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Prep roundup: Dillinger’s gem powers Eagles past Clearwater (3/29/24)NAYLOR — The Naylor Eagles defeated the visiting Clearwater Tigers 7-4 on Thursday on the strength of a six-inning, 12-strikeout performance from starting pitcher Chase Dillinger. Dillinger gave up three runs on four hits with only one walk against the dozen strikeouts...
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DAR Prep Roundup: Baseball/Softball (3/19/24)The baseball and softball season is in full swing, and a lot of action occurred throughout the area on Monday. With only a few games under each team’s belt, some aimed to get their first victory of the season, while the others saw an opportunity to add more to the win column...
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Undermanned Raiders show no quit in loss to region-leading Cardinals (3/5/24)In the first installment of the Rocky movie franchise, the titular fighter loses to heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, but goes the full 15 rounds with Creed and earns some respect in the process. Saturday’s men’s basketball game between the Mineral Area College Cardinals and Three Rivers College at the Libla Family Sports Complex followed a similar storyline...
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District roundup: Neelyville, Twin Rivers win titles (2/24/24)VAN BUREN — The third was a charm for the Neelyville Lady Tigers against the East Carter Lady Redbirds. After losing to East Carter by four and eight points, respectively, in the regular season, Neelyville used a hot start Friday night to fuel a 75-63 win over the Lady Redbirds in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 championship game at Van Buren High School...
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C2D2 GBK: East Carter returns to district championship (2/22/24)VAN BUREN — The East Carter Lady Redbirds would rely on other members to push ahead as one of their star players was sidelined in the first half. Despite the adversity, the Lady Redbirds stayed disciplined to walk away with a 65-58 victory over the Alton Lady Comets to return to the C2D2 championship for the second straight year...
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C2D2 GBK: East Carter moves on with win over Van Buren (2/20/24)The reigning Class 2 District 2 champions, the East Carter Lady Redbirds got an easy route to the semifinals after landing a first-round win in dominant fashion. The Lady Redbirds took on the Van Buren Lady Dawgs, and after connecting with many shots in the first half, East Carter walked away with a 95-30 victory and a spot in the semifinals...
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C2D2 GBK: East Carter vs Van Buren (2/19/24)
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Kennett picks up comeback win over East Carter (2/14/24)Tuesday night at Kennett High School featured a potentially great contest between two of the area's best girls' basketball teams as the now 19-4 Lady Indians hosted the 20-4 Lady Redbirds from East Carter County. With a hefty defensive and rebounding effort, Kennett came out on top 76-49...
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OFC Championship Girls: Doniphan vs East Carter (2/10/24)
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OFC Tournament: Donettes earn fourth title in a row, now 21-0 (2/10/24)A brewing Ozark Foothills Conference rivalry went full-throttle Friday night as the top two seeds went head-to-head for the grand prize. While one team looked to dethrone the reigning OFC champions, the other aimed to add to its dynasty by winning a fourth consecutive title...
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Donettes, East Carter to face off in OFC title game (2/6/24)DONIPHAN — With a chance to win their fourth consecutive Ozark Foothills Conference championship, the Doniphan Donettes took the first step with a dominant performance in the semifinals. The OFC No. 1 seed, Doniphan Donettes, took on the No. 4 seeded Twin Rivers Lady Royals on Monday at Doniphan High School for a spot in the championship game...
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OFC: Robbins leads Tigers over EC, Lady Redbirds coast to semifinals (2/3/24)DONIPHAN — The Ozark Foothills Conference kicked off on Saturday at Doniphan High School as many teams looked to make it out of the first round. The No. 2 seed East Carter Lady Redbirds got the tournament rolling by facing off against the No. 7 seeded Clearwater Lady Tigers...
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OFC Basketball: East Carter vs Clearwater (2/3/24)
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ENCORE PERFORMANCE? Top seeds aim to repeat as OFC tourney champs (2/2/24)The stage is set for one of the top basketball tournaments in the area, and lovers of the game can prepare for a week of total nonstop action on the court. Basketball coaches from the Ozark Foothills Conference met on Wednesday to seed the annual OFC Tournament that kicks off on Saturday at Doniphan High School...
