Top-seeded Dexter girls basketball team routs Perryville in district tourney

DEXTER, Mo. -- The Perryville girls basketball team learned Monday night exactly why Dexter is the state's No. 5-ranked Class 4 team. The Bearcats, behind twin towers Brittany Harris and Paige Patterson, combined with a swarming defense that forced 29 turnovers, overwhelmed the Pirates 61-27 in a Class 4 District 1 semifinal.

Sadly for Perryville, it wasn't even that close.

The scorebook shows the Pirates shooting 60 percent from the field in the first half compared to 33 percent for the Bearcats.

That same scorebook also shows the Pirates with just 10 shot attempts in the first half, thanks to 20 turnovers. And the scoreboard read 31-16 Dexter.

Any hopes the Pirates (14-11) harbored of getting back into the game were thwarted by the Bearcats' 8-2 run to open the third quarter and a 10-1 run to close the period leading 51-22.

Perryville's Natalie Gremaud loses the ball as Dexter's Katelyn Frazier defends during the second quarter of their Class 4 District 1 semifinal game Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 in Dexter, Mo. (Fred Lynch)

"I knew they were going to pressure us," Perryville coach Vicki Lohmann said. "They have the ability to do that and to go more than five players deep."

And when the Bearcats (25-3) weren't forcing turnovers on the defensive end, they were getting the ball inside to Harris and Patterson. Harris, a 5-foot-11 senior forward, had 18 points -- 12 in the first half -- while Patterson, a 6-foot-1 junior forward, finished with 12.

"She's very athletic," Lohmann said about Harris. "She's very active, she never stands still. She's able to post-up just about anytime she wants."

The duo made life difficult for Perryville forwards Natalie Gremaud (11 points) and Desiree Brown (7 points), who were charged with the task of limiting Harris' and Patterson's contributions.

"She's tough," Brown said about Harris. "I tried my best, but she's been playing a long time. She definitely took advantage of my weaknesses."

"She's a hard worker," Dexter assistant coach Eric Setze said. "She jumps well, she's active, and she's a good finisher. She does a lot of good things for us."

Perryville 8 8 6 5 -- 27

Dexter 21 10 20 10 -- 61

PERRYVILLE (27) -- Natalie Gremaud 11, Ahnie Hoff 4, Allison Moldenhauer 2, Brooke Moll 1, Desiree Brown 7, Lauren McGarvey 2. FG: 10, FT: 7-15, F: 8. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none)

DEXTER (61) -- Dakota Reynolds 1, Mollie Whitehead 9, Katelyn Frazier 6, Hannah Noe 6, Melanie McKuin 2, Erika Cobb 7, Paige Patterson 12, Brittany Harris 18. FG: 26, FT: 6-10, F: 12. (3-pointers: Whitehead 1, Noe 1, Cobb 1. Fouled out: none)