Dexter scorer always seeking growth, competition on the court

DEXTER – It has been an up-and-down season for the Dexter High School girl’s basketball season, and the Bearcats’ 10-9 mark is evidence of that. However, a bright spot all winter for the squad has been the scoring of junior guard Kate Nichols.

“I have a mindset where I want to win,” Nichols said. “I don’t want to lose.”

That will be a challenge for the rest of the Bearcats’ season, as they play a very challenging group of teams over the next 17 days to close out the regular season, and those tests begin tonight at Notre Dame (13-7) at 7:30 p.m.

Nichols recently went over the 1,000-point mark for her career, but she is adamant that she is still trying to improve her skill level.

“Going to my left (hand),” Nichols said of her focus this past off-season, “it’s still not great.”

Nichols has honed her skills both in the gym, as well as her driveway, as she competes with her two brothers, Cole and Kyle.

“It was very competitive,” Kate said of battling her brothers. “I’d say that it gets me ready, especially against the SEMO Conference teams when there are girls that big.”

Cole graduated from Dexter last spring as the Bearcats’ all-time leading scorer and now plays at Three Rivers College, while Kyle is a tall seventh grader, who will have BIG shoes to fill athletically in following his older siblings.

“I definitely need to get stronger,” Kate said. “I need to get in the weight room more.”

Nichols likes basketball a lot, however, truth be told, playing volleyball is her passion, and it is what she envisions doing at the next level.

“Volleyball has always been my thing,” Kate said. “I just love being able to hit the ball, dig it, I just love it.”

She plays club volleyball throughout the winter, spring, and fall, though her role on the court in club volleyball is different than in the fall with the Bearcats.

Nichols has the athleticism and height to play along the front line for Dexter, but at the club level, as well as the collegiate level, she’ll be a much more defensive player in the back row than blocking kills up front.

“I’ve been working on my defense more,” Nichols said. “It’s something that I’ll have to get better at. I’ve always played back there; it just hasn’t been my main focus.”

Like working on her drives to the rack going left on the basketball court, Nichols said that she has to get better at “reading the hitters” from the back row in volleyball, “and knowing where the ball is going and then getting there.”

Like their parents (Rob and Christy), who teach at Dexter Schools and were collegiate athletes themselves (playing basketball at Williams Baptist University), both Cole and Kate envision themselves teaching and coaching in the future.

“Education,” Kate responded quickly when asked about her future. “And coaching.”

Following tonight’s SEMO Conference game, Nichols and her teammates will host Cape Central (8-11) on Thursday at 6 p.m.