DDD Sports

In a town like Cape Girardeau, support at high school games comes standard, but support for the college teams must be earned. And recently, the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball team has been earning their support. Scheduling-wise, it was a rough start to the season. The Redhawks didn’t have a home game against a Division I opponent until Dec. 7 against Purdue Fort Wayne and by then they were marred in an eight-game losing streak...

CARDWELL – Despite winning a few hard-fought battles under the boards, the Southland Rebels were outmanned and outgunned Friday by the Delta C-7 Chargers, losing their homecoming game 85-51. Rebels head coach Steve Richey said his team was focused on corralling the Chargers’ guards, including freshman C.J. Wallace and junior Bryce Manley...

KENNETT — The Malden Green Wave survived an onslaught of massive momentum swings and three-straight quarters of Kennett leads to claim a hard-fought 87-82 victory on the road going into the Bootheel Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed. Malden’s win was more important to the team than usual after falling to New Madrid County Central in a crushing 57-78 loss on Tuesday, and they played as such...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — Delta uses lockdown defense, sharp shooting from the outside and “phenomenal effort” to win its second consecutive Scott-Mississippi Conference Championship with a 66-37 victory over Oran on Thursday, Jan. 26. Jade Berry and Addison Nichols led the Ladycats (17-2) in scoring with 20 and 18, respectively, while Haley Webb was the Lady Eagles (11-7) top performer with 17...

NIXA, Mo. — New Madrid County Central was dominant during the second half of a 62-48 win over Hillcrest (9-8) in the opening round of the Nixa Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 26. Janis Jones and BJ Williamson continued to be the catalyst for the Eagles (12-5), scoring 33 and 20, respectively...

SIKESTON — Kate Nichols and Allsion Turnbo led Dexter to a 63-45 win at Sikeston on Thursday, Jan. 26. Nichols finished with 27 and Turnbo added 22 for the Lady Bearcats (12-7), while Landri Hammontree scored a team-high 19 for the Lady Bulldogs (4-14)...

Rahmena Henderson scored 19 points to lead the Redhawks past the Tigers of Tennessee State 77-59 on Thursday at the Show Me Center. 15 of Henderson’s points came on three-point baskets. As a team, the Redhawks shot a season-high 11-of-24 from the arc...

It’s not how the Redhawks started the game, but how they finished it. Southeast Missouri State started Thursday’s tilt down 17-1 but ended with a 92-75 win over Tennessee State in the Show Me Center. With the win, the Redhawks returned their record to .500 (11-11, 6-3 OVC) and remain tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference with UT Martin, Morehead State, Tennessee Tech, and Southern Indiana...

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...

A double digit comeback, a team without a head coach, a pivotal defensive adjustment and four Lion players scoring double digits all culminated in Senath-Hornersville’s 81-57 victory over Delta C-7 Thursday night. “Our kids found a way,” Senath-Hornersville head coach Kurt Penn said. “I think the last eight games we’ve found ourselves in a double digit deficit early in the first quarter, but they just don’t quit. That’s been our case all year and we just don’t give up.”...

The Bootheel Conference basketball tournament is here again and the Malden Green Wave are the top seed heading into the event which begins 10:15 a.m. Saturday with the first of three first-round games taking place at Hayti, the site of the competition...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — Jadis Jones filled up the stat sheet and was almost perfect from the field in leading New Madrid County Central to a 78-56 win over Malden on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The star junior scored 23 points for the Eagles (11-5) on 11-of-12 shots from the field, while also grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing out eight assists, snatching six steals and blocking a shot. ...

BROSELEY, Mo. — After trailing 25-21 through three quarters, East Prairie’s offense exploded for 36 points in the final quarter. The Eagles (13-5) completed the dramatic comeback to win 57-43 at Twin Rivers (9-10) on Tuesday, Jan. 23. “We struggled offensively for three quarters,” said East Prairie coach Gary Scott. ...

HAYTI, Mo. — Portageville earned a decisive win at Hayti on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The Lady Bulldogs (14-4) defensive effort was outstanding in the 52-22 beatdown of the Lady Indians (5-14). “We got a slow start and give credit to them,” Portageville coach Kellye Fowler. “They came out ready to play and jumped to a 5-0 lead. I challenged the girls at halftime to come out and pick up the intensity in the second half and they did just that. Especially our lone senior Amyiah Saxton.”...

NEW MADRID, Mo — The New Madrid County Central wrestling team split a pair of meets with Kennett and McCracken County (Ky.) on Tuesday, Jan 24. The Eagles defeated Kennett 39-36 and lost 49-25 to McCracken County. “I thought we wrestled hard and smart,” said NMCC coach Jerry Winberry. ...

BENTON, Mo. — Kelly suffered a home setback at the hands of Saxony Lutheran on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The Crusaders (9-8) were able to outlast and hang on for a 57-47 win against the Hawks (9-10). “We’re still trying to piece together a whole game,” said Kelly coach Jeremy Brinkmeyer. ...

HAYTI, Mo. — Portageville rebounded from three straight disappointing losses with a 54-46 win at Bootheel Conference rival Hayti on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The Bulldogs (10-9) made a furious comeback in the fourth quarter to secure the victory after surrendering the lead to the Indians (3-16) a couple of minutes into the third quarter...

OAK RIDGE, Mo. — Oran fell 54-39 at Oak Ridge on Tuesday, Jan. 26. Konnor Hobeck led the Bluejays (15-3) with a game-high 13 points, while Tyler Bishop added 11. Kolten Payne and Nolan Loper were the Eagles’ (10-7) leading scorers with 12 each. Oak Ridge will travel to Marquand-Zion (1-7) on Thursday, Jan 26, while Oran is on the road at Leopold (6-10)...

The Portageville High School boy’s basketball squad got itself back on the right track with its eight-point road win at Hayti on Tuesday. The victory snapped a three-game losing skid for the Bulldogs (10-9), who face as difficult test as any this season in tonight’s road battle at Class 2 No. 10-ranked Cooter (17-1) at 6 p.m.

It remains to be seen as to whether or not any local boy’s basketball talent ultimately ends up playing college basketball in the Show Me Center for Southeast Missouri State in the future. However, the Redhawk coaching staff is certainly making a concerted effort to try and secure the services of those players who have the ability to do so.

There’s a relatively new vibe inside the Show Me Center. 2,632 fans came to the 7,000-seat arena to watch the Redhawks defeat Tennessee tech in a double-overtime thriller this past weekend to move into a six-team tie for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference...

HOLCOMB — Tuesday night’s matchup between the Holcomb Hornets (9-8) and the Clarkton Reindeer (10-9) was much more than conference rivalry, despite the consequential upcoming tournament seedings. It was also a more friendly, albeit fierce, rivalry game between two coaches who go way back...

By ALICEA LITTLE Contributing writer POPLAR BLUFF - The Poplar Bluff and Kennett boys basketball game was postponed after the first quarter as school administrators decided it best to send people home and beat the winter snowstorm that had unleashed a blanket of white in a short time...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Sikeston pulled off a 58-51 upset at Perryville on Monday, Jan. 23. Freshman Alex Segers led the Lady Bulldogs (4-13) with a game-high 26 points. She also had five rebounds, seven steals, an assist and block. “We finally put together four quarters and beat a good team,” said Sikeston coach Vaughn Shephard. ...

