Bell City turns back Hayti 70-63 (02/15/08) Nick Niemczyk continued a stellar season by dropping 34 points on senior night to guide Bell City past Hayti, 70-63, in boys basketball. Phillip Gross netted 20 points for the Cubs (21-2), who were ranked No. 3 in the latest Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association state poll...

Slow starts dooms Jackson (02/10/08) Parkway South jumped on Jackson early, and the Indians couldn't mount a rally as the Patriots earned the 56-29 girls basketball victory Saturday. Ashten Howard led Jackson with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. The Indians dropped to 12-9 with the loss...

Central falls behind early, suffers 56-49 loss to Bluff (01/26/08) Poplar Bluff scored the first 12 points of the game against Central, but the Tigers boys basketball team refused to quit Friday night. The Tigers rallied behind a trio of 3-pointers by Anthony Watts in the third quarter, pulling within 41-36 heading into the final quarter, but the Mules held on for the 56-49 victory...

Leet stays hot as Jackson boys top Bluff 69-64 (01/16/08) Jake Leet was the hero for the second straight game as the Jackson boys basketball team picked up another victory. Leet poured in 32 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, as the Indians slipped past host Poplar Bluff 69-64 Tuesday night. Jackson improved to 13-5 overall and 4-0 in SEMO Conference play. Poplar Bluff is 5-10 and 1-1...

ROUNDUP: Greenville beats Van Buren; Twin Rivers pair tops 1,000 points (01/15/08) By DAR STAFF VAN BUREN -- Sara Woodgeard scored 26 points and Lindsay Henson added 14 as Greenville earned a 60-44 road win over Van Buren on Monday. The Lady Bears (11-2) got out to a quick start to keep the host Lady Bulldogs from gaining any momentum from the crowd. Keyed by their defense, which resulted in a slow start for Van Buren, Greenville built a 15-4 edge by the end of the opening quarter and stretched it to 29-11 by halftime...

Central boys rally for win (01/09/08) The Central boys basketball team staged a fourth-quarter rally Tuesday night to notch its ninth victory of the season. Central outscored visiting Francis Howell North 25-16 in the final period to prevail 60-59. Shane Nolen led the Tigers (9-7) with 17 points. Jajuan Bell added 14 points...

Scott City needs two OTs to knock off the Red Devils (01/05/08) Jay Simmons drained four 3-pointers and had a game-high 36 points as he led the visiting Scott City Rams to a double-overtime 66-61 victory over Chaffee on Friday. "Jay Simmons is an unbelievable player," Chaffee coach Tyson Moyers said. "We guarded him every way we knew how to guard him."...

Perryville dumps Crusaders (12/21/07) Ava Johnson scored 18 points and helped Perryville clamp down on defense in the second quarter as the Pirates routed Saxony Lutheran 77-26 in a consolation semifinal at the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic at the Show Me Center on Thursday...

St. Vincent girls roll past Meadow Heights (12/18/07) Lacey Siegmund led the way for St. Vincent, scoring a team-high nine points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Indians rolled past Meadow Heights 51-30 in a girls basketball game Monday night in Perryville. Brooke Brown (eight points, seven rebounds) and Kelsey Cissell (eights points, eight rebounds) also played well...

Woodland boys slip past Chaffee (12/08/07) Three Woodland players scored in double figures as the Cardinals held off Chaffee for a 55-52 road victory Friday night in boys basketball action. Adam Cureton and Jordan King each had 13 points for the Cardinals (3-2), while Kyle Reynolds added 11...

Notre Dame fends off Dexter (12/05/07) The short-handed Notre Dame boys basketball team survived an upset bid as the Bulldogs opened their season Tuesday night in the SEMO Conference tournament at Sikeston. Top-seeded Notre Dame, playing without 6-foot-8 all-stater Ryan Willen and fellow returning starter Austin Greer -- both are injured -- slipped past No. 8 Dexter 65-59...

