Basketball

After 10 months, the list is complete. On Monday, the 45 spring sport finalists for the 2018 Semoball Awards were announced during a selection show live on air on SEMO ESPN Radio 1220 AM. In addition to those individual student-athletes, 15 additional nominees were revealed for Coach of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year and Sportsmanship, plus the Lifetime Achievement Award winner...

DEXTER, Mo. - The Kennett Indians high school boys basketball program took the court for competitive action for the first time under new head coach Andrew Halford Friday. The Kennett varsity boys basketball team competed in the two-day Rib City Shootout Friday and Saturday at Bearcat Event Center in Dexter...

SIKESTON — With the summer just beginning and local sports teams a ways away from starting their respective seasons, comes a carousel of coaching changes. A new voice and vision are used to help struggling programs rise to the top and with that, here is the list of coaching changes for our local teams:...

David Heeb wasn't looking for a coaching job, but when it was offered to him, he wasn't going to turn down the opportunity. When Heeb, who won Class 1 boys basketball state titles at Bell City in 2002 and 2004, recently took an administrative job in the Delta R-V School District to be closer to his ailing father, he was told Delta was looking for a girls basketball coach...

Lloyd Hyten loves basketball and the city of Dexter. He should be a perfect fit to lead the Dexter High School boys basketball program. “I was born and raised in Dexter. I’ve always lived in Dexter,” said Hyten who played for the school’s all-time winningest boys basketball coach Jim Hall. ...

DEXTER, Mo. — The eighth annual Rib City Shootout got underway at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter, Mo., on Friday. Sikeston, Charleston, Kelly, and Richland were the local teams that participated in the two-day event, which Dexter girls’ basketball head coach and Rib City Shootout coordinator Chad Allen said has grown since its inception...

Hayti standout and all-state honoree Kobe Cooper recently signed a national letter of intent with North Central Missouri College in Trenton. With family, friends, teammates, coaches, and administration on hand, Cooper put the ink to paper in a ceremony in the gym lobby at 1 p.m. on May 7...

Seedings have been released for five district baseball tournaments that include teams from Dunklin County. See the brackets for all five districts below: C1D1 at Cooter C2D2 at Bernie C3D1 at Charleston C3D2 at Greenville C4D1 at Sikeston...

The winter sports season is one of the most passionate in Southeast Missouri, and this winter there were plenty of performances deserving of that passion. On Tuesday, 40 more individuals were announced as winter sport finalists for the 2018 Semoball Awards...

Jersey number: 24 Height: 5-foot-9 Position: PG AAU/Travel Team: Missouri Storm Favorite team tradition: New Year's lock-in at school Favorite memory from this season: Beating Scott County Central in the Christmas Tournament Favorite spot on the floor to shoot from: Free-throw line...

The third-seeded Kennett Indians struck for three runs in the third inning Saturday and beat seventh-seeded Dexter 5-2 in a consolation semifinal of the SEMO Conference Baseball Tournament at Cape Central High School. The Indians will face Notre Dame in the fifth-place game at 2:15 p.m. Monday. Dexter (3-12) will meet New Madrid County Central for seventh place at noon Monday. Both games will be played at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau...

Sometimes, inadvertently, you're saddled with expectations before doing much more than taking your first breath. Like when you have to live up to a name like Armani Vermillion. It's safe to say when Vermillion walks into a room, few have ever met another Armani before. It's extra safe to say that in a place like Advance, Missouri...

Krista Rhodes Jersey number: 11 Height: 5-foot-10 Position: Forward/Guard Plans after graduation: Playing volleyball at John A. Logan Favorite team tradition: Praying with team before every game Favorite memory from this season: Watching Coach Stein celebrate on the sideline after Hannah Scott got the and-1 to beat Puxico...

Coming off a sensational sophomore season which included a trip to the Class 2 final four, it would be easy to relax. But Leah Cauble kept working. While the Oran girls basketball team fell just short of another state appearance, Cauble continued to dazzle on the hardwood, upping her scoring average and shooting percentage and earning the title Southeast Missourian Girls Basketball Player of the Year for the second year in a row...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — Former Charleston and New Madrid County Central head coach Lennies McFerren is set to take-over the Eagles boys basketball program once again next season. One of the most exceptional basketball minds in the state, McFerren has won nine state championships during his head coaching tenure. He won two of his state championships at NMCC in 2000 and 2001...

Playing college basketball has been on Senath-Hornersville senior Diego Fernandez’s radar screen since he was a child. “I’ve been thinking about it since I was young,” Fernandez said. “I’ve always dreamed of playing college basketball and my coaches have led me on the right path to reach my dream."...

Hayti senior standout Ton’Quasha Hayes signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Jefferson College, during a ceremony at the Hayti High School gym lobby Apr. 18. With family, friends, and coaches on hand, Hayes happily put pen to paper, officially becoming a member of the Lady Vikings basketball squad. Hayes will be headed to Hillsboro, Missouri, later in the summer for at least two more years of college hoops...

