East Carter County

ELLSINORE — Over the last several years, the annual battle of Carter County between the Van Buren Bulldogs and the East Carter Redbirds — also known as the Yellow Sucker game — has become one of Southeast Missouri’s premier rivalry basketball games...

BROSELEY — The Neelyville Lady Tigers were looking to get back into the championship game of the Lady Royal Christmas Classic for the first time since 2019, but the Portageville Bulldogs had other plans. The Bulldogs made a fast start hold up as they took a 57-49 game over the Lady Tigers in Friday’s semifinal...

BLOOMFIELD — Big wins were the order of the day on Thursday in the first four games of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. All four early games were decided by double digits, with only the Bernie-Portageville and Kennett-East Carter games being decided by less than 20 points...

For East Carter High School senior Anna Crowley, choosing to play softball next season at Mineral Area College was a family affair. “What led to MAC was mostly my sister (Elizabeth) that currently plays ball there right now,” Crowley said. “Me and her are really close. I also really like (head) coach C.J. (Wright). He’s a great coach and he has given me a great opportunity. I think that MAC is going to do great things and is developing an awesome program.”...

BROSELEY — The quarterfinal round of the Lady Royals Christmas Classic featured a wild one between Poplar Bluff and East Carter on Monday afternoon and the Lady Mules came out on top 51-48 in a close back-and-forth game. “I’m proud of the team,” Poplar Bluff coach Soley Dugas said. “I’m just proud of the girls believing and trusting in me and executing.”...

Even after suffering their first loss season, the Puxico Indians are still riding high to start this season of boys basketball. Puxico suffered it first loss of the season Saturday evening when it lost 58-50 to Thayer in a battle of state-ranked teams — the Indians are tied for fifth in the most recent Class 2 coaches poll, while Thayer was fifth in Class 3...

CLARKTON — The Risco Tigers defeated the Doniphan Dons 82-53 to claim the championship of the Clarkton Christmas Tournament on Friday night. Doniphan played with grit and effort, never giving up in the game, — but Risco was taller, faster, and more physical than the Dons, especially on the offensive side, where their rebounding and inside shooting dominated the scoreboard...

CLARKTON — The Doniphan Dons scored a convincing 58-40 victory over the East Carter Redbirds in the semifinals of the Clarkton Christmas Tournament on Thursday night. The Dons led throughout the game, combining an aggressive defense with an improved scoring proficiency that built a first half advantage that they stretched to double-digits in the second half, which prevented the Redbirds from staging any sort of comeback...

Mykencie Hutchison is going from being a Redbird to being a Cardinal. The East Carter senior recently signed to play softball at the collegiate level next season with Mineral Area College in Park Hills. While East Carter’s athletic teams are the Redbirds, MAC’s teams are the Cardinals...

The Puxico Indians are the top seed at this year’s Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. The Indians are 5-0 this season and are winning their games by an average of 26.8 points. Three of Puxico's five wins are by 35 points or more. The East Prairie Eagles, who finished second at last year's Bloomfield Christmas Tournament, are the No. 2 seed, with Dexter, Bernie, Kennett, Risco, Van Buren and Richland rounding out the top eight seeds...

Doniphan, Neelyville, Portageville and East Carter are the top four seeds at the Lady Royals Christmas Classic, which tips off next Saturday (Dec. 21) at Twin Rivers High School in Broseley. Top-seeded Doniphan and No. 2 Neelyville have first-round byes...

SIKESTON — A late push wasn’t enough as Sikeston faced another setback, falling 7-0 to East Carter at the Sports Complex on Tuesday, Oct. 8. The Lady Bulldogs (2-18) losing streak was extended to 12 games as the team struggled to find its footing against the determined Lady Redbird (9-8)...

It was a night of celebration and triumph for the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules volleyball team — and not just because the Lady Mules secured a hard-fought victory over Kennett. Thursday’s 25-17, 25-15, 29-27 win over the Kennett Lady Indians also saw senior setter Kyra Mizell reach the milestone of 1,000 career assists...

