Dexter head coach Tim Cain summed his team’s challenges up pretty well. “We picked the wrong year to be young,” said Cain, whose roster features one sophomore and six juniors.
The Dreadnaughts play an extremely tough schedule in a very tough SEC. Pioneer and Skyline are both loaded and feature several Division 1 college players (Drew Lowder at Pioneer and Ryan Wade of Skyline are both headed to Holy Cross next year). Ypsilanti and Jackson are both loaded. Huron has eight talented sophomores and are quickly improving. Saline is solid.
And that brings us to Lincoln. It also brought Dexter to Lincoln on Friday night for a game against the Railsplitters. Lincoln features not one of the best players in the state but one of the top talents in the country in 6-foot-8 forward Emoni Bates. The 14-year-old is not only turning heads but packing gyms with fans, scouts and coaches from all over the country.
Bates scored 38 points in Lincoln’s 86-50 win over the Dreadnaughts.
“We need to handle pressure, be in the correct spots, shoot a better free-throw percentage (8-18) and play with more composure.” Cain said. “Lincoln’s best offense was their defense. When we are set defensively and rebounding the basketball we are getting better defensively.”
Lincoln led 19-10 after one quarter and 39-23 at the break. The Railsplitters outscored the Dreads 29-17 in the third quarter and 18-10 in the fourth.
Colin Parachek had a nice game for the Dreads. The sophomore had 14 points, six rebounds and just two turnovers. Caden Doll also had a solid game for the Dreads. The senior made 5 of 10 shots and finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
Junior guard Antwan Ficklen missed all nine shots but found other ways to contribute with eight rebounds and four assists. Marco Lucchesi had 10 points and three rebounds for Dexter.
It’s another challenging week for Dexter. The Dreadnaughts host talented Ypsilanti on Tuesday and then host rival Chelsea on Friday in a girls-boys doubleheader with the Bulldogs. The girls tip off at 5:30 p.m. with the boys’ game to follow.
