While the season is still young and the Dreadnaughts are even younger, there are more than a few reasons to get excited about this 2022-23 Dexter girls’ basketball team. And a few of those reasons were on display Wednesday night as Dexter headed all the way to Troy for a non-league game with the Colts.
The first thing that jumps out is that they play as a team. The Dreads have a couple of players with plenty of varsity experience and great skills but the other players on the floor more than hold their own. And the two veterans, Chloe Perry and Alana Blumberg, already trust them with a big shot, a big play or making big contributions.
Like other Lauren Thompson coach teams, these Dreadnaughts play tough defense. Blumberg had a strong offensive night but her biggest contribution was on defense where she did an excellent job defending Troy’s best player.
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These Dreadnaughts also play hard, play smart and stay focused.
And all of these reasons showed up on the scoreboard as Dexter scored an impressive 52-31 win over Troy in a game they never trailed and didn’t allow a Troy player to reach double-digits in the scorebook.
Blumberg, only a sophomore, scored 12 of her game-high 17 points in the second half. Chloe Perry, one of only two seniors on the Dexter roster, continued her strong start to the season with 15 points, including three triples in the first half.
Freshman Addison Chase and sophomore Kendall Cabana each scored seven points. Junior Alyssa Gullekson added six points.
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A triple from Perry gave Dexter an early 10-5 lead. In the final seconds of the first quarter, the senior knocked down another three-pointer to give Dexter a 13-8 lead after one quarter.
Blumberg had a three-point play to get Dexter off to a strong start in the second quarter. Another triple from Perry made it 19-12. A rebound and put-back by Cabana gave the visitors a 21-12 lead and then Blumberg rebounded her own shot and scored to make it 25-19 just before halftime.
The Dreadnaughts put the game with a strong third quarter, outscoring their hosts 14-5 in the period. A Blumberg put-back made it 29-19 and a basket inside by Gullekson made it 31-19. Blumberg then scored on a rebound and then converted an impressive reverse layup to push Dexter to a 35-24 lead.
Off an inbound play under Troy’s basket, Cabana scored on a layup to make it 37-24. A Perry steal and layup gave Dexter a 39-24 lead, which they would take into the fourth quarter.
On Dexter’s first possession of the final quarter, Cabana knocked down a triple to make it 42-24. On their next possession, Gullekson hit a jumper to make it 44-24.
Earlier in the week, Dexter defeated Grass Lake, 57-39. The Dreads led 15-8 after the first quarter but were outscored 16-9 in the second quarter. The game was tied at 24-24 at the break. The Dreads outscored Grass Lake 20-5 in the third quarter to put the game away.
Perry had a huge game with 26 points. She made all seven of her free-throw attempts in the game. Blumberg finished with 17 points. Cabana had eight and Chase scored six.
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