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East Carter Lady Redbirds embracing success (1/31/24)ELLSINORE — The East Carter Lady Redbirds basketball squad is thriving and enjoying every moment of it. The reigning Class 2 District 2 champions have picked up where they left off last season, and their momentum and focus for a deep run in the postseason is at its highest. With a 17-2 record on the season, one would agree that the Lady Redbirds have found a steady flow on the court, but head coach Angela Rodgers would like to see more...
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Price signs with Quincy University (1/24/24)An East Carter Lady Redbirds standout has selected her next destination to continue her basketball career. After collecting her 1,000th point on Tuesday, senior Dylan Price carried that happy moment over to Wednesday as she signed her National Letter of Intent with Quincy University to play with the Hawks women’s basketball team...
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PREP ROUNDUP: Tigers rally past East Carter (1/24/24)NEELYVILLE — The Neelyville Tigers came back in the second half to defeat the East Carter Redbirds 50- 41 Tuesday night. Neelyville improved to 11-6, while the Redbirds saw their record drop to 6-9. “East Carter is a tough, well-coached team,” said Neelyville coach Brad Burdin. ...
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East Carter soars past Lady Royals (1/24/24)In a familiar matchup on the court, one athlete hits a huge milestone. After battling through the ice and snow for the past 10 days, the Twin Rivers Lady Royals returned to action on Tuesday against some tough competition. The Lady Royals welcomed the East Carter Lady Redbirds (14-2) into their home on Tuesday. Originally, the game was scheduled for Monday but was postponed due to the weather conditions...
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East Carter snags BRL championship (1/23/24)The East Carter Lady Redbirds kept their hot streak rolling after finishing first in the Black River League Tournament on Saturday. The Lady Redbirds used their first-round bye to their advantage. They coasted past Lesterville High School 92-61 in the semifinals and won the championship with a close 56-53 victory over Bunker High School...
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Basketball: Twin Rivers Lady Royals vs East Carter Lady Redbireds (1/23/24)
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Basketball: Doniphan Donettes vs East Carter (1/10/24)
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Donettes pull away to beat East Carter (1/9/24)DONIPHAN — Two familiar foes faced off on Monday in a much-anticipated matchup, with one attempting to keep its winning streak alive and the other seeking revenge for a previous loss. The Doniphan Donettes hosted the East Carter Lady Redbirds (10-2) as they battled to determine who was the best test in the area. Though tested in the first half, the Donettes did what they normally do and exploded in the second half to capture a 61-50 win over the Lady Redbirds...
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Donettes 'three-peat' at LRCC (12/24/23)BROSELEY — For the third time in as many years, Doniphan stood alone atop the competition at the 2023 Lady Royals Christmas Classic. The Donettes rode the momentum of a strong second quarter to a 54-43 victory over East Carter and hoisted the LRCC championship trophy for the third consecutive season on Saturday at Twin Rivers High School...
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Risco upsets Malden, Portageville keeps rolling in Clarkton Christmas Tournament (12/15/23)Fourth-seeded Risco pulled off 78-75 upset in overtime against first-seeded Malden, and second-seeded Portageville kept their momentum going with a 55-32 win over East Carter County in the semifinal round of the Clarkton Christmas Tournament on Thursday...
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Breaking down the Lady Royals Christmas Classic (12/15/23)By TYLER DIXON Sports Editor Saturday starts a week of hoops at Twin Rivers High School for the annual Lady Royals Christmas Classic. The action starts on Saturday with eight games on the schedule. Admission is $5 each day. The second round is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday with games at 6 p.m. ...
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Clarkton Christmas Tournament Semifinals (12/15/23)
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Lady Tigers lead All-District SB nods (11/3/23)The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules softball team put two players on the All-Conference First Team as Neelyville had four earn All-District First Team honors. The Doniphan Donettes had three players earn All-District Firsr-Team while Twin Rivers’ Alexis Parson made the team for the Lady Royals...
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Star Ball hits grand slam at East Carter (10/31/23)ELLISINORE – Tons of smiles and laughter took over Brodie Gargac Memorial Field on Friday. The Ellsinore Family Career Community Leadership of America (FCCLA) organization hosted its inaugural Star Ball game. The event welcomed anyone with special physical or mental disabilities to participate in a fun game of baseball...