METROPOLIS, Ill. — Charleston claimed the 36th annual Superman Classic with a 70-55 win over host Massac County on Saturday, Jan. 21. PJ Farmer was named the tournament’s MVP, while Rico Coleman and Ko’Terrion Owens earned all-tournament honors for the Bluejays (15-5)...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — Some bulbs in the gym might need replacement after Oran shot lights out in a win over Scott City on Monday, Jan. 23. The Lady Eagles (13-6) advanced to the championship game of the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament for the eighth straight season with a 50-38 win over the Lady Rams (12-6)...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — For the third consecutive season Delta will play for a Scott-Mississippi Conference Championship. The Ladycats (16-2) will look to defend their crown after advancing to the title game with a 70-35 semifinal victory over Chaffee (11-6) on Monday, Jan. 23...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. – The Sikeston Bulldogs basketball team has shown the capabilities to demoralize its opponents at times this season. That was never more apparent than on Monday night in Portageville as Sikeston took the Bulldogs out of everything they wanted to do offensively en route to a 72-30 victory...

KENNETT — Notre Dame (12-1) rolled into Kennett (13-6) Monday night and left nothing up to chance as they ended the Indians’ 10-game winning streak with a resounding 41-14 victory. Wasting absolutely no time, Notre Dame’s press kicked in immediately as they held Kennett scoreless for five minutes and forced turnover after turnover while eliminating their own, which Bulldog head coach Kirk Boeller explained has been an issue and a priority for the team recently...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — A short-handed Portageville squad defeated Bloomfield on Monday, Jan. 23. Amiyah Saxton and Laney Stone scored 17 and 13, respectively, and led the Lady Bulldogs (13-4) to a 64-37 win over the Lady Wildcats (5-10). “We had a lot to overcome in this game with several girls out,” said Portageville coach Kellye Fowler. ...

ORAN, Mo. — Nolan Loper scored a game-high 21 to lead Oran to a 72-24 win over Bell City on Friday, Jan. 20. The Eagles improved to 10-7 with the victory, while the Cubs fell to 3-13. Oran with host Oak Ridge (15-3) on Tuesday and travel to Leopold (6-9) on Thursday before competing in the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament, beginning this weekend...

DONIPHAN, Mo. — East Prairie earned an impressive 66-47 victory to spoil Donphan’s homecoming on Friday, Jan. 20. The Eagles (12-5) were led by a game-high 29 points from Noah Johnson, while Max Owen was the Dons’ (12-5) leader with 14. “We did a really good job defensively by containing their main scorers,” said East Prairie coach Gary Scott...

NEW ORLEANS – The road warriors lived up to their name Saturday afternoon. Less than 48 hours after an overtime win, the Northwestern State men's basketball team made much quicker work of New Orleans, shaking off a slow offensive start to methodically pull away from the Privateers for an 88-65 Southland Conference victory...

DELTA, Mo. — Drew Klipfel scored a game-high 30 and led Kelly to a 66-47 victory at Delta on Friday, Jan. 20. The Hawks improved to 9-9 with the win, while Bobcats dropped to (4-12) with the loss. “[Klipfel] is a terrific player,” said Kelly coach Jeremy Brinkmeyer. “He’s the type of player that coaches dream about having on their team. He has always had the capability of playing like this, it’s just he is finally seeing in himself what everyone else has been seeing for a while...

MALDEN, Mo. — Trey Miller made a go-ahead 3-pointer with less than two minutes remaining as Malden gave fans their money worth with a 50-44 homecoming win over Portageville on Friday, Jan. 20. It appeared the Bulldogs (9-9) had their opponent on the ropes, but the Green Wave (13-5) withstood the early surge and finished the game strong with some clutch plays...

CLARKTON - Homecoming at Clarkton Friday wasn't spectacular just because the Reindeer basketball team thrashed the Scott County Central Braves 59-43. It was, in a word, sublime as Clarkton senior Owen Morgan reached and then surpassed 1,000 high school career points...

There’s playing hurt, and then there is wrestling hurt. Jackson senior Gavin Hicks left the consolation semifinal match of the SEMO Conference Tournament on Saturday at the Tiger Field House defeated and injured. As he was treated for injuries both upper and lower, the pain in his face was palpable. Entering the fifth-place match with the district tournament mere weeks away, it would make sense for Hicks to call it a day and heal his wounds...

The Alabama Crimson Tide dominated the final moments of the first half and the opening minutes of the second half – just like Missouri coach Dennis Gates knew they would. The dominant stretch carried the No. 4 Tide to a resounding 85-64 win over the Missouri Tigers at Mizzou Arena on Saturday, Jan. 21 to improve to 17-2, while the Tigers fell to 14-5...

Armored with bright purple Nikes, the offensive power of Holcomb (8-8) senior Braiden Burk was not to be questioned from the moment he set foot on the court in Risco (6-9) Friday night in Holcomb’s 72-59 conference matchup triumph over the Tigers on their homecoming night...

MALDEN — The Malden Green Wave had a happy homecoming as they defeated Portageville 50-44. “It was one of the toughest games of the season,” Malden coach Mike Kilgore said. “We didn’t want our homecoming spoiled, so the boys fought hard to secure the win.”...

Lexi Rubel knows the Show Me Center well. For three years, she hoisted the Holiday Classic trophy with her Notre Dame teammates to kick off Christmas. “This is definitely a very familiar gym,” Rubel said. The Show Me Center was her home court away from home, but this visit was different. ...

The analysis of Southeast Missouri State’s men’s basketball squad losing 80-60 to UT Martin on Thursday at the Show Me Center is as follows: * The Redhawks allowed the Skyhawks to shoot 56 percent from the floor * SEMO got obliterated on the glass 38-24 * And the hosts couldn’t buy a basket in shooting 32 percent overall and missing 19 of 22 3-pointers

DeAndre Gholston may have hit Missouri’s two biggest shots of the night on Wednesday night in a 79-76 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks. Gholston shot lights-out in the final minutes, hitting a 3-pointer to tie the game at 67 and hitting a fading jumper through contact to tie the game back up at 71 just a minute later. His and the team’s clutch shooting performance helped the Tigers to an intense comeback victory...

After playing just half of a junior varsity game and dominating every minute she was on the court, Senath-Hornersville (8-7) freshman Halle Jamerson knocked back four 3-pointers opening varsity play to set the tone for the Lions’ staggering 61-35 victory over Puxico (5-11) Thursday night...

KENNETT – The Kennett Lady Indians basketball program (13-5) experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat at home Thursday night after facing off against two different teams in one night. Kennett's junior varsity team took a shellacking from Jackson, falling 54-25, while the varsity squad stood strong against the Twin Rivers Lady Royals (8-9) to win 36-28, picking up the varsity team’s tenth-straight win along the way...

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...

SIKESTON — The Scott County Central girls’ basketball team is riding high heading into the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament this weekend after earning its fourth straight win. The winning streak started with a victory over New Madrid County Central (0-14) in the Delta New Year's Invitational. The team followed that up with home wins over Charleston (1-10) and East Prairie (4-10), and a road victory over Oak Ridge (6-7)...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — East Prairie bounced back from having its five-game winning streak snapped with a 45-39 win over Scott City on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Wyatt Williams scored a game-high 21 to lead the Eagles (11-5), while Noah Johnson added 10. Jaylen Rulo and Jackson Gloth led the Rams (4-11) with 11 each. Colin Blaycock added 10...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — The Sikeston boys wrestling split a pair of matches during a triangular meet at Notre Dame on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The Bulldogs fell 42-39 to Kennett after Kevin Thompson secured the victory with a pin of Kobe Bryant at the heavyweight division...

