where our guys started doing what average to poor basketball teams do,” Billings said. “You get complacent. You get comfortable. A Sikeston-type team gets up like that and they put you down by 50.”

Kennett stretched its lead to 47-37 early in the fourth quarter, but then the Blackcats began to dominate through sheer will.

Fredericktown began to grab rebounds and get offensive putbacks. It began to get to loose balls quicker. The Blackcats began to get stops and limit the Indians to one shot.

“It is a mentality,” Billings said of having an instinct to finish off opponents. “That starts at the top with the coaching staff and it goes to the players and it goes to the court.

“It is something that we have to demand, and it is something that we’ve got to make sure that we don’t play without next year.”

Fredericktown put up 26 points in the final eight minutes, as it rallied, and had outscored Kennett by 10 to tie the game just 4:03 into the period.

The Blackcats sank 5 of 6 free throws in the final period, while, for the game, Kennett misfired on 9 of its 16 free throws.

The Indians made just three baskets in the decisive period.

During the poor stretch to close the season, four of Kennett’s nine losses were by single digits.

“We’ve had games this year,” Billings said, “that have come down to us not putting people away, us not continuing to do the things that got us the lead in the first place.”

Ashton Dismukes led the Indians with 13 points, but none in the final period.

D’Shun Wilson and Karmine Tribble each chipped in 11 points.

Fredericktown moves on to face the host Bearcats (18-8) on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.