Risco

Good Sports is a column featured weekly in the Southeast Missourian and on semoball.com. It is primarily designed to showcase people who have impacted the sporting life of Southeast Missouri, so that readers may get to know them more fully. Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity...

Each year the Semoball Awards recognizes outstanding high school athletes from around the region. That tradition continues this summer albeit in a different format because of lingering COVID-19 concerns and social distancing requirements.

Risco senior Mackenzie Myers liked the atmosphere when she attended a college basketball game at Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff. “Last year I went to a basketball game because my brother attends Three Rivers,” she said. “I observed how they were able to show off their cheers and their stunts. Then I asked my brother if he would show me around the school and I absolutely fell in love with the campus.”...

Columbia, Mo. - The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Board of Directors voted to grant relief of portions of the MSHSAA By-Laws that include summer limits on contact between coaches and student-athletes at its April meeting on Thursday...

Host sites are set for most district tournaments if spring sports resume in Missouri. Missouri high schools remain out of session and all springs sports activities and practices are currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indiana High School Athletics Association canceled spring sports in Indiana Thursday due to the VOVID-19 pandemic...

The Missouri State High School Activities Association issued an update regarding the status of spring sports amidst the COVID-19 pandemic Tuesday. “While schools across the state are determining the best course of action during this unprecedented time, the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) office staff continues to prepare for Spring Championships,” MSHSAA said in a press release. ...

The preseason Missouri high school baseball state rankings were released Wednesday by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association. Six baseball teams from the semoball.com coverage area are state-ranked. Cooter, which placed third in Class 1 last spring and finished 22-1 in its fall campaign, is ranked No. ...

Spring sports for Missouri high schools will start as planned next week, MSHSAA announced Friday after releasing district assignments. "We re monitoring what is happening from the Missouri Department of Health, the Governor's Office, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education," MSHSAA said in a statement Friday...

The 2020 Tri-County Conference Boys Basketball Awards have been released. Cooter senior Jacob Watkins has been selected first-team all-conference and Tri-County Conference Basketball Player of the Year. Watkins, who scored 643 points his senior season, averaged 30 points per game in conference play and 25 points per game overall. He hit 122 3-pointers, brought down four rebounds per game, collected two steals per game, and averaged two assists per game...

BELL CITY - You can forgive the Risco boy’s basketball players if they sleep in this morning. After all, the Tigers have had to endure a number of physical challenges over the past eight days and their biggest test yet looms in the next 36 hours.

Five boys basketball teams and two girls basketball teams from the Semoball.com coverage area are ranked in the final regular-season state poll released by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. Delta (21-5), which is the No. 1 seed in Class 1, District 2, drops two spots to No. 9 in the Class 1 boys poll...

The Gideon Bulldogs coaching staff told their squad they could celebrate like a WWE champion if they took home the top prize at their conference tournament. “The kids gave our assistant coach Jeremy Walker a WWE championship belt last year on Senior Night,” Gideon head coach Jordan McGowan said. “We told them at the beginning of the season if they won the conference they would get to participate in a celebration with the championship belt.”...

The postseason for MSHSAA basketball is nearing and the seedings and schedule for District play throughout Southeast Missouri were recently set.

CLARKTON, Mo. - The Risco Tigers varsity boys basketball team remains in contention to win its fourth straight Tri-County Conference Tournament title following semifinal action at the tournament Thursday. No. 2 seeded Risco outscored the No. 3 seeded Cooter Wildcats by single digits in every quarter on its way to a 76-55 victory in the first semifinal at Clarkton High School...

Six boys basketball teams and three girls basketball teams from the Semoball.com coverage area are ranked in the latest state poll released by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Thursday. Delta (19-4), which has won nine of its last 10, drops a spot to No. 7 in the Class 1 boys poll...

Gabby Nielson scored a game-high 33 points for the Campbell Camels (6-13) and outscored the Puxico Indians (0-16) by herself as the Camels picked up a 61-25 road victory on Monday.

CLARKTON, Mo. - The semifinals are set at the Tri-County Conference varsity boys basketball tournament after the top four seeds collected quarterfinal wins. No. 3 seeded Cooter (11-7) will take on No. 2 seeded Risco (12-9) Tuesday at 6 p.m. and No. 1 seeded Gideon (18-4) will take on No. 4 seeded Clarkton (10-11) Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Both semifinals are slated to take place at Clarkton High School...

Puxico outscored Bloomfield in a home victory on Saturday, scoring higher than the Wildcats in every quarter. Ethan Helm scored six 3-pointers, scoring four within the first quarter. Helm contributed 20 points total to the Indians. Jamison Dodd gained 21 points for Bloomfield...

The stage is set for the highly anticipated Tri-County Conference varsity boys basketball tournament. The eight-team tournament takes placed Feb. 10-14 at Clarkton High School. Tri-County Conference regular-season champion Gideon (17-4), which has won its last 12 games and went 7-0 in conference play, has received the No. 1 seed...

