Basketball

BENTON, Mo. — It has been a hectic month for the Kelly boys’ basketball program. Now, the wait is over. After interviewing multiple candidates for the vacant position, the Hawks found their next head coach. The Kelly school board announced the hiring of former Notre Dame assistant coach Jeremy Brinkmeyer as its next head coach on Tuesday, making him the 19th different head coach to lead the Hawks' program. ...

BENTON, Mo. — The wait is over for the Kelly boys basketball team. On Tuesday, the school announced that former Notre Dame assistant coach Jeremy Brinkmeyer would take over as head coach of the Hawks, the 19th different head coach in the program’s history. This upcoming season will be Brinkmeyer's first head coaching role as well...

Kennett Indians senior Caroline Patton got her first taste of basketball at a young age. “I started playing Kiwanis basketball and travel ball with Coach Spencer Hoffman at about the same time,” Patton said. “Then I played fifth and sixth grade basketball for my dad. ...

Following a year of missing out on gathering with friends and family due to the COVID pandemic, everyone, including sports fans, is anxious to spend time with those closest to us once again.

It has been a couple of weeks since the Campbell boy’s basketball squad was recognized as the best MSHSAA Class 2 team in the state, as the Camels topped Salisbury 67-50 in the title game in Springfield. However, the individual accolades continue to roll in for that team, as well as many others throughout the Semoball.com area.

POPLAR BLUFF — Fifth-five years after they were honored for coaching their teams to co-champions of the SEMO Conference in basketball, Terry Turlington and Jim Hall were back at the Poplar Bluff Letter Club Basketball Banquet. Turlington introduced his old teammate Wednesday night as Hall was honored Wednesday night with the Tom Hoover Lifetime Achievement Award...

POPLAR BLUFF — Caleb LeGrand and his fellow honorees on the All-SEMO Conference basketball team never got their lettermen jacket patches after last season. The Notre Dame senior took home the patch and a very large trophy Wednesday night from the Poplar Bluff Letter Club Basketball Banquet...

Breaking the all-time basketball scoring record at Campbell High School wasn’t on senior Blake Fowler’s radar until he scored his 2,000th point on January 19 against Caruthersville. “I found out after I scored my 2,000th point what the record was,” Blake said. “Once I found out about it I knew it was within reach.”...

There may not be a lengthy list of memories for Delta boy’s basketball fans to recall as time passes when reflecting on the Chris Hahn era of Bobcat hoops. However, what memories they have will be pleasant.

One of the most successful boy’s basketball programs will apparently be under new guidance next winter.

ORAN, Mo. — Oran senior Katie Webb and head coach Amy Pobst earned Player of the Year and Coach of the Year honors for the Scott-Mississippi County Conference last week. Webb was one of three Eagles to earn a spot on the all-conference team — juniors Hope Woodfin and Traci Hency joined her — while sophomore Haley Webb was an honorable mention...

The 2021 Bootheel Conference boys basketball awards have been released. Campbell senior guard Blake Fowler is the Bootheel Conference Player of the Year in boys basketball. Blake Fowler averaged 27 points per game, 3.4 assists per game, 4 rebounds per game, 2.8 steals per game and shot 86 percent from the free throw line...

SIKESTON — After two seasons at Maryville University, former Sikeston Bulldog Owen Long is heading to Youngstown State to continue his basketball career. "I entered the portal after Maryville, and they were on me early," Long said. "They wanted me bad, and I think that's a big deal when a coach and the coaching staff embrace your game. That played a big part."...

The 2021 Bootheel Conference girls basketball awards have been released. Hayti junior guard Amiya Johnson is the Bootheel Conference Player of the Year in girls basketball. Johnson averaged 28.9 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game, 3.1 assists per game, and 4 steals per game...

Notre Dame’s season ends at home in a 60-43 defeat to Union in the Class 5 state quarterfinal round on Saturday in Notre Dame High School. Lexi Rubel led the Bulldogs with 23 points and reached the 1,000-point career mark. She now adds her name to a long list of Rubels who has played and scored bounties of buckets for the Bulldogs...

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — It wasn’t the fairy-tale ending that the New Madrid County Central boys’ basketball team wanted, as its season came to an end on Friday night. The Eagles met their match, losing to Class 4 No. 1-ranked Vashon 72-52 in a Class 4 Quarterfinal...