SENATH, Mo. — Not much went right for Portageville at Senath-Hornersville on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The Bulldogs (9-7) fell 63-49 after a big run to finish the first half gave the Lions (10-5) a cushion. Jamarion Smith scored a game-high 21 to lead Portageville, while Shane Townsend added 15...

BENTON, Mo. — It took some time, but Kelly eventually woke up from its nightmarish start against Oak Ridge on Tuesday, Jan. 17. However, the Hawks (8-9) were unable to dig themselves out of the early hole and fell 67-55 to the Bluejays (14-3), who have now won their past five games...

FLAT RIVER, Mo. — Sikeston girls’ wrestling finished 3-0 after competing at the Park Hills Central Scramble on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The Lady Bulldogs started with a 42-33 win over Park Hills Central. They also defeated Owensville and Sullivan with scores of 36-33 and 42-27, respectively...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — The Sikeston girls’ basketball team earned a 62-46 win at Bloomfield on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Landry Hammontree continued her strong sophomore season with a game-high 26 points for the Lady Bulldogs (3-12), while Danyella Medrano led the Lady Wildcats (4-9) with 12...

SENATH, Mo. — The Portageville girls’ basketball team won decisively at Senath-Hornersville on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The Lady Bulldogs (11-4) won 54-24 after jumping out to an early lead and boat-racing the Lady Lions (7-7). “I was just proud of the intensity that the girls played with,” said Portageville coach Kellye Fowler. ...

METROPOLIS, Ill. — It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Charleston flying past Fort Campbell in the opening round of the 39th annual City of Metropolis Superman Classic. The top-seeded and defending tournament champion Bluejays (13-5) put on a Man of Steel-Esque performance in a 114-48 beatdown of the eighth-seeded Falcons (2-10) on Tuesday, Jan. 17...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. — The Kelly girls’ basketball team traveled to Scott City with a short-handed roster and fell 66-47 on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The Lady Hawks (7-8) overcame a sluggish start to battle back within striking distance in the second half, but the Lady Rams (11-5) proved too much in earning the Scott-Mississippi Conference victory...

A lot can change in two weeks and the perspective of people evaluating the play of Southeast Missouri State sophomore guard Phillip Russell is evidence of that. Following a road loss at UT Martin 14 days ago, a game in which Russell picked up his Ohio Valley Conference-leading eighth technical foul and had had 14 fouls called on him in a three-game stretch.

The Cardinals Caravan returned to Cape Girardeau on Monday after the coronavirus pandemic and MLB lockout kept them away for the previous two seasons. The return of the caravan event at the Osage Centre also meant the return of Southeast Missouri State alum Kerry Robinson, who is always the star of the show...

A deeply contested meet between Kennett and Sikeston on Tuesday in Notre Dame High School came down to the heavyweight bout. Fortunately for the Indians, head coach Jacob Whittle’s final card to play was also his best wrestler. “Kevin Thompson saved the day,” Whittle said. “I asked him to go out there and pin the kid and he did just that.”...

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...

Kicking off a stretch of three games in three days while battling “the injury bug,” the Kennett girls basketball team (11-5) has now won eight games in a row with the team’s 47-36 victory over Holcomb (6-9) Tuesday night. “We knew it would be a battle,” Kennett head coach Aaron New said. ...

James Naile grew up attending the annual Cardinals Caravan, and this year Naile returned back to the area he grew up in as the caravan came to the Osage Center in Cape Girardeau. The caravan featured Naile, infielder Nolan Gorman, pitcher Matthew Liberatore, former Cardinals pitcher Jason Motte and former Cardinals outfielder Kerry Robinson...

While most children were busy with screens and games, Peyton Hodges was already showing signs of a strong entrepreneurial spirit. That’s why it made perfect sense when the East Prairie senior selected Kenyon College and its strong academic prestige as the destination where he would continue his education and athletic journey...

CAIRO, Ill. — New Madrid County Central traveled across the Mississippi River and secured a 78-36 victory at Cairo on Friday, Jan. 13. BJ Williamson scored a game-high as the Eagles improved to 9-4. “We played hard as a team and played together,” said NMCC assistant coach Dontre Jenkins. ...

CHAFFEE, Mo. — Kelly earned its third straight victory with a 45-34 win at Chaffee on Friday, Jan. 13. The Hawks (8-8) were led by Drew Klipfel with 16 points, while the Red Devils (6-9) leaders were Blake Yarbro and Login Rhodes with 10 each. “I thought the teams showed great composure in a tough environment,” said Kelly coach Jeremy Brinkmeyer. “We found a way to win against a good team and earn a conference victory.”...

SIKESTON — Sophomore sensation PJ Farmer recorded a triple-double and led Charleston in a 117-61 clobbering of Scott County Central on Friday, Jan. 17. Farmer finished with a game-high 27 points to go along with 10 assists and 13 steals. “The game went well,” said Charleston coach Jamarcus Williams. “It was good to see my guys play hard and have fun. Now we’re focused on some big games this week and preparing to go compete against some solid competition in the Superman Classic Tournament.”...

GIDEON – Gideon's Friday night homecoming celebration didn't go exactly as planned as the Bulldogs' rival, Clarkton, took a brief three-mile drive and took care of business for a 56-41 road win. Clarkton scored first in the opening seconds of the game and blazed forward to a 20-13 lead by the end of the first period, committing just two fouls along the way...

With two key players absent from the lineup due to illness and injury, something that the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball program refers to as “just another day,” the Redhawks did what they have always done this year in their game at Ohio Valley Conference power, Morehead State, which is playing really hard and score the ball with proficiency.

Six games into the Ohio Valley Conference portion of the season, the Southeast Missouri State women’s basketball team needs two things going for them: improve on their three-point shooting and find a go-to scorer. The Redhawks finally won a game away from the friendly confines of the Show Me Center. ...

Senath-Hornersville (9-5) is on a five-game winning streak after hosting Risco (6-7) for the Lions’ intensely close homecoming game Friday night. Three of those five wins have come in the last week, all of which have come down to a combined six points...

Notre Dame entered the week installing a new offense designed to turn the Bulldogs’ season around. Friday’s game against Kennett was predictably rough, but the Bulldogs prevailed 67-57 at Notre Dame Regional High School. “Anytime you switch things up in the middle of a season, it’s gonna be tough,” Notre Dame head coach Paul Unterreiner said...

GREENVILLE — The Greenville Bears had three players score in double figures as they defeated defending Class 1 state champion South Iron 62-50 Friday night. Easton Evans (14 points) led the Bears (14-1), while Trey Porter (13) and Talan McDaniel (11) joined him in double figures...

BENTON, Mo. — The Kelly girls’ basketball pushed Oran to the brink, but ultimately fell 59-56 at home on Thursday, Jan. 12. The Lady Eagles improved to 9-4, while the Lady Hawks dropped to 7-7. “Everyone came in with a good effort,” said Kelly coach Matthew Blissett. “Oran did well at knocking down free throws. We have to work on defense without using our hands and limiting the free points. I think we are moving in the right direction.”...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — The East Prairie boys’ and girls’ basketball teams earned senior night wins in front of a capacity crowd on Thursday, Jan. 12. The Lady Eagles (4-9) started the evening off with a 35-24 win over Westwood Baptist (5-2)...

For the first time since joining the Ohio Valley Conference in 1991, Southeast Missouri State women’s basketball team took on a conference opponent from the same state. The Redhawks introduced their newly minted rival, the Lindenwood Lions, to the Show Me Center with a 68-45 drubbing on Thursday, for their first OVC win of the season...