Six boys basketball teams and two girls basketball teams from the Semoball.com coverage area are ranked in the latest state poll released by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. Delta, which had won nine straight as it beat Oak Ridge 105-86 in the semifinal of the Scott-Mississippi County Conference Tournament Friday, remains No. 6 in the Class 1 boys state poll. Oak Ridge (12-9) moves into the rankings at No. 10 in the Class 1 boys state poll...

Addie Cates led St. Vincent (9-8) to dominating 52-8 victory scoring 13 points (including two 3-pointers) against Crystal City (3-12) on Wednesday.

Seven boys basketball teams and two girls basketball teams from the Semoball coverage area are ranked in the latest state poll released Wednesday by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. Delta (16-3), which is unbeaten in the month of January, has moved up two spots to No. 6 in the Class 1 boys poll...

The Bobcats put up a whopping 92 points in the first half, which tied a MSHSAA record, on the way to a 132-61 home win over the Tigers.

HOLCOMB, Mo. - It came down to the wire but the Holcomb Hornets varsity boys basketball team found a way to secure its third conference win of the week Friday night. Holcomb’s Nate Rhew penetrated to the basket and hit a 2-point jumper to put Holcomb on top 68-67 with seven seconds left in overtime. Risco pushed the ball to the other end after Rhew’s clutch shot but was unable to score before time expired, allowing Holcomb to escape with a 68-67 overtime victory...

Six Semoball boys basketball teams and two Semoball girls basketball teams are ranked in the latest state rankings provided by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. Delta (14-3), which is unbeaten in the month of January, is ranked No. 8 in the Class 1 boys poll...

It took an hour for Reiley Calvert’s family to drive from Risco, Mo. to Monday’s Cardinal Caravan. “I’m here to see the players and get my baseball signed,” said Reiley, 12. “I think (the Redbirds) are going to make it to the World Series,” young Reiley added...

Hayti 61, Campbell 56 HAYTI, Mo. - The Hayti Indians varsity boys basketball team snapped the Campbell Camels’ eight-game winning streak with a 61-56 home win Friday night. Campbell led 18-10 after one quarter, Hayti led 25-24 at halftime, and things were tied at 43-all at the end of the third quarter before Hayti won the fourth quarter 18-13...

Risco 63, Clarkton 52 CLARKTON, Mo. - The Risco Tigers varsity boys basketball team built a 29-14 lead by halftime on its way to a 63-52 road win against the Clarkton Reindeer Tuesday night. Evan Pipkin hit four of the Tigers’ five treys on his way to a team-high 20 points. Andrew Rodgers added 18 points. Kamron Meese and Hayden Ludwig both scored nine points for Risco...

RISCO, Mo. - The Risco Tigers varsity boys basketball team built a 24-11 by the end of the first quarter on its way past the visiting Bell City Cubs 92-55 Thursday night. Four Risco players recorded at least 18 points. Andrew Rodgers tallied a team-high 26 points, Evan Pipkin added 22 points, Hayden Ludwig put up 19 points, and Kamron Meese scored 18 points for the Tigers...

Risco 57, South Pemiscot 51 STEELE, Mo. - The Risco Tigers varsity boys basketball team won the final eight minutes of regulation by nine points as it rallied past South Pemiscot 57-51 Tuesday. South Pemiscot led 15-12 after one quarter, Risco led 29-25 at halftime, and South Pemiscot led 43-30 at the end of the third quarter of the see-saw battle...

CAMPBELL BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT CAMPBELL, Mo. - The No. 3 seeded Southland Rebels booked a spot in the championship semifinals of the Campbell Tournament by beating the No. 6 seeded Delta C-7 Chargers 72-68 Tuesday night. Delta C-7 jumped out to a 21-15 lead after one quarter before Southland rallied to tie things up at 36-all by halftime. The quarterfinal remained tied at 52-all at the end of the third quarter before Southland won the fourth quarter 20-16...

CAMPBELL, Mo. - The Campbell Camels experienced little difficulty reaching the semifinals of its own varsity boys basketball tournament Monday night. No. 1 seeded Campbell built a 56-9 lead by halftime on its way past the No. 8 seeded North Pemiscot Bulldogs 83-18 in a quarterfinal...

ORAN, Mo. — Continuing its winning ways, the Oran boys basketball team routed Risco on Tuesday night. The Eagles outscored the Tigers 22-9 in the fourth quarter on their way to an 87-57 win at Oran High School. Tyson Goodale led all scorers with 30 points...

Senath-Hornersville 60, Gideon The Senath-Hornersville Lions trailed by single digits much of the first three quarters but managed to rally late and walk away with the consolation championship at the Gideon Bulldog Classic Thursday. No. 6 seeded Senath-Hornersville outscored No. 5 seeded Gideon 24-8 in the fourth quarter to secure 60-51 victory...