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East Carter FCCLA Star Ball game (10/30/23)Tons of smiles and laughter took over Brodie Gargac Memorial Field on Friday. The Ellsinore Family Career Community Leadership of America (FCCLA) organization hosted its inaugural Star Ball game. The event welcomed anyone with special physical or mental disabilities to participate in a fun game of baseball.
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East Carter FCCLA to host inaugural Star Ball game (10/27/23)East Carter welcomes a new platform for baseball where everyone can get in on the action. The Ellsinore Family Career Community Leadership of America (FCCLA) organization will host their first-ever Star Ball game on Friday at the Brodie Gargac Memorial Field...
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Bears grab third-straight OFC title (10/13/23)The Greenville Bears went into Thursday’s Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament final with back-to-back titles under their belts but the Bears would have to deal with the top-seeded Royals of Twin Rivers if they wanted to make it a three-peat. Benji Stahl’s team delivered in bunches as they cruised by the Royals 10-0 en route to their third-straight championship. In the day’s first game, Naylor stunned East Carter 5-3 to take home the third-place trophy...
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Twin Rivers, Greenville to play in final (10/11/23)The action continued on Tuesday with East Carter, Greenville, Naylor and Twin Rivers meeting in the semifinals of the Ozark Foothills Conference Baseball Tournament at Three Rivers College. While a quick start at the plate helped one team move on, the other relied on defense for a spot in the...
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OFC Baseball Tournament - Semifinals (10/11/23)OFC Baseball Tournament Semifinals Greenville 4 East Carter 0 Twin Rivers 3 Naylor 1 Twin Rivers and Greenville will hit the field at 2 p.m. Thursday at Three Rivers for the Ozark Foothills Conference Baseball Tournament Championship. East Carter and Naylor will meet at noon in the third-place game.
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Softball: East Carter at Chaffee (9/18/23)Chaffee defeated East Carter 11-1 on Monday, Sept. 18, in Chaffee, Mo.
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Former EC Redbird gets walk-on spot at Ark. Baptist PT.II (9/16/23)Editor’s Note: This is the final story in a series about 2023 East Carter graduate Robert Henning and his journey to play football at Arkansas Baptist College. Robert Henning played baseball and basketball when he was an East Carter Redbird but he, along with Jordan Penn, knew something different was in store for him at the next level...
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East Carter grad makes strides to get to next level (9/14/23)Editor’s Note: This is the first story in a series about 2023 East Carter graduate Robert Henning and his journey to play football at Arkansas Baptist College. People come into our lives for a reason. We may not know the why or even the how someone elses path intersects with our own...
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East Carter grad having strong summer on mound for Catfish (7/29/23)The Cape Catfish have stumbled with some frequency of late, and Friday’s 9-7 loss to Quincy was just the latest example of that.
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Catfish open long homestand with arms that love Capaha (7/21/23)The Cape Catfish begin a stretch of games on Friday in which the team will play four consecutive contests at Capaha Field, and seven of the next eight at home. There are a multitude of good things about this scheduling quirk, none more significant than the Catfish pitchers have proven to be dominant this season, but particularly so at home.
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Southeast Missouri well-repped on All-State baseball squads (6/14/23)Southeast Missouri didn’t lack representation at this spring’s MSHSAA Baseball State Finals in Springfield, as four of the six classes (Cooter in Class 1, Chaffee in Class 2, Portageville in Class 3, and Jackson in Class 6) had Semoball-area teams competing in the Final Four.
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Late rally lifts Bears to C2D2 crown (5/18/23)VAN BUREN — The only thing better than a second consecutive Class 2 district championship for the Greenville High School baseball team is how the Bears won Wednesday’s district title game. With two out and nobody on the bottom of the seventh inning in a tie game, Greenville strung together three hits in a row — with the final one a Talan McDaniel single that chased home Trevor Bratton with the winning run in a 4-3 win over East Carter Wednesday evening...
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McCarty signs to play basketball for Crowley’s Ridge (5/17/23)East Carter’s Kasen McCarty signed his letter of intent last week to continue his athletic and academic career at Crowley’s Ridge College. McCarty will play basketball for the Pioneers. CRC went 10-19 last season and finished 6-7 in the Continental Athletic Conference. East Carter head coach Jordan Penn said McCarty was a great player for the Redbirds his last two seasons...