Success at the middle school level doesn’t always mean championship times are on the way at the varsity level in years to come. Over the years I’ve seen my fair share of share of middle school groups be quite successful during their early days. Some of those squads eventually enjoyed big time success at the high school level...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The climb to the top of the basketball mountain was both rewarding and vindicating for the Whippets of Ellington High School as they ascended to the peak of the Class 2 range climbing to the title of state champion with a 63-56 victory over the top-ranked Wellington-Napoleon Tigers on Friday at JQH Arena in Springfield...

POPLAR BLUFF — The Mules gave the top-ranked team a devil of a time Friday night in the MSHSAA Class 6 quarterfinal. Chaminade scored 11 straight points in the third quarter, all after offensive rebounds, then held off a late rally by Poplar Bluff, advancing with a 69-55 win...

One might think that the Notre Dame girl’s basketball team is thinking about “unfinished business,” as the Bulldogs host Union today at 1 p.m. in the MSHSAA Class 5 Quarterfinals.

The Campbell Camels varsity boys basketball squad entered its 2020-21 season with the goal of putting together better performances in tournament play. “We were upset in the first round of of our conference and district tournaments last season,” Campbell senior Blake Fowler said. ...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Ellington girls basketball coach David Burrows stressed three important things to his squad before the start of its state semifinal against Blue Eye Thursday evening. “We stressed rebounding, playing defense and taking high-percentage shots,” Burrows said. “Typically, if you can have success with those three categories, you will come out on top.”...

The pressure is mounting on area basketball players as the MSHSAA tournament continues. For Semoball-area players, the performances have matched the intensity of the competition. Campbell senior Blake Fowler and Oran junior Traci Hency have both excelled of late and the two were recognized recently as the Semoball.com Basketball Players of the Week.

NEW MADRID, Mo. — Many have tried, few have succeeded when it comes to beating Vashon. Tonight (Friday), the New Madrid County Central boys' basketball team will have that task in front of them, with a chance at the final four on the line. "Vashon has got tradition more than anything else," NMCC head coach Lennies McFerren said. ...

SPRINGFIELD - Campbell boys basketball coach Steve Fowler was confident his squad would get off to a good start to its state semifinal before his players ever took the court Thursday afternoon. “I knew our guys would be ready,” coach Fowler said. “We’ve got nine seniors. ...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — Not many teams win basketball games when there isn't one point scored in a quarter. For New Madrid County Central, it was the worst possible time for that scenario to happen, in its 65-51 loss to Park Hills Central in the Class 4 Sectionals Wednesday night...

I’m a sportswriter, so I’m supposed to tell you in detail that the Notre Dame girl’s basketball team won its third MSHSAA Sectional title in a row on Wednesday by beating North County 65-53 in the Class 5 tournament at Notre Dame.

Jackson’s season ends at home in a 53-38 defeat to Cor Jesu in the Class 6 Sectional round on Wednesday in Jackson. Madison Lambert led the Indians with 20 points in her last career game in Jackson. Katie Waller scored 10 and Olivia Ward added eight points...

Consider the MSHSAA Class 6 quarterfinal Friday at the Senior High Gym a delayed Poplar Bluff Showdown. Just like the annual Christmas tournament that was canceled this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the host Mules will face a very good team featuring highly-recruited players...

Kelly head boys' basketball coach Fred Johnson announced that he was stepping down from his position on Wednesday. Johnson finished 35-19 with the Hawks over the past two seasons, including back-to-back Scott-Mississippi County Conference Tournament championships...

CAMPBELL - The final four journey is underway for the Campbell Camels boys basketball program. Players and coaches departed Campbell High School for Springfield, Missouri, about 10 a.m. Wednesday morning as they continue to prepare for their first final four appearance in school history...

NEW MADRID, Mo – It took Park Hills Central longer to drive to their Class 4 sectional game against New Madrid County Central then it did for the Eagles to send them back home. Like so many teams before them the Rebels couldn’t find an answer to the undefeated Eagles’ depth, watching NMCC take a 20-point halftime lead before rolling to a 76-51 final that sealed their first trip to the state quarterfinals since 2015...

POPLAR BLUFF — With a dependable defense and a perfect performance from the foul line in the fourth quarter, the Poplar Bluff boys basketball team ended a 16-year playoff drought Tuesday night. Joseph Hardimon’s step-back 3 to end the third quarter put the Mules ahead after Oakville overcame a 10-point deficit. ...

“We did not expect that many people to show up on a Wednesday night,” Ellington’s Gretchen Hackworth said of the Whippets’ sectional game against Holcomb. “It was just packed, so many people. Not even enough room for some people to sit. It was kind of just like, ‘Wow, there’s a lot of people here who support us.’”...