Saxony reaches district final (10/30/07) Bryant Steffans did a little bit of everything to help Saxony Lutheran dominate in its first district game Monday as the Crusaders rolled past Hancock 6-0 in Class 1 District 1 action. Saxony will play for the championship Wednesday at 4 p.m. Steffans had three goals and also split time in the goal, sharing a shutout with Matt Stueve. Andrew Etzoldt had two goals and Garrett Fritsche had one goal and one assist...

Eagle Ridge's Galemmo adjusts to Missouri, boys soccer (10/26/07) Eagle Ridge sophomore soccer player Stephen Cohen decided to say hello to Mary-Kate Galemmo, the new girl in town who had just moved from Ohio, during the first week of school. Little did he know what would come from a simple greeting. "I didn't really know her," Cohen said. ...

Westwood wins regular-season finale (10/23/07) Westwood Baptist won its last match of the season Monday night against Eagle Ridge, 25-17, 25-22. Misty Fleming led Westwood (8-3) with seven aces, six kills and 14 assists.

ND boys, Central girls win SEMO meet (10/12/07) Logan Davis set a course record to help the Notre Dame boys claim the SEMO Conference title by 42 points over runner-up Central on Thursday in Benton, Mo. Davis finished in 16 minutes, 9 seconds to edge second-place finisher Travis Blalock of Poplar Bluff by 8 seconds. ...

Kielhofner pitches Oran past Delta (09/18/07) Callie Kielhofner pitched a six-hitter to lead Oran past Delta 6-2 in softball action Monday. Kielhofner struck out four, walked one and allowed one earned run. Amanda Williams went 3-for-3 to lead the Eagles (9-2) offensively. Taylor Smith had three hits for Delta (7-7). Kendra Burnett allowed six hits and just two earned runs. She struck out eight and walked two...

Jackson spikers squeak by Central in three games (09/12/07) Rivals Central and Jackson squared off in a tight volleyball match Tuesday night, with the visiting Indians pulling out a three-game victory. Jackson rallied for a 22-25, 25-21, 25-23 triumph as the Indians improved to 7-3-1 and dropped the Tigers to 9-6-2...

ALL-STATE BASEBALL (06/26/07) The all-state team from the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association:

FINAL TRACK HONOR ROLL (05/29/07) Top 10 performances in each event as reported in the five newspapers that are media partners with Semoball.com, through the state meet May 26: (Note: Performances in preliminaries and by individuals in relay meets are not included; only events where an individual is eligible to score points for his or her team.)...

BASEBALL, GIRLS SOCCER DISTRICT BRACKETS (05/11/07) Check out the schedules for the upcoming tournaments.

BASEBALL, GIRLS SOCCER DISTRICT PAIRINGS (05/11/07) BASEBALL Class 4 District 1 (at Hillsboro) Monday, May 14 -- First round: (4) Seckman vs. (5) Fox, 4 p.m.; (3) Hillsboro vs. (6) Poplar Bluff, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 15 -- Semifinals: (1) Cape Central vs. Seckman or Fox, 4 p.m.; (2) Jackson vs. Hillsboro vs. Poplar Bluff, 6:30 p.m...

Track honor roll (05/10/07) BOYS AND GIRLS top performers through May 9

MSHSAA members vote to expand football playoffs (05/04/07) By BRIAN ROSENER ~ Sports Editor There won't be a separate playoff for private schools, but the postseason bracket for football will expand in 2008. Missouri State High School Activities Association member schools voted 321-92 against a proposal to split the public and nonpublic schools into separate playoffs for every sport except football...

Semoball Girls Track Honor Roll (05/03/07) Top 10 performances in each event as reported in the five newspapers that are media partners with Semoball.com, through April 29...

New Salem girls can extend state title streak today (02/17/07) New Salem Baptist of Marble Hill continued its quest for its third straight championship game in the Missouri Christian School Athletic Association Class 2A girls tournament on Friday with a 43-36 win over Training Center in the semifinals at Joplin...