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Sikeston wins big over East Carter but falls short at North County (5/11/23)BONNE TERRE, Mo. — Sikeston opened the week on a high note, cruising to a 9-1 victory over East Carter at VFW Stadium on Tuesday, May 9. The Bulldogs (6-16) all-senior lineup proved to be a winning combination, dominating the Redbirds (12-17) and displaying their mastery of the game...
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East Prairie Eagles spread wings and dominate East Carter 14-1 (5/2/23)ELLSINORE, Mo. — East Prairie put on a show-stopping performance, crushing East Carter with a final score of 14-1 on Monday, May 1. Peyton Hodges was the star of the game for the Eagles (13-10), earning the win on the mound after pitching 6.2 innings and allowing one earned run, one hit and striking out 12 batters...
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Keeping it in the family: Kurt and Jordan Penn taking on new athletics jobs next year (4/24/23)Senath-Hornersville athletic director and coach Kurt Penn, as well as his older brother, East Carter athletic director and basketball coach Jordan Penn, have both accepted new positions for the next school year. Kurt will be returning home to Ellsinore, filling the shoes of his brother in coaching the East Carter High School basketball team. Jordan will step into the position of assistant athletic director at Poplar Bluff High School...
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OFC top seeds have good day in first round (4/19/23)The two highest seeds playing in the first round of Tuesday’s Ozark Foothills Conference softball tournament at McLane Park did not have much trouble advancing to the tournament semifinals. Second-seeded Neelyville rolled past No. 7 East Carter 12-5, while No. 3 Twin Rivers shook off a slow start to defeat sixth-seeded Naylor 7-2...
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Carda’s five goals lift Lady Mules past North County (4/13/23)BONNE TERRE, Mo. — Olivia Carda scored five goals to lead a dominating road performance Wednesday by the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules, who beat North County 8-0. Madyson Kordick and Samantha Ruiz also had big games, as Kordick scored a pair of goals and added two assists, while Ruiz added a goal and three assists...
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Charleston suffers setback against East Carter (3/28/23)CHARLESTON, Mo. — East Carter pitcher Chase Carter pitched five strong innings in a win over Charleston at Hillhouse Park on Monday, March 27. Carter earned the win for the Redbirds (3-3) after throwing the first innings, allowing no runs on three hits with 11 strikeouts in the 8-1 win over Bluejays (1-1)...
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All District and State Basketball teams released (3/23/23)Winter sports have come to an end in Southeast Missouri and for many of the schools in the area, successful seasons. New Madrid County Central won the Class 3 State Championship and the Notre Dame girls and Jackson boys each captured fourth in the state in Class 5 and 6, respectively...
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Portageville starts season with three straight wins (3/21/23)The Portageville baseball team is off to a hot start. The Bulldogs (3-0) kicked off the season with 11-0 win over Woodland (2-1) at the Van Buren Wood Bat Weekend on Friday, March 20. "It is always nice when you can start your season out with a win,” said Portageville coach Tyler Trover. "This game kicks off the eight-week marathon that is high school baseball. We must understand our momentum will only carry us as far as our next day's effort."...
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New Haven ends East Carter’s season in Class 2 quarterfinals (3/4/23)FARMINGTON — The historic run for the East Carter Lady Redbirds ended in a tough bout with the New Haven Shamrocks in the Class 2 state quarterfinals. The matchup came down to execution, and New Haven made the right plays to get a 50–40 win over the Lady Redbirds Saturday at the Farmington Civic Center...
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Lady Redbirds take on New Haven with trip to state on line (3/3/23)The talent was there coming into this season for the East Carter Lady Redbirds — and with it the expectation of a potential Class 2 girls state basketball run. Sure, they will play in Saturday’s quarterfinal at the Farmington Civic Center against New Haven (16-10) and for a chance to make it to the Class 2 state semifinals in Springfield...
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POWER 8: New team tops this week’s poll (3/2/23)Editor’s note: This poll was based on results through Wednesday. All rankings are performance-based per level and sport and not a head-to-head potential barometer. A lot of teams have seen their seasons end so that will drastically affect the current Power 8 poll, but fret not — a team that loses can still be in the poll one last time before falling out permanently and can be considered for the end-of-the-year Team of the Year top 10 countdown...