Notre Dame 46, Kennett 25 Leah Jansen scored seven of her game-high 12 points in the opening quarter as the No. 1 seeded Notre Dame Bulldogs beat No. 8 seeded Kennett 46-25 in a quarterfinal of the SEMO Conference varsity girls basketball tournament Monday at Cape Central High School...

NEW MADRID, Mo. - The Risco Tigers boys basketball team recovered quickly after falling behind Roosevelt 15-11 after one quarter of play at the Riverbend Classic in New Madrid Saturday. Risco outscored Roosevelt 26-5 in the second quarter to move ahead 37-21 by halftime. The success continued for Risco in the second half as it won the third quarter 19-5 and the fourth quarter 8-6 on its way to a convincing 64-31 victory...

High school basketball teams throughout the Missouri Bootheel begin play in opening-season basketball tournaments Monday.

NEW MADRID, Mo – It didn’t take long for Charleston to get its first gut-check of the year. In their season-opener against Memphis Day Academy, the Bluejays surrendered a double-digit second-half lead before a late stand helped Charleston emerge victors 76-71 Friday at the Riverbend Shootout...

The Risco Tigers high school boys basketball team enters the 2019-20 season hoping for repeat success with a new group after graduating all of its starters off of last season’s squad that finished 24-6 and advanced to the Class 1 state quarterfinals...

The Missouri High School Activities Association released district assignments for the 2019-20 season for basketball and wrestling Friday. Kennett is headed back to Class 2 in wrestling after competing in Class 1 last season. Kennett is slated to compete in Class 2, District 1 with Affton, Park Hills Central, Dexter, John Burroughs, Miller Career Academy, Normandy, Notre Dame Cape Girardeau, Potosi, Roosevelt, Soldan International Studies, St. ...

SIKESTON — District assignments for boys’ and girls’ basketball and wrestling were released on Friday. Sikeston will be a part of Class 4, District 1, with Cape Central, Notre Dame, Dexter, Perryville, and Ste. Genevieve. Class 3, District 1 consists of Charleston, New Madrid County Central, East Prairie, Caruthersville, Doniphan, Malden, Kennett, and Twin Rivers. ...

The 2019 Tri-County Conference volleyball awards have been released. Clarkton senior Kayla Gentry is the 2019 Tri-County Conference Volleyball Player of the Year. Gentry finished with 36 ace serves, 188 digs, 22 assists, nine blocks, and 254 kills her senior season...

Class 2, District 1 at Malden The district championship is set at the Class 2, District 1 volleyball tournament following quarterfinal at semifinal action Monday. No. 2 seeded Twin Rivers will take on No. 5 seeded Senath-Hornersville in the title game Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Malden...

Volleyball squads throughout the Missouri Bootheel begin postseason play Monday. Holcomb, South Pemiscot, Southland, North Pemiscot, Hayti, Delta C-7, and Cooter are in Class 1, District 1 at Holcomb. Defending champion Holcomb has received the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye...

The Tri-County Conference baseball awards have been released. Cooter’s Lane McLevain is the Tri-County Conference Player of the Year. “Tyler batted .475 with 21 RBIs, one home run, and 21 runs scored this fall,” Cooter coach Davis Mathis said of McLevain. “He also went 6-0 on the mound with a 0.56 ERA in 37.2 innings pitched.”...

STEELE, Mo. - The Campbell Camels and Malden Green Wave are set to collide in the championship of the Bootheel Conference varsity volleyball tournament for a third straight season after both squads collected semifinal wins Wednesday night. No. 1 seeded Campbell beat No. 4 seeded Caruthersville 25-8, 25-12 in the first varsity semifinal Wednesday night at South Pemiscot High School...

The brackets are set for the Tri-County Conference volleyball tournaments. The tournaments take place Oct. 15-18 at Gideon High School. Varsity quarterfinals are on Oct. 15. No. 1 seeded Gideon plays No. 8 seeded Cooter Oct. 15 at 4 p.m., No. 4 seeded North Pemiscot plays No. ...

CLARK TON, Mo. - The No. 1 seeded Cooter Wildcats are set to take on the No. 2 seeded Holcomb Hornets in the championship of the Tri-County Conference baseball tournament after both teams collected semifinal wins Tuesday at Clarkton. Cooter (21-1) beat No. 4 seeded Gideon 16-0 in its semifinal and Holcomb (13-5) beat No. 3 seeded Risco 9-5 in its semifinal Tuesday...

Winning the Tri-County Conference is a top priority for the Cooter baseball program every fall. “We play a bunch of games in the fall and hopefully that makes us better for the spring,” Cooter coach David Mathis said. “But our main goal in the fall is to learn how to play the game the right way and win the Tri-County title.”...

Top volleyball teams from the Missouri Bootheel are set to collide this weekend at the Gideon Invitational. Four of the 15 teams in the varsity tournament are enjoying winning records following play Monday. Host Gideon, which won the Gideon Invitational in 2018, is off to a 13-1-2 start. Its only loss this season is to Southern Reynolds (Ellington) in the championship of Dig for Life Classic Sept. 14...