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...

HS Rdp (02/09/08) Jackson 66, NMCC 55 The host Indians improved to 17-7 behind Spencer Goodman's 22 points. Jackson finally put away the Eagles in the fourth quarter. Marcus Harris scored 16 points and Hunter Grantham added 12 in the win. New Madrid (55) -- Dontre Jenkins 13, Bryan Waters 10, Justin Beasley 4, Kony Ealy 14, Josh Minner 6, Eddie Macklin 4, Lennies McFerren 4. FG 23, FT 7-17, F 17 (3-pointers: Jenkins 1, Ealy 1. Fouled out: None)...

Bell City holds off Clarkton in battle of ranked teams (02/08/08) Nick Niemczyk hit five 3-pointers and tallied 35 points before fouling out late in the game as Bell City fended off a furious Clarkton comeback for an 81-78 victory in boys basketball Thursday. The Cubs (20-2) led by 16 points at the half, but Clarkton outscored Bell City 52-39 in the second half to close the gap...

Jackson wrestlers edge Farmington in wrestling dual (01/30/08) The Jackson wrestling team remained perfect in dual matches and gained a measure of revenge by edging SEMO Conference tournament champion Farmington 37-34 on Tuesday night in Jackson. "It seems like we always have some great matchups with Farmington," Jackson coach Steve Wachter said. "It was a great effort by us, it was a great effort by them. Just a typical match with Farmington."...

Perryville girls pummel Woodland (01/25/08) The Perryville girls basketball team continued to roll as it earned a 74-27 victory against Woodland on Thursday. The Pirates held the Cardinals under 10 points in three of the four quarters. Perryville (13-4) led 42-10 at halftime. Alyssa Bauwens scored 18 points, while Alicia Kueker had 14 to lead Perryville...

Braves, Rams reach final (01/18/08) It will be a battle of Scotts in the Scott-Mississippi Conference boys basketball tournament title game. No. 2 seed Scott City defeated Kelly 56-52, while top-seeded Scott County Central beat East Prairie 86-59 in semifinal action Thursday in Delta...

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...

Woodland girls stop Oran 55-44 (01/15/08) Lauren Johnson netted a game-high 29 points to lead Woodland to a 55-44 victory over Oran in a girls basketball showdown Monday. Taylor Steckman added 14 points for the Cardinals (6-8). Cheyenne King poured in 22 points for Oran. Woodland (55) -- Lauren Johnson 29, Kyla Choate 6, Taylor Steckman 14, Becky Brannon 4. Kaitlin McCormick 2. FG 20, FT 5-6, F 16 (3-pointers: Steckman 2. Fouled out: Lacey Moore)...

Sikeston breezes past Scott City 63-36 (01/12/08) Sikeston opened a 20-point lead at halftime and never let up Friday. The Bulldogs ran away with a 63-36 victory against Scott City in a boys basketball showdown. Sherwin Jones hit five 3-pointers for Sikeston. Shae Simmons, who hit three 3-pointers, led the Rams with 11...

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...

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...

Jackson secures road win at line (12/15/07) The Jackson boys basketball team was 19-of-22 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to seal Friday night's 67-59 road win over Kennett. Spencer Goodman led the Indians with 27 points, while Kyle Keith added 11. Ahead 30-27 at halftime, Jackson outscored Kennett 16-7 in the third quarter and then held off the host squad down the stretch...

Notre Dame swimmerssweep three-team meet (12/14/07) Notre Dame took first place in all 11 events as it rolled at the St. Vincent three team girls swimming meet Thursday. Brittany Menz and Lauren Castleman led the Bulldogs by aiding in the victories by the 200 medley relay, the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay. Castleman also won the 50 freestyle and Menz won the 100 freestyle...

Delta, Kelly to play for title of Chaffee basketball tourney (12/07/07) Sara Blattel scored 20 points and Taylor Smith added 12 as Delta knocked off Oran 47-35 in the semifinals of the Chaffee girls basketball tournament Thursday. The Bobcats will face Kelly for the title Saturday. The Hawks beat Scott City 48-35 on Wednesday...

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...

Jackson downs Central in OT in semis (12/01/07) The Jackson boys basketball team overcame a 13-point, second-half deficit Friday night to defeat Central 58-54 in overtime to reach the championship game of the Farmington tournament. Jackson, which improved to 2-0, will try to defend its tournament title today at 7:30 p.m. when it faces Salem in the championship game...

Central, Jackson boys advance to semifinal showdown (11/28/07) Central and Jackson set up a Friday meeting in the semifinals of the Farmington Invitational with wins Tuesday in the opening-round games. The teams will meet 7:30 p.m. at the Farmington Civic Center, with the tourney's third-place and final games set for Saturday...