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On to the final eight: Lady Redbirds beat Neelyville, will face New Haven Saturday (3/1/23)SIKESTON — For all intents and purposes both Ozark Foothills Conference rivals — the East Carter Lady Redbirds and the Neelyville Lady Tigers — are overall young teams finding their groove at the right time — playoff basketball time. So, when both met for the third time this season at Sikeston High School in a Class 2 sectional with a chance to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinal in Farmington, they were obviously just happy to be here, right?...
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C2D2: Redbirds fall short against Summersville (2/25/23)VAN BUREN — The East Carter Redbirds entered the Class 2 District 2 championship game with a season riddled with challenges, but entered the game as the top seed against a formidable No. 3 Summersville Wildcats squad. Friday’s game was a one-point contest at halftime, but Summersville steadily pulled away after the break to take a 61-50 win and the district championship...
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Ellington, East Carter will face off in finals rematch (2/24/23)VAN BUREN — It looks like the East Carter Lady Redbirds will get a chance to make things right in the world Saturday. The No. 2 seeded Lady Redbirds used a gritty final quarter performance to record a 55-47 win over No. 3 Alton in a Class 2 District 2 semifinal game at Van Buren High SchoolThursday evening...
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YELLOW SUCKER II: Redbirds win district rematch with Van Buren to advance to final (2/23/23)VAN BUREN — For the second time this year, the East Carter Redbirds and Van Buren Bulldogs faced off with a trophy on the line. Back in January, it was the Yellow Sucker Trophy, the annual traveling trophy in the Carter County rivalry between the two schools. Wednesday night, it was a shot to play for the MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 championship...
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District playoff tournaments preview: Why not Van Buren? Bulldogs set sights high (2/18/23)Tipping off Monday, the newest edition of the state high school basketball postseason will begin with the boys taking center stage. A number of area teams will begin their quest in first-round contests while a small group has been awarded byes into the semifinals with only two wins needed to advance to their respective sweet 16s. ...
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Portageville pulls away in second half to earn win against Redbirds (2/17/23)ELLSINORE — This is the time a team wants to be playing its best basketball and/or establishing a winning mojo. With the district basketball playoffs set to begin next week, that’s exactly what the East Carter Redbirds hoped to do with the most important winning time just days away...
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Raiders fall victim to rally at Dyersburg State (2/15/23)DYERSBURG, Tennessee — The Three Rivers baseball Raiders sprinted out to a five-run lead, but could not make it stand up in a 7-6 loss to the Dyersburg State Wednesday. The Raiders (2-2) started strong as they scored four runs in the top of the first inning. With two out, Peyton Nelson singled, then Logan McIntyre hit a two-run homer to make it to 2-0 in favor of the Raiders...
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Redbirds stop losing streak, beat Eminence (2/15/23)ELLSINORE — Kasen McCarty and Hunter Croy each scored 15 points and teammate Micah Thompson added 14 as the East Carter Redbirds defeated Eminence Redwings 62-58 here Tuesday night. The game was neck-and-neck throughout, but East Carter's strong offensive efforts gave them the edge they needed to come out on top...
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Senath-Hornersville claims victory in unlikely rivalry game against East Carter (2/14/23)SENATH — There is light at the end of the tunnel for the 2022-23 basketball season, but one of the most anticipated regular season games of the year for Senath-Hornersville (15-8) and East Carter (10-11) came down to the final stretch. With district tournaments in the back of everyone’s minds, a battle of the brothers commenced Monday night as Senath-Hornersville head coach Kurt Penn and East Carter head coach Jordan Penn went head to head resulting in the Lions securing a 73-58 victory to pad their momentum entering the postseason.. ...
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PREP ROUNDUP: Lady Redbirds get big win over Kennett (2/14/23)ELLSINORE — The East Carter Lady Redbirds got 29 points from Brooklyn Kearbey and took a resounding 68-46 victory over the Class 4 Kennett Lady Indians Monday night “Kennett is a more physical team than we’re used to and that’s something we need to get better at playing through,” said East Carter coach Angela Rodgers. “It was not one of our smoothest games, but I’m proud that we didn’t roll over.”...
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Big run pushes Lady Redbirds past Naylor for third (2/10/23)GREENVILLE — Following a disappointing semifinal loss to Neelyville earlier this week, the East Carter Lady Redbirds made sure to wrap up this year’s Ozark Foothills Conference tournament with style. Led by a blistering 23 points by Brooklyn Kearbey, 15 from Breanna Dohleman and Parker Golden’s 10 points, No. 2 East Carter used a 26-0 run over the middle quarters to roll to a 59-22 win over No. 5 Naylor in the third-place game...