Any basketball team can have a good game and appear to be a solid squad. However, when you start to string together an extended series of good outings, then it becomes who a team is.

SIKESTON, MO. — Sikeston Wrestling has been a force to be reckoned with in the last several years under the direction of head coach Blake Angle. Angle has consistently built the program upwards, each season proving to be a bit better than the year before since taking the reins...

KENNETT – Kennett High School hosted Dexter and Valley View, Arkansas, at the Kennett Tri Thursday night for senior night and the school’s only home meet this season. Celebrating one of the largest senior classes in the school’s history, the night began with the Indians defeating Dexter 45-27...

ELLINGTON – The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules went on the road and beat the Ellington Lady Whippets in a game they led from beginning to end. The Mules had two players in double digits, Madelyn Eads with 17 points, and Mikalla Little with 10. The Whippets were led by Kaylee King with a game-high 22 points, but that also played a big part in the Lady Mules win...

Southeast Missouri State University and former men’s basketball coach Rick Ray finalized a settlement on Tuesday, Jan. 10. The settlement will pay Ray nearly $300,000. “Sad me and my family even had to go through all of this but hopefully it helps the next man,” Ray wrote on Twitter. “Fight for what is right. Easy to do if you operate with integrity.”...

JACKSON, Mo. — The Sikeston wrestling teams faced some strong competition at the Jackson Triangular Meet on Wednesday, Jan. 11. The boys’ team lost both its matches, falling 60-18 to Jackson and 52-23 to Ste. Genevieve. However, the Bulldogs had several fierce performances highlighted by Blayne McDermott and Dominic Mullins, both won each of their matches...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — Portageville bounced back from a Bootheel Conference loss with a 61-54 win over Campbell on Tuedaty, Jan. 10. The Bulldogs were led a game-high 22 from Jamarion Smith and improved to 8-6 with the victory. The Camels dropped to 5-10 with the loss...

BENTON, Mo. — Kelly defeated Oran 50-48 on Tuesday, Jan. 10. The Hawks (7-8) hung on for the victory after the Eagles’ (7-6) desperate attempt for a comeback in the fourth quarter. Reece Eftink scored a game-high 16 to lead Kelly, while Kolten Payne led Oran with 14...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Led by a relentless offensive attack, smothering defense and a significant home-court advantage, Charleston won comfortably over New Madrid County Central on Tuesday, Jan. 10. The Bluejays (11-5) exacted revenge on the Eagles (8-4) for an early season loss, winning at CHS 77-52...

Throughout his first two seasons with the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball program, now-sophomore forward Dylan Branson played a lot of basketball for the Redhawks.

The Southeast Missouri State women’s basketball squad will be in search of its initial Ohio Valley Conference victory today, as it hosts Lindenwood (1-14, 0-4) at the Show Me Center at 5 p.m. and a pair of Redhawk student-athletes could not only contribute to the success of their team ON the court, but they also possess the capability of capturing the action OFF it, as well.

The Kennett Indians (6-8) ended a four-game losing streak Tuesday night in the team’s second upset over Bernie (9-4) at home after successfully contending with the Mules’ impressive long range shooting game. Putting up over 80 points against Bernie once again, Kennett won 81-66...

On a night when the man who gave birth to the Poplar Bluff wrestling program, Terry Smith, was honored with induction to the program’s ring of honor, the Mules played host to Notre Dame and Kennett and made sure to put on quite the exclamation point to further illustrate how important the sport has become in town...

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...

ST. LOUIS — The New Madrid County Central wrestling squad had an impressive showing at the MICDS Quad on Saturday, Jan. 7. The Eagles finished the day with a 3-0 record. The team defeated Maplewood-Richmond Heights 54-12, MICDS 60-16 and Hancock 66-12...

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. — Portageville fell to Bootheel rival Caruthersville 62-52 on Friday, Jan. 6 “The boys competed hard,” said Portageville coach TJ Smith. “We had some shots fall early that gave us a boost, but ended up a few box outs and defensive stops short of pulling this one out.”...

The Portageville girls’ basketball team upped its winning streak to four games after wins over Caruthersville and Holcomb. The Lady Bulldogs (9-4) won 69-4 over Caruthersville (0-9) on Friday, Jan. 6, and defeated Holcomb (5-8) by a score of 61-40 on Monday, Jan. 9...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Charleston showed some major signs that its returned to championship form during a one-sided win over rival Sikeston on Friday, Jan. 6. The Blue Jays (10-5), ranked No. 3 in Class 3 in the latest MBCA Poll, won 86-59 against the Bulldogs (8-4) for their fourth straight victory in the series...

The Kennett girls basketball team (9-5) is now on a six-game winning streak after defeating Dexter (9-5) with a continuously improving and imposing defense at home Monday night.  “That’s a very good team and we were just able to hang in there and hold on to win,” Kennett head coach Aaron New said. “I thought the key to the game for us was our half court defense and rebounding. We pressed early and we were good tonight defensively.”...

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...

Four years ago, after watching Southeast Missouri State left tackle Drew Forbes be selected in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, veteran Redhawk coach Tom Matukewicz stated that “the guy on the O-line that we’ll really miss is Lucas Orchard.”

After losing nine of 10 games and leading the Ohio Valley Conference in technical fouls – by a lot – third-year Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball coach Brad Korn had a simplistic message for his team as it battled Little Rock on the road Saturday.

The harsh reality in assessing the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball program in its Ohio Valley Conference game today at Little Rock is such: * The Redhawks will more than likely be very competitive * Having lost 7 of 9 road tests this season, the probability of a win isn’t great, and * The Redhawks will more than likely receive a technical foul (or multiple ones) at some point in the game

After trading leads in the first half, the Holcomb Hornets narrowly avoided a homecoming upset against rival Campbell Friday night with a fourth quarter surge for a 54-52 victory. As a standing tradition, the Hornets undertook a tough challenge for their homecoming night in facing off against Campbell. Holcomb (5-6) secured a much more decisive 62-49 win over Campbell (5-8) earlier this season at the Holcomb Invitational Tournament...

KNIGHTSTOWN, Indiana — Kaylee King scored a game-high 39 points to lead the Ellington Lady Whippets past the Twin Rivers Lady Royals in the gymnasium made famous by the 1987 movie “Hoosiers.” It was the second 39-point performance by King, who also scored 39 to lead Ellington to a win at East Carter on Tuesday...

SIKESTON — Portageville earned a 71-48 at Scott County Central on Thursday, Jan. 5. The Bulldogs improved to 7-5 with the win, while the Braves dropped to 1-7. “The Kids played hard,” said Portageville coach TJ Smith. “We had great balanced scoring and it was good to see some production from our post underneath. That’s something we will have to continue to do to be successful.”...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — The Portageville girls’ basketball team defeated South Pemiscot 52-38 on Thursday, Jan. 5. Portageville (7-4) was led by Ja’Niyah Smith and Amiyah Saxton, who scored 15 and 13, respectively. Laney Stone added 10. “I was proud of the way the girls played tonight,” said Portageville coach Kellye Fowler. ...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — Jadis Jones surpassed 1,000 career points during a win over Notre Dame on Thursday, Jan. 5. The standout junior scored a game-high 25 for New Madrid County Central, while also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out several assists in the 65-52 win...

There was no shortage of statistical areas to explain how Southeast Missouri State dropped its ninth men’s basketball game in the past 10 outings on Thursday.