SIKESTON — Two Sikeston Lady Bulldogs’ earned a spot on the Class 5, District 1 All-District team. Juniors Karris Allen and Amyari Blissett both received the honor. Allen finished her junior year averaging a double-double, with 20 points and 10 rebounds, to go along with four assists, four steals, and two blocks per contest. She shot 44 percent from the field, 29 percent from three, and 56 percent at the free-throw line...

SIKESTON — Neither Sikeston nor North County could find separation from each other on Tuesday night at the Sikeston Field House — until the end. The Raiders were the ones to deal that final blow, defeating the Bulldogs on their home court, 76-70 in the Class 5 Sectionals. Sikeston ended their season with a 12-9 record, highlighted by the program's 26th district championship...

The No. 4 ranked Campbell Camels boys basketball squad enters the final four as the only remaining state-ranked squad in Class 2. The other remaining favorites - No. 1 ranked Lakeland and No. 2 ranked Crane - both suffered losses in their state quarterfinal contests...

BENTON, Mo. — One steal and layup was all Kelly senior Alaney Moore needed to break a record. For the past 12 years, 2009 Kelly graduate Debra Hall was the all-time leading scorer for the Lady Hawks, finishing her illustrious career with over 1,700 points...

The 2021 Tri-County Conference boys basketball awards have been released.

In a two-point basketball game, any moment can prove to be the determining one in an outcome. Such was the case in Delta’s 65-63 loss to South Iron in the MSHSAA Class 1 Quarterfinal 1 girl’s basketball game on Saturday at Delta.

ELLINGTON, Mo. — For nearly the last two months, success was the only thing that described the Oran girls basketball team. Riding an 11-game winning streak, the Eagles were surging as they prepared for the Class 2 Quarterfinals Saturday afternoon. However, their steam cooled off against Ellington as the Lady Whippets advanced to the program's first final four with a 59-51 win...

BROSELEY — Lift For Life Academy of St. Louis scored 14 straight points in the third quarter and held off a late rally by Twin Rivers in the MSHSAA Class 3 quarterfinal Saturday as the Hawks won 64-58.

The Delta boy’s basketball season ended in front of a packed home crowd with a 105-67 loss to South Iron the MSHSAA Class 1 state quarterfinal round on Friday at Delta.

STE. GENEVIEVE - In the spring of 2019 a sophomore-heavy Campbell boys basketball squad took a field trip to Missouri State University in Springfield to watch the state final four after it was eliminated from the playoffs. “We’ve been talking about playing at the state tournament since our sophomore season when coach took us to watch the final four in Springfield,” Campbell senior Joey Barnett said. “We talked about how we could get there one day.”...

Poplar Bluff and Oakville avoided each other at a tournament in January, but the two teams will square off with a spot in the MSHSAA Class 6 quarterfinals on the line. The Mules will host the District 2 champions after winning the program’s first district title since 2018 with a thrilling 49-42 overtime win over Jackson on Thursday...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Winning a district championship didn’t cross most people’s minds when talking about the 2020-2021 Sikeston Bulldogs. But, after a 69-54 win over top-seeded Notre Dame on Friday night at Cape Girardeau Junior High School, Sikeston put all of the doubts and unbelief to rest as they won the Class 5, District 1 championship — the fourth district title in six years...

Lexi Rubel scored 18 points to lead Notre Dame past in-town rival Cape Central 56-36 to win the Class 5 District 1 title on Thursday at the Tiger Field House. Notre Dame has now won three district titles in a row. “We’re not finished so it just means we’re just getting started,” Rubel said...

KENNETT, Mo. — They knew what was at stake, and after last season’s stunning defeat at the hands of Doniphan, the New Madrid County Central girls basketball team didn’t want to let the same ending happen twice on Thursday night. From the opening tip, the Lady Eagles were locked-in, taking it right to the Donettes in their 70-35 victory to earn the Class 4, District 1 Tournament championship — the third district championship for NMCC in the last four years...

CEDAR HILL - The Jackson girl’s basketball squad is rolling right now. The Indians beat host Northwest (Cedar Hill) 61-29 on Thursday in the MSHSAA Class 6 District 1 championship game, which was the program’s seventh district title in the past decade.

CEDAR HILL, Mo. — The Mules are coming home with a district title. Joseph Hardimon scored seven of Poplar Bluff’s 13 points in overtime, Nic Brumitt broke a tie with a layup and the Mules sank their final six foul shots to knock off Jackson 49-42 Thursday in the MSHSAA Class 6 District 1 championship at Northwest High School...