Caruthersville Tigers basketball standouts Lamonte Bell Jr. and Destine Russell are set to continue their basketball careers at West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah. West Kentucky head Coach Michael Chumbler recently added the 2017 Tiger graduates to his roster...

Arguably considered the best-ever to come from Sikeston High School, Fred Thatch certainly made a strong case for it. The Saint Louis University commit averaged 21.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.4 steals for a Sikeston team that finished 27-3 and reached the state semifinals for the second time in his career. ...

More times than not, Chaylea Mosby couldn’t be contained. The high-scoring guard averaged 26.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals for a Dexter girls basketball team that finished 23-6 after climbing to the Class 4 quarterfinal round for the third straight year...

SIKESTON — The honors continue to pour in for Sikeston’s Fred Thatch. The Saint Louis University commit was named USA TODAY High School SportsAmerican Family Insurance ALL-USA Missouri Boys Basketball Team today. Thatch, a first team member, was named Class 4 Player of the Year after averaging 21.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.4 steals a game for the Bulldogs (27-3), who reached the Class 4 state semifinals.’...

KENNETT, Mo. - The Kennett Indians varsity baseball team ended its week on a high note Friday afternoon. Kennett finished the week 2-2 after it hit a pair of home runs in the final innings to edge Greene County Tech, Ark., 3-2. The Indians trailed 1-0 after one inning and 2-1 after the top of the fourth inning. ...

DEXTER, Mo. – Josh Dowdy never thought he’d leave coaching behind. He has paced the sidelines as both a head and assistant basketball coach for over a decade and recently pushed the Dexter boys basketball team into better times. But the perfect opportunity came calling. And even though the fourth-year Dexter coach made the difficult decision to hang up his whistle, the chance to influence his hometown school on a bigger scale was too good of an opportunity to pass up...

The Kennett Indians Special Olympics team consisting of 3rd - 8th grade athletes will be hosting the First Annual Special Olympics Basketball Exhibition Tournament in Kennett. The event will be held on Saturday, April 7th, and will be held at the Kennett Middle School gym...

Kirk Boeller is Notre Dame through and through, and that's just the kind of person the Bulldogs like to have leading their programs. On Wednesday, Boeller was announced as the next varsity head coach of girls basketball at Notre Dame, replacing Renee Peters after she stepped down last month...

Saxony Lutheran girls basketball senior Addison Beussink was tabbed as a Class 3 all-state selection by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association on Wednesday, headlining a group of local honorees. On the girls side, Oran's Leah Cauble earned all-state honors in Class 2, in addition to being named the Scott-Mississippi Conference Player of the Year...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — There were plenty of sequels at the 60th annual Poplar Bluff Letter Club Basketball Banquet on Wednesday night. Sikeston's Fred Thatch and Dexter's Chaylea Mosby repeated as the most outstanding players of the SEMO Conference while the team champions defended their titles...

KENNETT, Mo. - The Kennett Indians varsity baseball team enjoyed success at the plate and on the mound in its home opener against the Dexter Bearcats Wednesday afternoon. Kennett senior right-handed hurler Zane Wallace limited the Dexter offense to just one run and one hit in five innings of work...

For the second time in three seasons, Sikeston's Fred Thatch was named the Class 4 Player of the Year during the announcement of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association all-state teams on Wednesday. Thatch, who was also named the player of the year after his sophomore season, finished his senior year averaging 21.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.4 steals per game while shooting 80 percent from the free-throw line and 41 percent from 3-point range...

The 2018 Bootheel Conference high school boys basketball awards have been released. Hayti senior guard Darius Jones and Malden senior guard Dashawn Butler are Co-Players of the Year in the Bootheel Conference in boys basketball. Jones averaged 17 points and seven rebounds per game. Butler averaged 18 points and six rebounds per game...

The 2018 Bootheel Conference high school girls basketball awards have been released. Portageville senior forward Deondra Johnson is the Player of the Year in the Bootheel Conference in girls basketball. She averaged 16 points, six rebounds and two steals per game...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Sikeston’s dream of a state championship ended in heartbreaking fashion in a three-point loss to Grandview on Friday, but the Bulldogs had one more opportunity to leave Springfield, Mo., with a win in the third place game. In yet, another thrilling, exciting game on Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs came up short with a 79-74 overtime loss to Jennings as Sikeston settled for fourth place for the third time in school history...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Grandview is a team known for living, or dying, by the 3-point shot. Sikeston came into Friday night’s Class 4 semifinal matchup knowing they would have to somehow contain Grandview’s perimeter shooting while also staying in position to stop dribble penetration...