New Salem, Eagle Ridge arrange game at MCSAA state tournament (02/16/07) The New Salem Baptist and Eagle Ridge Christian boys basketball teams will meet for a fourth time tonight. Both Southeast Missouri teams won easily in first-round games Thursday at the Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association Class 2A state tournament...

New Salem girls seek third straight state title (02/15/07) New Salem Baptist Academy of Marble Hill will attempt to capture its third straight 2A girls Missouri Christian School Athletic Association state title when play begins today in Joplin. New Salem is 15-1 with its only loss coming to People's Christian of Arnold at the St. ...

Chaffee boys turn back Oak Ridge (02/10/07) The Chaffee boys basketball team has won 50 percent more games than it did last season. The Red Devils posted their sixth win Friday night, beating host Oak Ridge 60-48. Andy Hendrix hit four 3-pointers and had a game-high 21 points for the Red Devils (6-13). Jerrod Steger added 16 points for the Red Devils...

New Salem's loss in tourney is its first (02/09/07) New Salem Baptist's perfect season is over. The New Salem girls basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, falling 67-56 to People's Christian of Arnold in the semifinals of the St. Louis Missouri Christian Schools Activities Assocaition's conference tournament...

Notre Dame boys claim 20th victim (02/07/07) The Notre Dame boys basketball team notched its 20th victory of the season Tuesday night, routing visiting Kennett 85-47. Ryan Willen poured in 30 points for the Bulldogs, who improved to 20-4 overall and 6-1 in SEMO Conference play. Ty Williams added 12 points for the Bulldogs, followed by John Unterreiner with 11 and Austin Greer with 10...

Smith's 16 points positive sign for unbeaten Bobcats (02/04/07) Shea Smith had her best offensive performance of the season for the Delta girls basketball team in her comeback from a knee injury suffered during the softball season. Smith, a senior guard who was selected as the Southeast Missourian's Player of the Year last season, fired in three 3-pointers and scored 16 points as Delta rolled past Shawnee (Ill.) 72-35 on Saturday...

Cubs defeat Hornets, win Stoddard Co. Tournament (01/27/07) Nick Niemczyk poured in 26 points as Bell City rolled past Advance 70-45 in the championship at the Stoddard County Activities Association tournament. The meeting was the third between the two teams this season after they had split the first two. But the Cubs (15-4) jumped on the Hornets with a 22-10 first period and stretched the lead to 15 at halftime. The Cubs led 59-32 after three periods...

Jackson escapes Sikeston with 65-64 win (01/24/07) Antonio Garritano gave Jackson a one-point lead with 1 minute, 10 seconds remaining at Sikeston on Tuesday, and the Indians held on for a 65-64 SEMO Conference win at Sikeston. Jackson trailed 61-52 with 6 minutes remaining, but the Indians responded with an 11-0 run. Jake Leet capped the run with a 3-pointer which put Jackson up 63-61 with 1:45 remaining...

NBA-like Braves win conference tourney (01/20/07) The Scott County Central boys basketball rolled to the championship in the Scott-Mississippi Conference tournament Friday night, hammering Scott City 92-53. "I don't think the Lakers could've beat them tonight," Scott City coach Lance Amick said...

Scott City, Oran reach Scott-Miss semifinals (01/17/07) Scott City and Oran advanced to the semifinals of the Scott-Miss Conference boys basketball tournament with opening-round wins Tuesday. The teams will play 9 p.m. Thursday, following the 7:30 p.m. semifinal game between East Prairie and tournament host Scott County Central...

Bravettes upset Kelly, reach final (01/12/07) Scott County Central's girls basketball team will get its second crack at Delta this season in the championship of the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament following a 62-59 upset of No. 2 Kelly on Thursday in the semifinals at Oran. The Bravettes, seeded third, will face No. 1 Delta at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Delta routed No. 4 Oran 59-29 in the other semifinal. The Bobcats defeated Scott County in the semifinals of the Lady Devils Invitational earlier this season...