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East Carter standout signs with SWIC (2/8/23)East Carter senior Brooklyn Kearbey has signed a national letter of intent to play women’s college basketball at Southwestern Illinois College next season.
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Early run powers Neelyville upset of East Carter (2/7/23)GREENVILLE — The third-seeded Neelyville Lady Tigers dominated early and staved off a big rally to upset No. 2 East Carter 57-43 Monday in the semifinals of the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament. The crowd was electric for this matchup as both teams came in with a strong winning record and the chance to prove who was the best between the two...
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POWER 8: The worst kind of snow job (2/2/23)Editor’s note: this poll was based on results through Wednesday. All rankings are performance-based per level and sport and not a head-to-head potential barometer. The poll this week is a little special for lovers of winter storms, hard, icy roads and needing ice skates to go to your mailbox...
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OFC TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Bears, Donettes lead field (2/1/23)The weather did whatever it could to disrupt things in the region and other parts of the country, but it couldn’t put a dent in the Ozark Foothills Conference’s plans. The newest edition of the conference basketball tournament will go on as planned as of Wednesday as both seven boys and the same number of girls programs will once again vie for bragging rights in Southeast Missouri...
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Royals get homecoming win over East Carter (1/28/23)BROSELEY — Homecoming meant a little more to Twin Rivers Friday night if only for the big reason of trying to leverage the Royals into a better seed for the upcoming Ozark Foothills Conference tournament. Of course, visiting East Carter also had designs of bigger and better as the two OFC rivals went toe-to-toe for four riveting quarters in front of a packed house...
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Lady Redbirds pick up road win at Neelyville (1/27/23)NEELYVILLE — The East Carter Lady Redbirds had four players in double figures and steadily pulled away in the second and third quarters for a 76-63 win at Neelyville Thursday night. East Carter led 15-13 after the opening period, but pushed its lead to 41-32 by halftime and took a 62-47 lead to the fourth quarter...
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Lady Redbirds put three in double figures, rout Twin Rivers (1/24/23)By SETH WEEKS Contributing Writer ELLSINORE — The East Carter Lady Redbirds had three players score in double figures as they rolled past Ozark Foothills Conference rival Twin Rivers 74-24 Monday night. Brooklyn Kearbey led East Carter with 19 points, while Breanna Dohleman followed behind with 16 and Parker Golden finished with 13...
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PREP ROUNDUP: Boys finals set at BRL Tournament (1/20/23)ELLINGTON — Thursday was a good night for the top two boys seeds at the Black River League Tournament. The top-seeded South Iron Panthers turned back host Ellington 67-48 in the early semifinal Thursday, then No. 2 Bunker defeated East Carter 66-41 in the late game...
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Ellington, South Iron girls punch tickets to BRL title game (1/19/23)ELLINGTON — A chance to take on a legitimate state girls basketball power presented itself for the East Carter Lady Redbirds in a Big River League tournament semifinal Wednesday night. The No. 4 seed went at it with No. 1 seed South Iron and for a half the Lady Redbirds found themselves in striking range of a win if a few things could come correct...
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Fast start powers Jackson past Mules (1/18/23)JACKSON, Mo. — The Jackson Indians held the Poplar Bluff Mules scoreless from the field in the opening period to build up a big early lead on the way to a 67-47 win Tuesday night in SEMO Conference action. Jackson led 14-1 after the opening period, but the Mules (6-8) cut it to 28-20 by halftime. However, Poplar Bluff could get no closer the rest of the way and Jackson outscored the Mules 39-27 after halftime...
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Lady Mules roll past Naylor for third win in four games (1/17/23)NAYLOR — The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules built up a 21-point halftime lead and made it stand up as they rolled past the Naylor Lady Eagles 47-16 Monday night. The win is the second in a row for Poplar Bluff (5-9), which has won three of its last four games...
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Redbirds turn back Van Buren for Yellow Sucker three-peat (1/14/23)ELLSINORE — The East Carter Redbirds have won the Yellow Sucker Trophy three years in a row, but they had to earn it this year. The Redbirds defeated the Van Buren Bulldogs 68-62 Friday in the Yellow Sucker Game, the annual matchup of the two Carter County boys basketball teams...
