ST. LOUIS – When Jarred Dixon went down with a broken bone in his hand in Missouri State’s regular-season finale, it was clear players such as Chris Kendrix would have to step up and fill in for the Bears.
Kendrix definitely got the memo.
The 6-foot-5 sophomore from Willard came out blazing in the first half of the Bears’ play-in game at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Thursday night, scoring 14 points in the first nine minutes.
It let the Bears play from ahead through most of the game, in a 69-67 victory over Drake and a spot in the tournament quarterfinals on Friday night against Evansville.