Scott City finds range in victory over Advance (12/16/06) The Scott City boys basketball team connected on 11 3-pointers Friday, seven by Jay Simmons, and routed visiting Advance 85-59. Alex King led the Rams with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Simmons finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Scott City pushed its record to 3-1 with its third straight win...

New Salem girls triumph; Eagle Ridge boys prevail (12/12/06) For the New Salem Baptist girls basketball team, the toughest part of the 2006-07 season has been getting games. The Eagles, Class 2 state champions last year in the Missouri Christian Schools Activities Association, have had a tournament snowed out, another opponent snowed in and another program close up...

Rams collect first victory at Oran (12/09/06) Jay Simmons scored a game-high 31 points as Scott City picked up its first win of the season with an 80-66 triumph at Oran. Alex King added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Rams (1-1), who also received 14 points from Jamie Pinkston. Simmons also had eight rebounds and six assists...

Cubs, Braves to meet in Oran Inv. (11/28/06) The much-anticipated meeting between Bell City and Scott County Central will take place sooner than later, as wins from No. 2 Bell City and No. 3 Scott County Central on Monday at the Oran Invitational set up a semifinal matchup between the two teams...

Perryville girls drop season opener 77-50 (11/21/06) The Perryville's girls basketball team fell behind by 10 points at halftime and could not come back in a 77-50 loss to Dexter on Monday in its season opener at home. The Pirates trailed 36-26 at halftime, and Dexter pushed the lead to 20 by outscoring Perryville 19-9 in the third quarter. Kendra Schilli led the Pirates with 16 points, and Alyssa Bauwens had 13...

Eagle Ridge wants a fast-paced game (11/21/06) First-year Eagle Ridge boys basketball coach Jonathan Thomasson Sr. promises a fast tempo with his Eagle squad this season. "Last year they played a slower tempo, but we don't have a lot of size this year, but we do have a lot of speed and quickness," Thomasson said. "We hope to play fast on both ends of the court. We will use a full-court press on defense and a lot of our success will depent on how well we do with the pressure...

Young Eagles team will start two from junior high (11/21/06) The 2006-07 Eagle Ridge girls basketball roster is certainly an interesting one. The Eagles return three starters from a team which finished 12-5 last year. But their other five players include one eighth-grader and four seventh-graders. "The girls are fast, but we can also play inside," Eagle Ridge coach Janice Margrabe said. "But we are so young. We would be pleased with a .500 record with such a young group."...

Eagle Ridge soccer gets big victory in shootout (10/24/06) The Eagle Ridge Christian School soccer team heads into this week's Christian schools state tournament on a high note. Eagle Ridge won its first St. Louis Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association conference tournament championship on Friday night, edging Collinsville Christian of Collinsville, Ill., in sudden death penalty kicks...

Saxony soccer triumphs in debut (09/09/06) The Saxony Lutheran boys soccer team posted a victory in the program's first varsity game Friday, beating Webb City 3-2 in penalty kicks during the opening round of the Thomas Jefferson tournament in Joplin, Mo. Saxony Lutheran and Webb City were tied 2-2 after regulation and overtime. The Crusaders then converted all five of their penalty kicks while Webb City made four...

St. Vincent sweeps Saxony Lutheran, improves to 8-0 (09/07/06) The St. Vincent volleyball team remained undefeated with a 25-15, 25-12 road victory Wednesday at Saxony Lutheran. The Squaws (8-0) were led by junior Kailyn Petzoldt, who had 17 service points with four aces, five digs, and 3 kills. Lacey Siegmund added four points, five digs, two blocks and six assists for the Squaws, and Brooke Brown had seven digs, two kills, one ace and one block...