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — The Oran girls’ basketball held East Prairie to single-digit scoring in all four quarters during a 66-24 win on Thursday, Jan. 5. Bralynn Morgan led Oran (9-4) with a game-high 21 points, while Grace Davis added 11 and Taylor Hobbs contributed 10...

The Kennett Lady Indians basketball team is starting the new year with a hot start after defeating Kelly (7-4) Tuesday and Malden (5-6) Thursday night. Charged by a powerhouse of a defensive effort, Kennett took an early lead over the Green Wave and pushed their momentum to the end for a decisive 57-28 victory...

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...

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. Movement was limited since last week, but still some slight variations to the poll are evident...

The levels of frustration felt by those within the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball program over the past three months have been immense, regardless of who the person was or what they felt they could do to rectify the struggling situation.

HOLCOMB, Mo. — Portageville bounced back from a disappointing showing at the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament with a 69-53 win at Holcomb on Tuesday, Jan. 3. The Bulldogs improved to 6-5 with the win, while the Hornets dropped to 4-6. Shane Townsend scored a game-high 26 for Portageville...

BENTON, Mo. — Kennett improved its current win streak to three games while also snapping a three-game win streak by Kelly in a 48-34 win on Tuesday, Jan. 3. The Lady Indians improved to 6-5 with the win, while the Lady Hawks dropped to 7-4. “I think the wheels are starting to turn on our offensive and defensive scheme,” said Kelly coach Matthew Blissett. “They are starting to understand what we are looking for. I think now we just have to learn how to match it with our intensity and hustle.”...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — After a rough start to the season, Charleston has won five of the past six games, including a 77-41 win over Kelly on Tuesday, Jan. 3. The game was competitive in the first half with the Blue Jays (9-5) holding a 33-29 edge at halftime. However, Charleston put the game completely out of reach with an incredible second-half effort, where they outscored the Hawks (5-7) by a 35-3 margin in the third quarter...

SIKESTON — The Sikeston wrestling teams hosted West Plains and Poplar Bluff for its senior night on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Each squad finished the evening with a 1-1 mark in the final meet of the season at the Field House. “We came out and competed well,” said Sikeston coach Blake Angle. ...

New Madrid County Central defeated Kennett 76-59 Tuesday night in a showing of offensive strength by BJ Williamson and Jadis Jones as both teams begin a grueling stretch of conference competition coming out of Christmas break. For the Indians (5-7), the contest was the an opportunity to kick off the new year by surpassing the team’s five wins it accrued last season. Now, they will have and fight through the intensity of their impending schedule after Tuesday night's tense match up...

CAMPBELL, Mo. — Jayla Weddington scored a game-high 16 to lead Portageville to a 54-37 Bootheel Conference win at Campbell on Monday, Jan. 2. The Lady Bulldogs improved to 6-3 with the victory while the Lady Camels dropped to 6-4. “This was a big conference win for us,” said Portageville coach Kellye Fowler. ...

DONIPHAN — Max Owen and Emmitt Jones combined for 46 points and the Doniphan Dons opened the new year with an 80-61 win over Mountain View Liberty Tuesday. Owen (24 points) and Emmitt Jones (22) led the Dons to victory. Doniphan was down in the first quarter, but came back and took the lead from Liberty...

JACKSON, Mo. — The Sikeston girls’ basketball team suffered a lopsided defeat at Saxony Lutheran on Monday, Jan. 2. The Crusaders won 63-34 and improved their season mark to 4-5, while the Lady Bulldogs dropped to 1-9 this season. Evie Caruso and Abagayle Britton scored 15 and 11, respectively for Saxony Lutheran...

One would think, just based on her name, that Lani Heeb would possess some ability on the basketball court, and that is definitely the case for the Kennett High School senior point guard.

Last month, the Southeast Missouri State football program signed 26 student-athletes from 10 states, several of which are already in Cape Girardeau, as the program begins its work today towards another Ohio Valley Conference championship.

DONIPHAN — The Doniphan Donettes had three players score in double figures and shook off a slow start to defeat the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules 61-49 Monday night at Wright Gymnasium. Madelyn Eads' bucket with 4:25 left in the opening period gave the Mules an 8-7 lead, but Kenzie Redus answered for Doniphan 56 seconds later to put her team back on top. The Donettes never trailed again, going on a 13-3 run that extended into the second quarter...

It took until the final hours of the calendar year, but the patience of third-year Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball coach Brad Korn was finally rewarded.

BLOOMFIELD — The Dexter Bearcats defeated the Doniphan Dons 49-47 in an intense, hard-fought championship game at the 66th Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament Friday night. The game started as many championship contests begin, with both teams evenly matched and seeking to identify weaknesses in their opponents...

Katie and Haley Webb have shared a love for the game of basketball and had aspirations of playing college basketball from a young age. Now that dream is on the brink of becoming a reality, after Haley, an Oran High School senior, recently signed to join her older sister at Culver-Stockton College...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — East Prairie advanced to the final day of the 66th annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament with a 61-45 win over South Pemiscot on Thursday, Dec. 29. The ninth-seeded Eagles (6-4) will face second-seeded Bernie (8-1) in the fifth-place game at 4:30 p.m., while the 12th-seeded Bulldogs (3-5) were eliminated from the tournament...

BLOOMFIELD - Despite bench depth, immense talent and inspired coaching, the Kennett Indians were bested Thursday by a more-than prepared Doniphan Dons team 75-59 in the semifinals round of the 66th annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. Kennett Head Coach Noll Billings didn't mince words after the standing-room only contest...

BLOOMFIELD — The Dexter Bearcats survived a last-second 3-point attempt that bounced off the rim to defeat the Malden Green Wave 55-53 in the first semifinal game of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament on Thursday. The Bearcats will play for the tournament championship at 8:30 p.m. Friday against Doniphan, who defeated Kennett in the late semifinal. Malden will play Kennett for third place at 7 p.m. Friday...

O’FALLON, Mo. – At one time, the Sikeston Bulldogs dominated the St. Dominic Christmas Tournament, winning the championship eight out of nine years from 2010-2018, but for the fourth straight year the Bulldogs will not be holding the championship plaque...

BLOOMFIELD - The field house was rockin' when Kennett came knockin' Wednesday at the 66th annual Bloomfield Christmas Basketball Tournament. Head Coach Noll Billings' seventh-seeded Indians squeaked past Coach Jason Long's second-seeded, and previously undefeated, Bernie Mules by just four points, 87-83, in what some might call the Tristan Johnson show...

BLOOMFIELD — The Dexter Bearcats showed East Prairie why they are the top seed in the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament in their quarterfinal matchup Wednesday. The Bearcats scored 14 out of 15 points to close the first half on the way to a 59-23 win over the ninth-seeded Eagles in the the tournament's first quarterfinal of the day...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — Portageville, the defending Bloomfield Christmas Tournament Champions, bounced back from a disappointing opening-round loss with a win over Richland in the consolation bracket on Wednesday, Dec. 28. The fourth-seeded Bulldogs (5-4) won 81-63 over the 12th-seeded Rebels (6-2) and had four players reach double-digit scoring...