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THE BURNING QUESTION: What’s up with being in two conferences? (1/13/23)Editor's note: This is the first story in a new series It was something that struck attention immediately: Missouri is okay with its prep athletic programs being a member of two different conferences. This is a unique aspect of the state’s sports landscape, as nearly all states do not have this as a characteristic or aren’t even allowed to do so...
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BRL girls tournament tips off Monday (1/13/23)A strong South Iron club is understandably the No. 1 seed in the girls bracket of the Black River League Tournament set to begin Monday night at Ellington. The host Lady Whippets are the tournament’s defending champions and stand at 7-6 overall following Thursday’s loss to Poplar Bluff, but they should make another run in their home environment...
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POWER 8: Updated rankings all about girl ‘power’ (1/12/23)*Note – this poll was based on action finalized on Wednesday. We return for week two of the new Power 8 poll – a ranking based on pure performance and not what classification, sport or gender. Feedback will always be welcome and can be directed to sports@darnews.com...
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PREP ROUNDUP: Neelyville downs Clearwater in battle of the Tigers (1/11/23)NEELYVILLE — The Neelyville Tigers defeated the Clearwater Tigers 93-69 at home Tuesday night in an Ozark Foothills Conference contest. Preston Goodnight led Neelyville’s scoring with 21 points, with Casen Stephens putting in 17 points in the victory...
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DONETTES 2, EAST CARTER 0: Doniphan beats Lady Redbirds in rematch of LRCC final (1/10/23)ELLSINORE — Nineteen days after the Doniphan Donettes and East Carter Lady Redbirds battled for the Lady Royals Christmas Classic title, the two squads met Monday in a key Ozark Foothills Conference battle. And for the second time in 19 days, the Donettes emerged victorious, this time by a score of 59-49 in a battle of two of the area's best girls basketball teams...
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Mules take opener at Kaminsky Classic (1/6/23)JOPLIN, Mo. — The Poplar Bluff Mules outlasted the Carl Junction Bulldogs 53-45 in the opening round of the Kaminsky Classic Tournament Thursday night in Joplin. Gavin Rivers led the Mules with 12 points, with Dallas Williams and Mar’Lon Hickman-Roberson scoring eight each...
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Clash of the Titanesses: Ellington gets past East Carter in battle of two of area’s top girls basketballers (1/4/23)By ALAN DALE Sports Editor ELLSINORE — Maybe those extra two games made a bigger difference after Christmas? The Ellington Lady Whippets may have been defeated by Neelyville and East Poinsette County between Christmas and New Year’s, but that might have paid dividends with their area rivals, East Carter...
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Power 8: Malden joins ranks of area’s best (12/30/22)We return for Week Three of the new Power 8 poll — a ranking based on pure performance and not what classification, sport or gender. Feedback will always be welcome and can be directed to sports@darnews.com. Movement was limited since last week, but still, some slight variations to the poll are evident...
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A BALLER GROWS IN BROOKLYN: East Carter senior’s love for basketball has paid off with growing profile (12/24/22)East Carter’s Brooklyn Kearbey has dedicated much of her young life to the sport of basketball. It wasn’t a hard commitment to make for the Lady Redbirds senior considering the sport (and jersey number she wears, No. 14) have roots deep within her family...
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LRCC NOTEBOOK: With flying colors, Twin Rivers does it right (12/23/22)It’s impossible to leave behind the Lady Royals Christmas Classic without stating the obvious: Twin Rivers High School is a class act. The lengths and efforts the members of the athletic department went to put on another showcase event to highlight the excellence girls basketball can bring to our sports universe were as top-notch as it gets...
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DONETTES REPEAT: Monaghan’s free throws lift Doniphan past East Carter in thriller (12/22/22)BROSELEY — Two teams separated by different identities, but not talent level faced off in the Lady Royals Christmas Classic final Wednesday night at Twin Rivers High School with Doniphan and East Carter fighting through the fumes of a week’s worth of hardcourt battles...