State runner-up returns four starters but loses centerpiece (11/19/07) With four returning starters from a state runner-up team last year, you would think the New Salem Baptist Academy girls basketball team is in mighty good shape for this season. But that one departure was an awfully good one in Sarah Green. The point guard was a four-time all-stater who controlled the pace of the game on the perimeter as well as providing scoring. ...

Eagles will rely on quickness to compensate for lack of size (11/19/07) New Salem Baptist Academy boys coach Ken Jones will issue a challenge to opponents at the beginning of each game this season. Try keeping up with his Eagles. "We're really quick," he said. "We defend well. You don't have to have a lot of height."...

New Salem repeats at state champions (11/04/07) The New Salem Baptist Academy won the Missouri Christian School Athletic Association volleyball title recently. The Eagles capped a perfect 30-0 record to repeat as state champions. They defeated Grandview 25-17, 25-20 in the title match. Martie Poole had 15 kills and Laura Poole added 21 assists in the title match. Both players earned a spot on the SLMCAA conference tournament first team...

Central doubles team rolls in district play (10/05/07) Sarah Ford and Lindsey Pingel didn't miss a beat. The Central doubles pair cruised through the first day of the district tennis tournament Thursday, earning a berth in today's semifinals. Ford and Pingel have won the district title and earned trips to the state tournament the last two years...

ND's Reinagel hurlsno-hitter in finale of regular season (10/03/07) Lauren Reinagel pitched her second straight no-hitter as the Notre Dame softball team (23-0) ended a perfect regular season Tuesday by beating visiting St. Pius of Festus 10-0. It is the Bulldogs' best season in school history. Reinagel, who improved to 22-0, struck out nine and walked two in the six-inning game that was stopped due to the 10-run rule...

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 boys, girls fall in title games (02/18/07) The New Salem Baptist girls basketball team's bid for a third straight Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association state title came up short Saturday, as they fell to Liberty of Wright City 51-41 in the Class 2A final. Top-seeded New Salem led 23-22 at halftime and had a 27-26 advantage going into the final quarter, but foul trouble and free throwing shooting plagued the Eagles...

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. ...

Hawks capture battle of state-ranked teams (02/13/07) Kelly's girls basketball team hit 27 of 38 free throws and escaped Scott County Central with a 61-55 win Monday in a match of state-ranked teams. The Bravettes, ranked No. 8 in Class 1, led 23-14 after one quarter, but Kelly (18-4) outscored Scott County 18-6 in the second quarter to pull ahead 32-29 at halftime...

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 girls win conference title (02/06/07) Notre Dame's girls basketball team wrapped up the SEMO Conference on Monday with a 60-57 win at district foe Dexter. The Bulldogs (14-7) finished a perfect 8-0 in the conference. Notre Dame built a 29-21 halftime lead and withstood a second-half comeback for the win...

Crusaders, Devils find MVC final (02/03/07) Top seed Saxony Lutheran and No. 2 Chaffee used double-digit semifinal victories Friday to move into the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament championship at Meadow Heights. Saxony Lutheran will face Chaffee at 8:30 tonight. Saxony Lutheran (17-3) and Leopold were deadlocked at the end of the third quarter before the Crusaders used a 22-11 fourth quarter for a 68-57 win...

Jackson's rally falls short against Charleston (01/31/07) Charleston held on for its second tight SEMO Conference win in four days, beating host Jackson 60-58 on Tuesday night. The Bluejays, who handed Notre Dame its first loss Saturday, improved to 17-3 overall and 5-1 in the conference. Jackson fell behind by seven points at halftime but closed the gap in the second half...

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...

Notre Dame girls end Jackson's winning streak (01/26/07) Notre Dame's girls basketball team knocked off another area powerhouse Thursday with a 68-40 home rout of Jackson. The Bulldogs beat state-ranked Doniphan on Monday, and on Thursday the Bulldogs outscored Jackson 36-11 in the second half to end the Indians' 11-game winning streak...

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...

Tigers lose lead, prevail in overtime (01/13/07) The Central boys basketball team saw an 11-point fourth-quarter lead slip away Friday night, but the Tigers regrouped and beat visiting New Madrid County Central 59-56 in overtime. Central evened its overall record at 8-8 and improved to 2-0 in SEMO Conference play...

Central swimmers leave St. Vincent in wake (01/10/07) The Central girls swimming team used a balanced attack -- with five different event winners and two relay wins -- to post a 114-65 victory against St. Vincent on Tuesday afternoon at the Perry Park Center. Betty Buhs, Jessie Baker, Brittany Thomas, Kelly Ennis and Lilli Robinson won individual events. Buhs led the Tigers' 1-2-3 finish in the 200-meter freestyle. Baker led a similar sweep in the 200 individual medley, and Robinson was followed by two Tigers swimmers in the 500 freestyle...