O’FALLON, Mo. – The Sikeston Bulldogs advanced to the championship bracket of the St. Dominic Christmas Tournament with an 84-69 victory over Lutheran-St. Charles on Tuesday night at St. Dominic High School. The fourth-seeded Bulldogs will take on top-seeded Fort Zumwalt South on Wednesday night at 7 p.m...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — Ninth-seeded East Prairie used elite perimeter defense, good shot selection and a game-high 21 points from Wyatt Williams to defeat eighth-seeded Puxico in the opening round of the 66th annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament on Tuesday, Dec. 27...

BLOOMFIELD – The Kennett High School basketball team played more like champs than a seventh seed team on Tuesday at the 66th annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. Head Coach Noll Billings' squad routed a tough, 10th-seed Holcomb team in its 88-59 victory at Bloomfield High School...

It would be tough to find someone more passionate about basketball and the community of Kennett, than Kennett High School alum Noll Billings, who is in his first season of guiding the Indian hoop program.

Thick. That would be a good word to describe just how vast the talents go in this year’s boys Bloomfield Christmas basketball tournament that tips off Tuesday morning. When a team enters the field as a No. 12 seed with a 6-2 record, that is arguably the best word to illustrate what this year’s field promises...

Local sports fans know that with the holiday season, also comes high school basketball tournaments. Here is where all the area schools will be competing next week. The Sikeston boys travel to the 29th annual St. Dominic - Chick-Fil-A Christmas Basketball Tournament, beginning Tuesday, Dec. 27 at the Fallon Family Center in O’Fallon, Missouri...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — Kennedy Cogdill recently signed to continue to academic and athletic careers as a member of the Missouri State University-West Plains softball team. “I felt it was right the fit with the degree and classes I want to pursue as well as athletically I was impressed with the coaches and bond with the team,” she said. “I’m looking forward to most being able to play at a higher level with girls that appreciate the game as much as I do.”...

CHARLESTON, MO. — Puxico defeated Charleston in the fifth-place game of the 2022 Mistletoe Classic at CHS on Tuesday, Dec. 20. The Lady Indians (3-8) controlled the game from the opening tip and cruised to a 56-25 victory over the Blue Jays (2-8). “Overall, we came out and played hard with a good defensive effort,” said Puxico coach Trent Copling. ...

SIKESTON — The Sikeston freshman boys basketball recently wrapped its 2022 campaign. The future of Bulldogs’ basketball looks bright after the team finished the season with a 6-1 overall record. “We had a great group of young men that worked hard in practice every day and played as a team,” coach Chris Sarakas said. “They really have a bright future. Their hard work and putting the team first really helped their success as their record shows.”...

BROSELEY, Mo. — The Kelly girls’ basketball team finished the Twin Rivers Christmas Tournament strong with three consecutive wins. The Lady Hawks (7-3) bounced back from opening round loss to defeat Hayti on Monday, Greenville on Tuesday and Cape Central on Wednesday...

Wednesday was a big day for the Southeast Missouri State football program because it was National Signing Day, and the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference champion squad inked 26 new players for the 2023 season. However, as happy as ninth-year Redhawk coach Tom Matukewicz was, he was even happier than expected because of who “verbally” committed to the 2023 Redhawks.

There are two indisputable facts when analyzing the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball season thus far: * The Redhawks have been depleted by injury and/or illness since before the season even began, and * SEMO has rarely lacked grit and heart Both were evident in a heartbreaking 70-68 loss to rival Southern Illinois at the Show Me Center 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. There has been some definite movement this past week after our initial poll. A lot of girls basketball has highlighted most of the action this week...

The Holcomb Hornets sit at a .500 record going into the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament next week, and right now, head coach Michael Snider is hanging his hat on the leadership of his five seniors and the resilient attitude of the entire team as they prepare for a long stretch of arduous conference competition...

PATTON, Mo. — The Kelly boys basketball team got back on track just before the holidays with a 63-46 win at Meadow Heights on Tuesday, Dec. 20. The Hawks were led in scoring by Drew Klipfel and Michael Dollins with 16 and 14, respectively, and improved to 4-4 with the victory...

BROSELEY, Mo. — The Portageville girls’ basketball team fell 71-47 to Piggott (Ark.) on the final day of the Twin Rivers Christmas Tournament. The Lady Bulldogs (5-4) played competitively in the first and third quarters, and even finished the fourth quarter with an 18-17 advantage, but were outscored 21-2 in the second quarter...

When you are the coach of a struggling men’s basketball squad, time for melancholy sort of goes out the window.

The Kennett Lady Indians pulled out a win against Piggott Wednesday night in overtime to not just take fifth place in the Lady Royals Christmas Classic, but also to secure a .500 record entering the next stretch of their schedule after Christmas break...

SIKESTON —“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is one of the many popular Christmas tunes chiming through the radio this time of the year, but in a 71-41 win over Kelly at the Field House on Monday, Dec. 19, Sikeston was anything but cold outside. The Bulldogs (5-2) had six different players make shots from behind the 3-point arc against the Hawks (3-4), and also used relentless defense and an all-around terrific game from Dontrez Williams, who finished with a game-high 25 points...

CLARKTON, Mo. — Top-seeded Portageville fell 45-43 in a heartbreaker to second-seeded Doniphan in the championship of the Clarkton Christmas Tournament on Friday, Dec. 16. The Bulldogs (4-3) played with good effort and intensity against the Dons (6-1), but continued to struggle to knock down shots...

BROSELEY – When Dexter High School senior Caitlin Giles was a freshman, the Bearcat girl’s basketball team struggled to just five victories that season and a porous defense, which allowed opponents to score 57.5 points per game on average was a big reason why.

The Kennett girls basketball team undertook and achieved a quick turnaround with a 53-40 win over Holcomb Tuesday night in the 5th place consolation semifinals game of the Lady Royals Christmas Classic hosted by Twin Rivers. The win will advance the Lady Indians to play Piggott, who took down Portageville in their semifinal game, for 5th place Wednesday at 4:30 p.m...

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...

Alexa Stockton was fresh out of Arkansas State University when she accepted the job of building a girl’s basketball program at Holcomb High School. At 22 years of age, she probably was too naïve to understand the task that was being handed to her.

You would be hard-pressed to find an abundance of positive aspects for the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball squad in its 106-75 loss at Iowa in Iowa City on Saturday. However, the improving play by graduate student guard Chris Harris was – for the third straight game – definitely a positive. Harris led SEMO (5-7) on Saturday with 19 points, as he buried 8 of 13 shots, including half of his four 3-pointers.

Sikeston finished ahead of the other Southeast Missouri schools in the Cape Central Tiger Classic on Saturday at Central Junior High School. The Bulldogs placed 9th with 134 points. Northwest (Cedar Hill) won the tournament with 304 points. “It’s been a great tournament,” Sikeston head coach Blake Angle said. ...

BROSELEY - The first day of the 25th Lady Royals Christmas Classic basketball tournament was going to be a situation where many of the top seeds would have a chance to ease into competition with relative ease, but the main objective would be to play at a high level to get things started on a positive note...

SIKESTON – The Sikeston Bulldogs won their third straight game with a 78-44 SEMO Conference victory over Notre Dame on Friday night at the Sikeston Field House. The Bulldogs dominated this game from the opening tip, racing out to an early lead and forcing Notre Dame to burn three of its timeouts in the first quarter...

Southeast Missouri State women's basketball dropped a road game at Missouri Valley Conference foe Evansville 64-53 on Sunday.

Sikeston took third place with 108 points in the Cape Central Girls Tiger Classic on Friday. Northwest (Cedar Hill) won the 15-team tournament with 303 points. Due to the lack of numbers, Dexter (13), Kennett (14) and Cape Central (15) rounded out the bottom tier in the team standings...