The Poplar Bluff Mules football team will face a stiff challenge when district play starts in November. The Missouri State High School Activities Association released district assignments for all fall sports except for cross country on Friday — and the Mules learned they will be joined in Class 5 District 1 by not only two-time defending district champion Cape Central, but also by defending Class 5 state champion Cardinal Ritter...

ELLSINORE — The East Carter Redbirds finished the baseball season with a 13-9 record and their fourth consecutive Black River League championship. After falling in the second round of the Class 2 District 2 tournament, head coach Ethan Boyer reflected on the past season and looked ahead to next year...

Semoball Awards finalists for the spring sports categories were announced Thursday morning on a selection show broadcasted live on SEMO ESPN Radio and streamed on the Semoball.com Facebook page. Baseball Levi McKinnie, Chaffee Gabe Dirnberger, Oran Cooper Rhodes, Jackson...

ELLSINORE — The Van Buren Bulldogs baseball team used some small ball to take the lead in the fifth inning en route to a 6-4 win over the third-seeded East Carter Redbirds Monday in the Class 2 District 2 semifinals at Brody Gargac Memorial Field. The Bulldogs will face top-seeded Greenville or Alton at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Gargac, weather permitting...

ELLSINORE — The No. 3 seed East Carter RedBirds took the first step on their long journey of returning to the district championship with a win in the opening round of the Class 2 District 2 tournament. The Redbirds wouldn’t be denied at the plate as they collected multiple hits to ease past the No. ...

ELLSINORE — Maturity was the key ingredient to the success the East Carter Redbirds accomplished this season, and it will play a significant role in the postseason as they prepare to host this year’s Class 2 District 2 tournament. After finishing with a 12-17 record from the previous season, the Redbirds made a solid shift in how they approached each game this year. They finished with a 13-9 record for the regular season and captured their fourth consecutive Black River League Championship...

The Semoball Awards finalists for fall sports were announced Wednesday morning on a selection show broadcast live on SEMO ESPN Radio and streamed on the Semoball.com Facebook page. The finalists were selected by a sports panel made up of representatives from the Southeast Missourian, Standard Democrat, Dexter Statesman, Daily American Republic and Delta Dunklin Democrat...

DONIPHAN - The time to determine the best softball team in their conference kicked off on Monday as the 2024 Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament was in full swing at the Doniphan Donettes Softball Field. With the Doniphan Donettes and reigning OFC champions having a bye in the opening round, six other teams within the conference went head-to-head for an opportunity to dethrone the champions...

KENNETT, Mo. - The Kennett Lady Indians (14-5) in the first game of a Saturday double header defeated the East Carter Lady Redbirds (6-5) 11-2 at Indian Park. The Lady Indians entered this weekend's competition hoping for a better fate than last weekend's. The squad entered the first game of the double header with a record of 13-4, including a heartbreaking loss to the Doniphan Donettes 6-4 on Thursday...

ELLSINORE — The East Carter Redbirds looked to pick up their third straight win, but they would have their hands full against some stiff competition who was looking to do the same. The Redbirds took on an eager Van Buren team on Thursday in a district matchup at East Carter baseball field. ...

ELLSINORE — The East Carter Lady Redbirds basketball program is in better hands thanks to senior Breanna Dohleman. Dohleman was tabbed the Class 2 District 2 Player of the Year as well as making the Class 2 all-state team. While those accolades address the on-court talent, it’s the intangibles the baller brought to the program that have truly resonated with her coach and counterparts...

ELLINGTON — After finishing in third place with a 4-0 record at the Gulf Coast Classic, the Poplar Bluff Mules picked up right where they left off by connecting with multiple hits. The Mules hit the road on Monday and won big over the Ellington Whippets 11-1. The Mules got on the board first with a double by Kolby Greenwall at the top of the first. Poplar Bluff added another run in the second, where Greenwall connected once again with a single to take a 2-0 lead...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...