The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Dexter cagers get defensive
By Don Richter, Sports Editor
PUBLISHED: January 25, 2007
Hot shooting combined with a ball-hawking, in-your-face defense, propelled Dexter's boys' basketball team to a convincing 67-44 victory over host Temperance Bedford last Friday.
Advertisement
"We shot a season-high 54 percent from the floor," said Dexter coach Randy Swoverland. "We were able to open up a good lead in the first quarter and maintain it."
The Dreadnaughts (7-3, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) meant business as soon as they stepped off the bus, taking an 18-8 first quarter lead.
At halftime, Dexter increased its lead to 33-18.
The Mules rallied in the third quarter, outscoring the Dreadnaughts 18-16 cutting Dexter's advantage to 49-36.
In the fourth quarter, the Dreadnaughts put the game away netting 18 points, while allowing only eight Bedford points for the night's final margin.
"We passed and shot the ball well, that was the key," Swoverland said. "We had a season-high 20 assists."
Leading Dexter's attack was junior guard T.J. Fenske (6-foot-1) with 19 points, including five three-pointers. Fenske's 19 points tied his season high.
Senior forward James Nati (6-3) added 16 points and five rebounds, while senior forward Rob Kuzon (6-3) had 14 points and seven boards for the Dreads.
Senior point guard Johnny Benjamin (6-4) had six points, four rebounds, eight assists and four steals, while juniors Ryan Lemasters and David Pisano each had six points for Dexter.
On Jan. 16, the host Dreadnaughts defeated Jackson Northwest 53-24.
Dexter's defense again was a factor in its victory.
"After the first quarter, our defense took over," Swoverland said. "They turned the ball over 28 times. We never let them back in the game."
The Mounties led 10-8 after one quarter.
Over the next two quarters, the Dreadnaughts held Northwest to only six points.
At the break, Dexter opened up a 21-13 lead.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Dreadnaughts held a commanding 36-16 advantage.
In the fourth frame, Dexter put the finishing touches on an impressive outing scoring 17 points, while holding the Mounties to eight points for the ending margin.
Nati paced the Dreadnaughts with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Fenske added 13 points, while Kuzon had nine points and 10 boards.
Lemasters finished with six points, while Benjamin had four points, nine assists and three steals.
Dexter has won four out of its last five games. The Dreadnaughts are shooting better and have been dominant defensively all season.
"Our defense has been solid," Swoverland said. "Nobody's scored over 50 points in our first 10 games."
Dexter next travels to Ypsilanti Lincoln for a SEC White Division contest Friday at 7 p.m.
On Tuesday, the Dreadnaughts visit SEC White foe Tecumseh for a match up at 7 p.m.
On Feb. 2, Dexter travels to county and league rival Chelsea. The Bulldogs are currently 9-0 overall and ranked No. 6 in the state in Class B.
Freshman Basketball
Dexter's freshman boys' basketball team lost to host Temperance Bedford 51-45 last Friday.
The Mules led 8-4 after one quarter.
At the break, Bedford increased its advantage to 21-13.
In the third quarter, the Dreadnaughts (2-5, 1-3 SEC) fought back, outscoring the Mules 20-9 taking a 33-30 lead into the fourth frame.
In the fourth quarter, Bedford outscored Dexter 21-12 to secure its victory.
"We battled," said Dexter coach Brock Rychener. "We were down the entire first half. We couldn't close it (win) out in the fourth."
Dylan Kipke led the Dreadnaughts with 16 points.
Kevin Yarows added eight points, while Eddie Bostic had seven points for Dexter.
On Jan. 16, the host Dreadnaughts lost to Jackson Northwest 51-39.
The Mounties jumped out to a 21-8 first quarter lead and never looked back.
At the half, Northwest led 35-20.
Heading into the fourth quarter, Dexter cut the lead to 47-35.
In the fourth stanza, both clubs notched four points for the final score.
Bostic led the Dreads with 13 points, while Nick Gonet had seven points.
On Jan. 12, host Dexter lost to Ann Arbor Pioneer 68-55.
The Pioneers came out strong taking a 19-8 first quarter lead.
At the break, Ann Arbor continued leading 37-18. Pioneer drained seven triples in the first half and nine for the game.
In the second half, the Dreadnaughts outscored Pioneer 37-31 for the ending margin.
Bostic led Dexter with 20 points, while Alex Dobbs and Kipke each had nine points.
"We have to get off to better starts," Rychener said.
The Dreadnaughts next travel to Ypsilanti Lincoln for a game Friday at 5:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, Dexter visits Tecumseh for a contest at 5:30 p.m.
On Feb. 2, the Dreadnaughts travel to rival Chelsea for a game at 5:30 p.m.
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
Expanded
Web
Coverage
TOP JOBS