The fourth-seeded Senath-Hornersville Lions took down the third-seeded Campbell Camels with on target shots from the floor and an ever-improving defense Friday night to win third place in the Senath-Hornersville Christmas Tournament. “It’s a big win against a conference team,” Senath-Hornersville head coach Kurt Penn said. ...

Number two-seeded Cooter overcame issues on the defensive side of the ball they faced in the semifinals to bounce back and shut down number one-seeded Greenville Friday night in the championship game of the Senath-Hornersville Christmas Tournament. “I think we guarded a lot better tonight,” Cooter head coach David Mathis said. ...

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...

BENTON, Mo. — Kelly basketball coach Jeremy Brinkmeyer refers to Michael Dollins as a diamond in the rough due to the junior point guard’s unquestionable talent and selflessness. Both were are full display in the team’s 64-22 win over Scott County Central on Thursday, Dec. 15...

DEXTER – The Dexter High School girl’s basketball program is off to its best start in five seasons and fourth-year Bearcat coach Eric Sitze said that success has emanated from the defensive end of the court.

Second-seeded Cooter overcame defensive woes with their signature powerhouse of an offense to defeat third-seeded Campbell and advance to the Senath-Hornersville Christmas Tournament championship game. Despite the 20-point victory propelling the Wildcats to the championship, Cooter head coach David Mathis is more concerned with winning a district game and ultimately a district championship, and more importantly, he’s concerned with the things he saw that will need work to make that a reality...

Thursday night’s match up between the first-seeded Greenville Bears and fourth-seeded Senath-Hornersville was a “redemption game” for the Lions after falling to Greenville in overtime in last year’s Senath-Hornersville Christmas Tournament championship game. Instead, it turned out to be a “brutal,” shockingly close battle that upheld the Bears’ success when visiting Senath...

CAPE GIRARDEAU — A 17-point second quarter paced the Notre Dame Bulldogs in a 46-30 win over the Poplar Bluff Mules on Thursday night at Notre Dame Regional High School. Both teams struggled offensively to begin the game with Notre Dame leading 8-3 after one quarter of play...

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...

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...

Introducing a new element to the DAR sports cover: The Power 8. The Power 8 will be a weekly poll that highlights the top eight performing teams of that week regardless of sport and classification. Teams can be ranked as long as their season is in play...

Longtime Missouri State Director of Athletics, Kyle Moats, may have found himself on Thursday in the enviable position of having to make a monumental task, relatively easily.

The Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball squad led Arkansas State in Jonesboro on Wednesday for 71 percent of the 40 minutes of action. However, the remaining minutes were abysmal enough at both ends of the court by the Redhawks that the Red Wolves earned a 68-61 win.

Malden senior Rachel Rommel took a seat behind a table lined with five different softball jerseys Thursday, soon to add another to the collection. The two-time All-State Green Wave softball catcher signed a letter of intent to continue her softball career at East Mississippi Community College...

The Twin Rivers Lady Royals overcame poor shooting and second-half foul trouble to defeat the Hayti Lady Indians 30-20 on Tuesday night. “We’re happy with the win, but we didn’t stand up to the physicality like I thought we would,” said Twin Rivers head coach David Crockett...

ORAN, Mo. — There is no doubt the Oran basketball team exudes toughness. Despite already being shorthanded, and losing a starter mid-game to an injury, Oran (5-1) rallied from a second-half deficit to win 65-57 in overtime over East Prairie (4-2) on Tuesday, Dec. 13...

The Kennett Indians (3-3) defeated South Pemiscot (2-3) at home Tuesday night with a last minute surge, pulling ahead in the final 30 seconds of play to win 66-64. Kennett already defeated South Pemiscot once this season as the Indians took a 77-69 victory at the Gideon Bulldog Classic, and according to Kennett head coach Noll Billings, things looked much the same for his young team...

The Southeast Missouri State University football recently wrapped up its 2022 campaign. The Redhawks won the Ohio Valley Conference league title, punching their ticket for the FCS where they would lose a hard-fought game against Montana. Here's a look at the Redhawks season by the numbers...

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz has been coaching football for parts of four decades, so it is fairly difficult to get something past him as he observes a team. That was true in January when he pulled the 2022 Redhawks together for the first time. It was in those early days that he believed he saw something different about this team...

The last time that the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball squad took the court, it was more of a task for third-year Redhawk coach Brad Korn to figure out WHO was actually available to play, as opposed to trying to figure out HOW to win the game.

CLARKTON, Mo. — The Portageville boys’ basketball team steamrolled North Pemiscot in the opening round of the Clarkton Christmas Tournament on Monday, Dec. 12. The Bulldogs (3-2) had 11 players who scored six or more points. The team was led by Xayvion Bogan with 10...

The first-seeded Greenville Bears fell into a first quarter hole to the eighth-seeded Delta C-7 Chargers, but quickly rallied, powered back and controlled the court in the second half for a 86-49 win. Looking for an upset to start the tournament, Delta C-7 took advantage of a “sluggish” start by Greenville to take an explosive first quarter lead...

The Senath-Hornersville Lions began play in their own Christmas tournament Monday night looking to “prove a point to some people” after being seeded number four. Head coach Kurt Penn said that the plan was to “come out hot” to set the tone, and that's exactly what they did to take down fifth-seeded Piggott 81-53...

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...

JACKSON - The Jackson Indians overcame a slow start to down the Kennett Indians 59-40 Monday night at Jackson High School. The Indians led 13-5 after one-quarter of play and Jackson coach Adam Stoneking felt the layoff was the reason for a slow start...

The Malden boys basketball team is on a three-game winning streak as they've set off to play their “own style of basketball” with intensity under second year head coach Mike Kilgore. Friday night, the Green Wave defeated Campbell on the road 79-55. “Our biggest thing here is that we're starting to play hard,” Malden head coach Mike Kilgore said. ...

SIKESTON — Jadis Jones scored 30 and propelled New Madrid County Central to a 51-46 win over Charleston in the third-place game of the SEMO Conference Tournament and battle between the top-ranked team in Class 3 on Friday, Dec. 9 at the Fieldhouse...

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...

SIKESTON — Charleston coach Jamarcus Williams wasn’t surprised by the 81-53 thumping his team took from Jackson in the semifinals of the SEMO Conference Tournament. After all, the Bluejays (4-3) have sleepwalked through parts of the early stages of the season, already equaling their loss total from last season and aren’t playing with the same determination and desire that won the team a MSHSAA Class 3 State Championship a year ago

The young Southland Rebels basketball squad picked up its first win of the season, and its first win under first year head coach Steve Richey, Thursday night after defeating the Ridgefield Christian Academy Warriors (Jonesboro, Ar.) 79-71. “I just can't say enough about these kids,” Richey said after the win. “I've worked their tails off, there have been some down times, but I'm just so proud for them. It's really good to see these kids get rewarded for the work they've done.”...

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. ...

SIKESTON — The Sikeston basketball team might have a ways to go in developing chemistry amongst its raw nucleus, but the team showed its incredible potential on Wednesday night, thumping Notre Dame in the SEMO Conference Consolation Bracket. Sikeston (3-2) won 69-44 at the Fieldhouse and knocked down a dozen 3-pointers, half those coming from Dontrez Williams, who scored a game-high 28...

Christmas music echoed throughout the Show Me Center throughout the men’s basketball game on Wednesday between Southeast Missouri State and Purdue Fort Wayne, and you could forgive third-year Redhawk coach Brad Korn if he would have muttered: “All I want for Christmas is a healthy roster.”

