Sometimes, the shots just don’t fall. And when that happens against a good team it’s hard to shoot that game into the win column.
“We just could not knock down shots,” said Dexter Coach Lauren Thompson. “When you don’t knock down shots it’s going to make it tough to win a tight game.”
The Dexter girls’ basketball team made just 14 for 52 shots from the field in a 44-39 loss to rival Chelsea on Monday night at Dexter. The loss ended Dexter’s four-game winning streak and leaves the team at 4-2 overall.
The setback wasn’t because of a lack of effort. It was Chelsea-Dexter after all and both teams came to play.
“We played so hard,” Thompson said. “It was a fun girls’ game to coach and be a part of. Both teams played with guts and grit. Even though we came up short, I am so proud of how hard we played and the toughness we displayed.”
The two teams will meet again on March 19 at Chelsea.
The Dreadnaughts, behind triples from Maddi Valentine and Alayna Babut, took a 10-8 lead after the first quarter. Sydney Pnacek knocked down three field goals in the second quarter but she was the only Dexter player to score from the floor as Chelsea outscored the Dreads 15-9 to take a 23-19 lead at halftime.
Dexter outscored Chelsea 8-7 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to three points heading into the final period.
Chelsea outscored Dexter 14-12 in the fourth quarter despite triples from Valentine and Kylee Niswonger. The Bulldogs knocked down 5 of 6 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter to help hold on for the win.
Pnacek and Valentine (two triples) led Dexter with eight points apiece. Niswonger scored all of her seven points in the fourth quarter. Babut also scored seven, including two triples, and Shannon Schoch had five points for Dexter.
The Dreadnaughts host Our Lady of the Lakes on Wednesday and then return to SEC action with a game at Jackson on Thursday.