Farmington avenges loss to ND (01/09/07) Notre Dame's girls basketball team did not find Farmington as accomodating the second time around, falling 58-46 on Monday at Farmington in a clash of Class 4 squads. The Bulldogs (7-5) used a strong fourth quarter to rout the Knightettes 66-49 in the third-place game of the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic last month. This time, Farmington used an 18-11 scoring edge in the fourth quarter to pull away...

St. Joseph's overtakes Bulldogs (01/06/07) The Notre Dame girls basketball team led St. Joseph's Academy for one half Friday night but could not finish the job against the perennial state power. St. Joseph's of Frontenac, Mo., outscored the Bulldogs 40-22 in the second half for a 63-46 victory...

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...

ND boys improve to 6-1 with rout (12/13/06) The Notre Dame boys basketball team had an easy time on the road Tuesday night as the Bulldogs routed New Madrid County Central 76-39. Abe Dirnberger had 19 points to lead the Bulldogs (6-1). Also scoring in double figures for Notre Dame were Ryan Willen with 14 points, John Unterreiner with 14, Ty Williams with 12 and Austin Greer with 10...

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...

Advance turns back Kelly in opening round at Oran tourney (11/29/06) Advance used a 22-5 fourth-quarter scoring edge to secure a 67-44 win over No. 5 Kelly on Tuesday in the opening round of the Oran Invitational. Alex Steil led the Hornets with 26 points, and Trenton Moses added 11. Spencer Ayers led Kelly with 11 points...

New Salem Girls returns all five starters (11/21/06) New Salem Baptist coach Jerome Gaines heads into this sixth season in an enviable position. All five starters from the Eagles' Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association Class 2A state championship team of last year are back. And the Marble Hill school is ready to take a charge at its third straight basketball championship with many of the same athletes coming off a perfect volleyball season...

New Salem coach sees a rebuilding year (11/21/06) New Salem Baptist Academy boys coach Ken Jones figures his team might take some lumps early. But by the end of the season, Jones hopes the Eagles will be making some waves. "It's a rebuilding year for us," Jones said. "Our goals are to be competitive game in and game out, and to learn from our mistakes each night...

New Salem captures volleyball title (10/29/06) The team from the Marble Hill school completed a 24-0 season. The New Salem Baptist volleyball team captured the Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association state championship on Saturday, winning two more matched to finish a perfect season. New Salem (24-0) beat Grandview 25-19, 25-13 in the semifinals and then topped Riverview Bible Baptist 25-17, 25-20 in the championship...

New Salem stays unbeaten at state tournament (10/28/06) Southeast Missourian The New Salem Baptist Academy volleyball team continued its unbeaten season with another perfect day at the Missouri Christian Schools Activities Association state tournament in Joplin, Mo. New Salem of Marble Hill defeated Riverview 25-19, 25-18 Friday afternoon in its final pool-play game...

Rams claim another SEMO volleyball title (10/18/06) The Scott City volleyball team clinched the SEMO Conference regular season title Tuesday by sweeping Central 25-7, 25-12 at home. The Rams (21-7-4), which claimed the conference tournament title on Saturday, were led by Kacie Ritter's 14 assists and four aces. Jenni Heisserer had eight kills and Whitney Tapley added five. Valerie Gibbons led Scott City in digs with three...

Notre Dame volleyball sweeps Sikeston (10/12/06) The Notre Dame volleyball team swept host Sikeston 25-17, 25-15 on Wednesday night. Ashley Nenninger led the Bulldogs with nine kills and four blocks. Meridith Medlin had five kills and 10 assists, and Claire Goodsen added eight service points for the Bulldogs (13-9)...

Bell City spikers clip Leopold in three sets (09/23/06) Bell City edged host Leopold in three sets Friday in a battle of Class 1 district volleyball champions from a year ago. The Cubs recorded a 25-27, 25-23, 25-21 victory in front of a standing-room only crowd. Megan Slagley had eight kills and 13 digs for Bell City (19-1), while Jessica Abner added seven kills and three blocks, Jenny Lathum had five kills and four blocks, and Rachel Spears had six kills and five blocks...

Jackson softball nips Seckman (09/20/06) Sheila Wade scattered eight hits and three walks over eight innings and then scored the winning run for the Jackson girls softball team in a 1-0 victory against visiting Seckman on Tuesday. Seckman (15-7) had won the championship in the Jackson Invitational tournament on Saturday by winning four straight games, including the championship against Notre Dame...

ND softball improves to 10-0 (09/08/06) The Notre Dame softball team found itself in a rare low-scoring game Thursday, but thanks to errorless defense and a three-hit shutout from Miranda Schlosser, the Bulldogs remained undefeated with a 2-0 victory against visiting Central. The Bulldogs (10-0) were limited to fewer than seven runs for the first time this season...