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TITLE GAME IS SET: OFC rivals to battle for Lady Royals Christmas Classic championship (12/21/22)BROSELEY — The Doniphan Donettes entered Tuesday’s Lady Royals Christmas Classic semifinal with rival Neelyville as the esteemed tournament’s defending champion and top seed. The Lady Tigers would have none of that. Doniphan found itself locked in a contest of state title intensity and with too many shooting woes and a determined Neelyville team playing a huge part of the narrative...
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HIGHER SEEDS ROLL: Top four teams advance to LRCC semifinals (12/20/22)BROSELEY — It was a good evening to be one of the top four seeds at the Lady Royals Christmas Classic. The top four seeds — Doniphan, Dexter, East Carter and Neelyville, respectively — all won their quarterfinal matchups by more than 20 points on average, with the closest game being a 59-43 win by No. 3 East Carter over 11th-seeded Holcomb...
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Mules win opener at Route 66 Shootout (12/17/22)WAYNESVILLE, Mo. — The Poplar Bluff Mules had three players in double figures and steadily pulled away after halftime as they defeated the St. Louis Blue Knights 63-49 Friday at the opening day of the Route 66 Shootout. The Mules led just 23-18 at halftime, but outscored St. Louis 20-14 in the third quarter to take an 11-point lead (43-32) by the start of the fourth quarter...
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Top two seeds make final at Clarkton (12/16/22)CLARKTON — The Clarkton Christmas basketball tournament didn’t have any first-round surprises earlier in the week, so when the top four seeds converged for the semifinals Thursday, things got a bit more dramatic. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds Portageville and Doniphan set up a showdown in Friday’s 8:30 p.m. title game as with wins over East Carter and Malden, respectively...
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ROYALLY AWESOME HOOPS: LRCC starts Saturday with stacked field (12/16/22)The Lady Royals Christmas Classic will be a lot of people’s jam next week. That’s because the 16-team event is kind of a big dealio and that’s why some of the better programs in Southeast Missouri partake in a tournament that might be the best thing these young women see that replicates the intensity and workload of a March postseason...
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East Carter's German touch (12/13/22)ELLSINORE — She was a stranger from a different land and became an important cog in the East Carter softball machine. But more than that, Mia Niesters of just outside of Frankfurt, Germany, became a friend an inspiration and even a little bit of a sensei on how to go about a challenge head on and with a smile...
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Redbirds edge Risco in OT at Clarkton (12/13/22)CLARKTON — The East Carter Redbirds outlasted Risco 71-68 in overtime in the first round of the Clarkton Christmas Tournament Monday. East Carter outscored Risco 12-9 in the extra session. The Redbirds leading scorers, Kasen McCarty (23 points) and Micah Thompson (20), accounted for nine of East Carter’s 12 overtime points...
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Dons run past East Carter in OFC contest (12/10/22)ELLSINORE — Led by the dual 28-point performances by Emmitt Jones and Max Owen, the Doniphan Dons bounced back big from a loss earlier in the week to Greenville with an 84-65 win at East Carter Friday. The Dons (3-1) also got 17 points from J.D. Burton as the team made only seven 3s, but were able to score in huge bunches after being stymied at home by Greenville Tuesday...
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East Carter girls down Liberty to stay perfect (12/9/22)ELLSINORE — The East Carter Lady Redbirds improved to 4-0 on the season as they defeated the visiting Mountain View-Liberty Lady Eagles 73-64 Thursday night. “This was a physical game for us, but we're continuing to show our mental toughness and it's paying off,” East Carter coach Angela Rodgers said. ...
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Lady Bearcats use hot start, rout NMCC on road (12/6/22)NEW MADRID — The Dexter Lady Bearcats used superb free throw shooting, high-pressure defense and were able to capitalize on second-chance opportunities during a 76-34 win at New Madrid County Central on Monday. “Our energy was good,” said Dexter coach Eric Sitze. “But I’d like to see us move our feet a little bit better and keep the basketball out of the paint. We got a lot of girls involved offensively tonight, so that was good for us.”...
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East Carter, Neelyville girls roll to wins (12/2/22)PIEDMONT — The East Carter Lady Redbirds jumped out to a 22-point lead after the opening period and never looked back as they rolled to a 73-22 win over the Clearwater Lady Tigers Thursday night. East Carter (2-0) led 28-6 after the first quarter and extended its lead to 48-16 by halftime. The Lady Redbirds led 66-20 by the start of the fourth quarter...