SCAA Tournament: 'Improved' Bernie battles with Dexter, but 'Cats' Nichols proves too much

DEXTER – A mere 14 days earlier, the Dexter High School boy’s basketball squad had done battle with down-the-road rival Bernie and shut down the Mules’ offensive attack, including its super-scorer, senior guard Tristan Johnson in a 48-28 thumping.

The two teams met again on Friday in the championship game of the Stoddard County Athletic Association Tournament at the Bearcat Event Center, and though the end result was the same, a Bearcat victory, how the contest unfolded was very different than the initial meeting.

Bernie – and Johnson – were much more competitive in round two, as the Bearcats won the SCAA Tournament championship 73-59.

The victory was the fourth in five seasons for the Bearcats (15-5) after the Mules took the title a year ago.

“We knew coming in that there was no way that we were going to hold them to 28 points again,” Dexter coach Chad Allen said. “We just did a phenomenal job defensively the last time, and they are too good of a team, with too good of shooters, to hold them like that again.”

In the first meeting, Dexter limited Johnson to just four points through the first three quarters, before he totaled 14 points in the game. On Friday, it looked early on, as if the Bearcat focus on Johnson would work again.

Through the first quarter, Johnson had just three points on one make. However, the Mules (14-6) trailed just 13-11 entering the second quarter.

“We played better,” Bernie coach Jason Long said. “I told our kids in the locker room that we have improved since the last time we played them.”

Johnson was instructed by Long to “play off two feet,” meaning to use his incredible ability to jump stop and fake defenders into poor position, and either score or draw fouls or both. He began to do that successfully in the second quarter and totaled 12 points in that quarter, though the Bearcats stretched their advantage to 38-29 by halftime.

“Tristan came out with a purpose,” Long said. “The last time, he let their size kind of dictate things a little bit. I told him ‘You’re a player, let’s go.’”

Johnson finished with 33 points, as he connected on four 3-pointers and sank 5 of his 6 free throws.

The problem for the Mules, however, was Dexter has a super-scorer of its own, in senior guard Cole Nichols.

The 6-foot-2 athlete only had five points in the opening period, but added 13 in the second and third quarters, each, and finished the night with 40 points.

“Cole does so many things, whether it is off the ball,” Allen said, “he gets offensive rebounds, stick-backs, pulling up and shooting a jumper or driving to the rim.”

Nichols was probably the most athletic player on the court. He is the strongest on the court. And he is the most fundamentally sound player on the court. All of which makes him nearly impossible to contain.

“He’s great at changing speeds,” Allen continued, “and being able to get to the rim. That has really been his game, is getting to the rim. But he is starting to shoot the ball really well.”

Nichols hit five 3-pointers and buried 9 of his 10 free throw attempts, as he showed the ability to score at three levels.

Though the Mules were significantly better offensively on Friday, as they scored 30 second-half points, the smaller Bernie lineup couldn’t deal with the length of Dexter or Nichols.

“Dexter is an excellent team,” Long said.

Michia Schooley hit three of the Mules’ 12 3-pointers, and totaled nine points, while Tucker Anthony and Hunter Corzine added six points in the loss and Landon Ellsworth had five.

Dexter senior Brayden Pullum had five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points, while Chris Stone and Peyton Boles chipped in six apiece.

The Bearcats will visit Sikeston (14-4) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Bernie will host Holcomb (9-8) on Friday at 7:15 p.m.