C4D1: Doniphan’s second half propels them to win over Dexter

The first semifinal of the evening featured a showdown between the top-seeded Doniphan Donettes and the fourth-seed Dexter Bearcats.

In the end, a 17-2 run in the third-quarter led Doniphan to a 58-38 win over Dexter to earn a spot in the C4D1 championship game.

“I’m really proud,” Doniphan coach Adam Epps said. “Playing a team like Dexter that is well-coached and disciplined our main message tonight was don’t be surprised if it’s a game.”

While the final score indicates a blowout, it certainly wasn’t that way for the first half of action.

The Bearcats battled and kept things close with the Donettes as the two teams were tied at 14 after the opening eight minutes.

“We knew it was going to take four quarters to beat them,” Epps said. “They play hard and they play a lot of guards that are fast.”

For much of the second quarter, both teams were engaged in a defensive battle as it was 20-20 with less than a minute remaining in the first half.

The Donettes opted to put pressure on Dexter late in the half and they were rewarded with a quick 5-0 burst to take a 25-20 lead.

“That was huge,” Epps said. “We started flying around and got a couple steals.”

Credit to Dexter however, the Bearcats remained composed and managed to close the half on a bucket to trail 25-22 entering the locker room at halftime.

With the game hanging in the balance, Doniphan took control of the game in the third quarter and never let it go.

The Donettes opened the quarter back in their full-court press which gave the Bearcats fits.

The pressure propelled Doniphan to a 17-2 run that saw the Donettes take a 42-24 lead in the third.

“We were just doing what we do,” Epps said. “You have to hit shots. It was our first time playing in this gym so seeing all of those shots go in will be good for Friday night.”

While the run was snapped, the Donettes still took a 44-28 lead into the fourth quarter.

Doniphan would cruise through the fourth-quarter to earn its spot in the title game where the Donettes will look to win their third-straight district title.

Leading Doniphan to a win was Kenzie Redus and Ellie White with 17 points.

Also contributing was Madilyn Redus with 12 points.

On the opposing end, Dexter was led by Kate Nichols with 13 points and Allison Turnbo with 11 points.

The Donettes (25-0) will battle the winner of Notre Dame and Kennett at 6 pm on Friday, March 1, at Notre Dame Regional High School.