The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Dexter, Chelsea battle down to wire
By Don Richter, Sports Editor
PUBLISHED: February 8, 2007
In front of approximately 2,000 screaming and yelling fans, county and Southeastern Conference White Division rivals Chelsea and Dexter met on the hardcourt last Friday night.
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As one would expect, the game came down to the final seconds before a victor was decided. When the smoke cleared, the host Bulldogs prevailed 58-53.
With the win, Chelsea, ranked No. 6 in the state in the Associated Press Class B rankings, remained unbeaten with an unblemished 12-0 overall record. In the SEC, the Bulldogs are 7-0.
The Dreadnaughts are 9-4 overall and 5-2 in the SEC.
Dexter entered last Friday's showdown on a four-game winning streak and had won six out of its last seven contests.
To begin the game, Chelsea looked every bit like a state-ranked, unbeaten team racing out to a 10-0 first quarter lead. The Dreadnaughts, however, were able to quiet the rabid Bulldog crowd and gain a little momentum scoring their first bucket of the night at the buzzer to end the first quarter.
"It might have been a case of big game jitters," said Dexter coach Randy Swoverland, who last season led the Dreadnaughts to the Class A state quarterfinals before losing. "We missed our first eight shots. We were playing tight. We dug ourselves a hole, and it was very difficult to get out."
Chelsea coach Robin Raymond said the first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game.
"We wanted to establish an up tempo, full-court game. We were able to create trouble with our defensive pressure."
In the second quarter, the Bulldogs continued pouring it on, building a 19-5 lead with 3:04 remaining in the first half on senior forward Mike Sauers' second straight three-point bomb from the left wing.
Dexter, however, was able to stem the tide during the final minutes of the second quarter, outscoring Chelsea 8-2 the rest of the first half. Despite the late resurgence, the Bulldogs led 21-13 at the break.
In the third quarter, Chelsea slowly, but methodically, continued to build its lead. After two consecutive fast break baskets by Bulldog senior guard Adam Connell, the Dreadnaughts called timeout trailing 29-17 with 5:59 left in the third frame.
Though Dexter battled back to cut the Chelsea lead to 29-21 after the timeout, the Bulldogs went on another run as senior forward Micah Hudson (6-foot-2) nailed two straight jumpers, increasing Chelsea's advantage to 35-21 with 1:00 left in the third quarter.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs continued leading 37-24 as Chelsea senior forward Benny Johnson powered up an inside basket as the third quarter buzzer sounded.
Early in the fourth quarter, the game appeared out of reach, as the Bulldogs netted the first five points increasing their lead to 42-24 on junior guard Elliot Marshall's triple and a Hudson driving lay-up. With the spurt, Dexter called another timeout.
Out of the timeout, Dreadnaught sophomore guard Ryan Lemasters and senior forward James Nati (6-3) scored consecutive baskets forcing a Chelsea timeout with 6:29 left in the game.
Off the timeout, the teams traded baskets up and down the court.
With 3:38 remaining, Dexter senior point guard Johnny Benjamin (6-4) swished a free throw trimming the Bulldog lead to 50-37.
It was at this point, the craziness of a rivalry game took over.
The Bulldogs appeared completely in control of the contest. In rivalry games, however, no lead is ever safe.
In the sweltering, helter-skelter, fans-jumping-out-of-their-seats final minutes, the Dreadnaughts somehow, some way found another gear scoring on steals, drives, impossible three-pointers and any other way one could possibly think of, cutting Chelsea's lead to four points with 33 seconds left.
After Benjamin drilled a triple from the far right corner, Dexter trailed 54-50. After a Dreadnaught timeout, Bulldog Nate Schwarze (5-11) was fouled with 30 seconds remaining. The senior point guard calmly nailed both free throws for a 56-50 Chelsea lead.
With 10 seconds remaining, Benjamin, from beyond the arc, hit nothing but net trimming the Bulldog lead to 56-53.
It was as close as Dexter would get. On the ensuing inbounds play, Hudson snuck behind the Dreadnaught defenders and drove for a lay-up as the buzzer sounded for the night's final margin.
Schwarze led Chelsea with a double-double of 19 points and 10 steals. He also had nine assists and two rebounds.
Sauers finished with 12 points and five boards, while Hudson, held scoreless the entire first half, ended up with 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Connell added eight points, while junior center Dean Roberts (6-3, 270), who'll miss the next few games with a potential stress fracture in his foot, had four points and four rebounds, Marshall three points and Johnson two points for the Bulldogs.
Benjamin paced Dexter with 14 points, including eight in the fourth quarter. He also had five assists and four steals.
Senior forward Rob Kuzon (6-3, 220) and junior guard T.J. Fenske (6-1) each had 11 points, while Lemasters had seven points. Kuzon also grabbed nine rebounds.
Nati netted five points, while senior guard Scott Ruhlig had three points and junior post player David Pisano (6-4, 210) had two points for the Dreads.
Chelsea finished 22-of-46 from the field for 48 percent, while Dexter was 21-of-44 for 48 percent.
At the line, the Bulldogs were 10-of-11 for 91 percent, while the Dreads were 7-of-9 for 78 percent.
Chelsea out-rebounded Dexter 24-21, including 10-5 on the offensive glass.
The Dreadnaughts had 20 turnovers compared to the Bulldogs' 12.
Despite losing, Swoverland said his team never quit.
"We came back and played more aggressively," he said. "We played with our backs against the wall. I think they (Chelsea) lost a little bit of their edge (late). But in reality, they dominated the game.
"We have to find a way to start the game better. You have to play a good 32 minutes. Our lull in the first quarter and in the third quarter cost us. Chelsea played more consistently."
Both teams allowed more than 50 points for the first time this season.
"Dexter is a very good team," Raymond said. "Defensively, they're one of the best teams we've seen. It comes down to a matter of execution. I was pleased with our consistency. Defensively, we were doing what we wanted to do up until the fourth quarter."
Raymond said Dexter dug deep in the fourth quarter.
"They caught their second wind," he said. "We had a couple turnovers and they hit a couple threes and everybody got excited. Benjamin united their team and hit some big shots. I knew the game wasn't over. I told the kids they were going to make a run.
"I told the kids to relax. Once we relaxed we handled their pressure (late in game). We had too many turnovers in the fourth quarter. But give Dexter credit, they forced those mistakes."
The rivalry rematch is 7 p.m. March 2 at Dexter.
On Jan. 30, the visiting Dreadnaughts defeated Tecumseh 53-38.
The Dreads jumped out to a 15-2 first quarter lead.
At halftime, Dexter continued leading 20-8.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Dreadnaughts led 35-29.
In the fourth frame, Dexter outscored the Indians 18-9 for the night's final margin.
"We went into a lull again," Swoverland said. "They (Tecumseh) capitalized at the foul line in the third quarter.
"In the fourth quarter, our front line really took control of the boards."
For the game, the Dreadnaughts out-rebounded the Indians 33-12.
Fenske sparked Dexter with 14 points and five assists.
Kuzon added 12 points and nine rebounds, while Pisano had a double-double of 10 points and 11 boards.
Nati chipped in eight points, while Benjamin had six points and Lemasters three points and five assists.
The Dreadnaughts next host Saline Friday at 7 p.m.
On Tuesday, Dexter hosts Temperance Bedford at 7 p.m.
On Feb. 20, the Dreadnaughts travel to Ann Arbor Pioneer for a game at 7 p.m.
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