Saxony GBB completes rally this time for road W at Dexter

DEXTER - It’s been a long time since SEMO Conference foes Dexter and Saxony Lutheran had seen each other this season since doing so just days after Thanksgiving.

In that outing, the Bearcats raced out to an 11-point halftime lead before hanging on to top the rallying Crusaders by one point (47-46).

On Monday, the game followed a very similar script, as Dexter built a 25-18 margin early in the third quarter, but then Saxony Lutheran showed just how much growth it has done over the past two months.

The Crusaders absolutely dominated the second half – at both ends of the court – to win 58-49 at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter.

“There was some motivation from them beating us (earlier) in the conference tournament,” first-year Crusader coach Chris Crawford said following the win. “Dexter has a really young ballclub and their future is super bright.

“(Bearcat coach Eric Sitze) does a great job with them down here, so to go on the road, come down here and play, we’re just lucky to get out of here with a win, especially after getting behind early.”

The Bearcats looked solid early, as they built its margin behind the offense of six players, including junior guard Kate Nichols, who scored 10 of her 16 points by halftime. However, the experience of Saxony Lutheran seniors Rebecca Johnson and center Evie Caruso, who combined for 18 points in the third quarter, showed.

Saxony Lutheran (13-5) outscored the Bearcats 22-10 in that period and 40-24 in the second half.

“Our seniors are awesome,” Crawford said. “Really, all of our upperclassmen are.”

Caruso and Johnson are joined by classmates Maci Hollis, Annie Adams, Grace Ozark, and Samantha Hope, as they have guided the team to match last season’s 13-win total and still have at least seven games remaining.

“Our defense has been tenacious,” Crawford said. “In the first half (tonight), we did not look very good on defense. It was not our best performance. We didn’t have any energy. We weren’t talking (and) our rotations were horrible.

“And the girls knew that.”

They certainly picked things up following halftime before cruising late by hitting five free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

The Bearcats were limited to just three baskets in the third quarter.

Johnson and Caruso each had 19 points while Hollis finished with nine.

Dexter (10-9) was paced by senior guard Abbie Lloyd, who had 17 points while senior forward Allison Turnbo chipped in seven points.

Saxony Lutheran will host Notre Dame (10-6) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Dexter will visit Notre Dame on Monday at 7:30 p.m.