DEXTER – Jason Rushton had a feeling this was going to be the year his team broke through.
The Dexter boys basketball head coach had a hunch that the Dreadnaughts had the talent in 2021 to do something that the program hadn’t done in more than 15 years – and they delivered.
On Friday, Rushton watched on as his team did what they needed to do as they took down rival Chelsea, 62-46, for the second time in the season to clinch a share of the Southeastern Conference title, the program’s first since 2004.
The win not only gave the Dreadnaughts (13-3, 8-2 SEC-White) a share of the league crown with the rival Bulldogs (12-2, 8-2 SEC-White), but also helped Pinckney (11-2, 7-2 SEC-White) earn a share of the league pie as well.
“I don’t want this to sound the wrong way, but this was an expectation of ours heading into the season,” Rushton said. “We thought we were one of the better teams in the SEC, we could be right up there. Now, with everything that this year brought, how awesome is it that there’s three co-champions for these kids and all the work that they’ve done and all the adversity that everybody in the state of Michigan has had to overcome.”
A league title wasn’t the only thing the Dreadnaughts had the opportunity to celebrate on Friday as this was the program’s first sweep of Chelsea since the 2017-18 season.
Dexter knew it could have an opportunity to earn a share of the league title with a win over the Bulldogs but needed some help from their rival to set up the showdown on Friday.
Chelsea was able to keep up its end of the bargain with two wins over Pinckney earlier in the year and clinched its share on Tuesday with a win against Jackson.
So, the Dreadnaughts weren’t just playing for bragging rights, but also a chance to add their team to the banner of league champions.
“Obviously, playing Chelsea is always a big game for us,” said Dexter senior Colin Parachek, who finished with a game-high 23 points. “It’s always a close game, so we had to come out and fight. With it being for the league championship made it an even bigger game for us. We practiced the last two days with a high intensity knowing that we had two things to play for tonight.
“We had the rivalry and the league championship to put some numbers up on the banner behind me and go from there with some momentum going into districts.”
Similar to Dexter’s 61-45 win at Chelsea in February, the Dreadnaughts built a large lead in the second half and held on late to secure the win.
Dexter led 30-22 at halftime and used an 8-0 run to start the second half to gain separation. The Dreadnaughts built a lead as large as 19 points en route to pushing their win streak to seven games.
Chelsea didn’t back down and continued to battle in the fourth quarter but wasn’t unable to find the key run to get back into the contest.
But Chelsea coach Josh Tropea didn’t place any blame on his players, yet put the team’s loss on his shoulders instead.
“I told my kids I lost this game for them tonight,” Tropea said. “They battled all the way to the end. We didn’t have a great shooting night, but they continued to battle throughout the night. But I made a few adjustments thinking it would help me in the game and it really ended up hurting us.”
Chelsea was paced by Jordan Fansler, who finished with 17 points and Joseph Cabana added eight points, though the team’s win streak came to an end at five games.
Dexter's Cal Bavineau (5) shoots a layup during Dexter's game against Chelsea at Dexter High School on Friday, March 19, 2021.
In addition to Parachek’s performance, Dexter junior Cal Bavineau scored 19 points and helped break down Chelsea’s defense to open up scoring lanes for teammates.
Bavineau, who was born near the last time Dexter won a league championship, said he hoped the league crown would help build momentum for the Dreadnaughts heading into the postseason.
“I’ve grown up living in Dexter and I’ve seen my dad win a couple, but winning one myself is pretty awesome,” he said. “We’re on a big run. I think we’re on a roll. We’re playing great basketball.”
Dexter will begin Division 1 district play on Tuesday against Brighton, while Chelsea will begin play in D2 versus Stockbridge on Thursday.
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Check out Ann Arbor-area girls basketball district tournament matchups
See Ann Arbor-area boys basketball district tournament matchups
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