When Collin Sheridan became the Cape Central track and field coach last year one of his goals was to establish a pipeline from the junior high. An assistant at Central High School for a decade, he wanted to keep students involved in the sport as they transitioned from junior high to high school...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Sikeston Bulldogs basketball team has run through one of the toughest gauntlets in the state to reach the Class 4 Show-Me Showdown, defeating the No. 7, No. 9 and No. 2 ranked teams. That trend will continue on Friday when the MBCA No. 1 ranked Bulldogs (27-2) take on No. 4 ranked Grandview (26-3) at 6 p.m. in the Class 4 semifinals at JQH Arena in Springfield on the campus of Missouri State University...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Sometimes all it takes is a shift in momentum, one way or the other. A strange third quarter that slowed the pace and played havoc on the Charleston boys basketball team's mindset eventually took its toll. Once ahead by 10, Charleston couldn't hold back a surging Hogan Prep squad in the second half during a 63-58 loss in Saturday's Class 3 state championship game at JQH Arena in Springfield, Mo...

HILLSBORO, Mo. – With a brilliant game-plan and perfect execution, the Sikeston Bulldogs are headed back to the final four. Sikeston confused and stymied St. Mary’s and rolled to a 76-50 victory in Saturday afternoon’s Class 4 quarterfinal game at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Mo...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – One of the most celebrated basketball schools in the state will get the chance to add to an already impressive collection of hardware Saturday night. Getting a combined 48 points and 19 rebounds from seniors Demarcus Sharp and Mardareyon Clark, the Charleston Bluejays kept Mountain Grove at a safe distance all game long Friday night at the Hammons Student Center in Springfield, Mo., during a Class 3 semifinal. ...

Oran duo Leah Cauble and Jacob Shoemaker were named 2017-18 Scott-Mississippi Conference Players of the Year on Thursday during the announcement of the all-conference teams. Cauble, a junior, led the girls basketball team with a whopping 36 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals per game. The season ended for the Lady Eagles after a quarterfinal loss to Neelyville, who went on to win the Class 2 state championship...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Welcome to Titleville! Enjoy your stay. Neelyville ended the seasons of five of the top seven teams in the state coaches rankings to win the MSHSAA Class 2 state championship. The first state championship in school history. "We have got a great community that supports us. ...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Hayti Indians played with a lead most of the way but ultimately finished a basket shy of securing its first state title in boys basketball since 1983 Friday night. The Van-Far Indians rallied from a 50-42 deficit in the final two minutes of regulation to force overtime and hit a 2-pointer with four seconds left in the extra session to edge Hayti 56-55 in the Class 2 state championship at JQH Arena in Springfield...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Neelyville has beaten five consecutive state ranked opponents. It needs to beat one more. Neelyville defeated defending state champion and top-ranked Skyline 63-57 to advance to the MSHSAA Class 2 championship game for the second time in three years...

There's never an easy time to make a tough decision, but for long-time Notre Dame girls basketball coach Renee Peters, the time is right. After 11 years leading the Bulldogs, Peters announced Thursday that she is stepping down from her coaching role...

The Charleston boys basketball team is back where they like to be. The perennial title contenders with 11 state championships will look to add another this weekend as they take part in the MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown in Springfield, Mo. The Bluejays will take on Mountain Grove at 6:20 p.m., on Friday during one of the two semifinal games at the Hammons Student Center. Transportation and Law will face Hogan Prep in the other semifinal directly following at 8:10 p.m...

Nathan Ruark takes great pride in the photograph. His mom? Not so fond of the image of her son walking off the basketball court with blood streaming down his face, just the tip of the iceberg of what he was about to deal with. But Nathan, he wants a poster of it...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — Longtime New Madrid County Central boys basketball coach Travis Day was relieved of his basketball coaching duties last week, leaving some in the community upset, questioning the school board. Day, a NMCC graduate, served as head coach of the Eagles for 12 years, compiling a 148-161 record that included a third place finish in Class 3 in 2015 and a Class 3 quarterfinal appearance in 2008. ...

HILLSBORO, Mo. -- It all happened so fast. Poplar Bluff's 12-point, second-quarter lead was reduced to a single bucket in a span of 68 seconds Wednesday night, but the Mules overcame their own double-digit deficit with a quick rally in the closing minutes of the MSHSAA Class 5 sectional playoff...

HILLSBORO, Mo. -- With minutes remaining in a Class 5 sectional, the Jackson girls basketball team had just taken the lead for the first time since the first quarter, but Kelsie Williams wasn't fazed. The Hazelwood Central senior responded with a 3-pointer and then two more for good measure. That stretch of 3s on three consecutive possessions gave the Hawks a six-point lead they didn't relinquish as Jackson never got closer than four the rest of the way...

FARMINGTON, Mo. – Parker Long grabbed the ball and held on for dear life. It was the only thing the Sikeston junior had on his mind with the clock ticking away and Hillsboro looking prime to steal a win. Hillsboro's Isaiah Martin took a pass in the paint, eyed the rim above him and settled in for the winning shot. But Long ripped the ball away and fell out of bounds with under two seconds to go...