East Prairie bounced back from its first loss of the season with a 72-54 win over Scott-Mississippi Conference foe Chaffee on Tuesday, Dec. 6. The Eagles (2-1) were led by a game-high 25 points from Wyatt Williams, while Login Rhodes led the Red Devils (2-2) with 18...

The Kelly girls' basketball got back on track with a 45-30 win over Puxico in the Lady Red Devil Invitational on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at Chaffee High School. The Lady Hawks (3-1) were led in scoring by Jada Griggs, who scored a game-high 25 and nearly outscored the Lady Indians (0-6) herself...

SIKESTON — For the second time in less than a week Charleston defeated Notre Dame with a lopsided score. This time it was in the opening round of the SEMO Conference Tournament, as the top-seeded Bluejays (4-2) won 68-41 over the eighth-seeded Bulldogs (1-3) at the Sikeston Fieldhouse on Tuesday, Dec. 6...

SIKESTON — Jackson had five players reach double digits, including a game-high 20 by Clayton Ernst as the team steamrolled Sikeston in the first round of the SEMO Conference Tournament on Tuesday, Dec. 6. The fourth-seeded Bulldogs (2-2) jumped out to early lead but the fifth-seeded Indians (2-0) answered with a huge run before pulling away 79-41 at the Fieldhouse...

SIKESTON – With his team playing as many as four games in a five-day stretch this week, fourth-year Dexter High School boy’s basketball coach Chad Allen isn’t sure what type of performance he’ll see out of his team in each outing. The Bearcats (3-1) methodically did enough on Tuesday, as they got past Kennett 63-46 in the consolation semifinal of the SEMO Conference Tournament at Sikeston Field House.

Senath-Hornersville is on something of a hot streak when facing Holcomb each year. In the last three years, however, the Lions have won by a combined margin of fewer than ten points. On Tuesday night, the difference came down to just two free throws in overtime...

The Kennett girl’s basketball squad is coming off a struggling season from last year and only has four players on its roster who are NOT freshmen or sophomores. However, the Indians do have one redeeming quality that can compensate for A LOT, according to veteran Kennett coach Aaron New.

When Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball fans scour the Redhawks’ schedule this month, there is no shortage of compelling games to want to watch. SEMO (5-4) opened this month on Sunday with a close loss at Missouri and will travel to nearby Arkansas State (Dec. 14) and Iowa (Dec. 17) next week, before hosting Southern Illinois (Dec. 21).

The number eight-seeded Notre Dame Bulldogs took down the number nine-seeded Kennett Indians 67-47 Monday night in the play in round of the SEMO Conference Tournament in Sikeston. “We’ve got a long way to go, but it’s our first win of the season and you have to get it sometime,” Notre Dame head coach Paul Unterreiner said. ...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — Dexter used superb free throw shooting, high-pressure defense and was able to capitalize on second-chance opportunities during a lopsided win at New Madrid County Central on Monday, Dec. 5. The Lady Bearcats (3-1) controlled the game from the opening tip to the final buzzer in a 76-34 win over the Lady Eagles (0-5)...

BENTON, Ky. — New Madrid County Central split a pair of games while competing in the Marshall County Hoopfest in Benton, Kentucky this past weekend. The Class 3, No. 2 Eagles (4-1) fell 65-60 to Louisville Christian Academy (Ky.) on Friday, Dec. 2, but bounced back with a 61-54 win over Paducah Tilghman (Ky.) on Saturday, Dec. 3...

Cape Central is the team to beat in this year's Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. The Tigers received the No. 1 seed of the tournament during Sunday’s seeding meeting held at Century Casino. “The kids are the ones that earned this recognition, the guys we got back from last year and the new guys who are highly talented that will help us,” Cape assistant coach Jeff Beck said. ...

ORAN, Mo. — Advance won the 67th Oran invitational Tournament with a thrilling 61-59 victory over rival Oran on Friday, Dec. 2. Colton Silman led the Hornets (3-0) with 19 points, as the team captured the title for the first time since 2015, in front of a standing-room-only crowd...

ORAN, Mo. — Richland overcame a first-half double-digit deficit to defeat Kelly in the third-place game of the Oran Invitational Tournament on Friday, Dec. 2. The Rebels (2-1) rebounded from a rough loss in the semifinal round and were led by Eric Williams and Damon Ivy, who scored 21 and 18, respectively,...

The number three-seeded Kennett Indians narrowly secured a win over the number five-seeded Senath-Hornersville Lions in a fourth quarter nail biter Friday night to take third place in the annual Bulldog Classic in Gideon, Mo. Playing for third, Kennett had most recently fallen to number two-seeded Cooter while Senath-Hornersville lost to number one-seeded Caruthersville after beating South Pemiscot and Hayti, respectively...

Southeast Missouri State sophomore center Halle Smith matched a career-high 18 points and had a game-high eight rebounds, as the Redhawks fell 88-51 at Kansas. Smith scored 16 of her points in the second half, finishing with 18 for the second time in her career.

For the majority of the second half of its men’s basketball game at Missouri on Sunday, the Southeast Missouri State squad trailed by double-digits, as the unbeaten Tigers looked to be on their way to a relatively dramatic-free home win.

Ninth-year Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz wasted no time in announcing his off-season priorities following his team’s loss at Montana in the recent FCS Playoffs.

DE SOTO, Mo. – The Cape Central Tigers have come into this season with high expectations after returning the bulk of last year’s quarterfinal team as well as the addition of some new faces this season. At least so far, the Tigers have lived up to those expectations as they defeated the Sikeston Bulldogs 84-71 on Saturday night in the championship game of the 8th Annual Fountain City Classic at De Soto High School...

Third-year Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball coach Brad Korn felt his team’s three-game (in as many days) road trip to the Cream City Classic tournament in Milwaukee recently was invaluable, regardless of the fact the Redhawks lost two of those games.

DEXTER – Entering his fourth season as the Dexter High School boy’s basketball coach, Chad Allen had a specific number in mind when analyzing the defensive performance that he wanted to see from his team.

DEXTER — The Dexter Bearcats boys basketball team continued its memorable week after a win over No. 1 Charleston with a 72-46 beating of visiting Malden Friday night. Cole Nichols blasted the Malden defense to the tune of 32 points while Truman Krapf added 12...

Last year's tournament champions, the number one-seeded Caruthersville Tigers knew coming in that they needed to step up defensively to shut down some of Senath-Hornersville's offensive weapons if they were going to return to the Bulldog Classic championship...

After falling to Senath-Hornersville in a Tuesday night upset at the Gideon Bulldog Classic, the number four-seeded Hayti Indians came out with the energy of a team with something to prove and played lights-out on both sides of the ball to beat number eight-seeded Gideon 75-28 in the consolation semifinals...

Number two-seeded Cooter outlasted several comeback attempts by the number three-seeded Kennett Indians Thursday night to win the annual Bulldog Classic semifinals 68-49 with an experienced, strong-armed defense. The Wildcats shot out of the gate to take an early lead, propelled at the start by senior Carson Swan, one of ten seniors on Cooter's 2022 roster...

VAN BUREN — If the Doniphan Donettes can play a better half of basketball, one might want to call the WNBA and tell them these girls got next. Taking advantage of their physical superiority in terms of height and length, a devastating defensive presence and relentless attack on the offensive boards, the Donettes led by 27 points at halftime en route to a 53-35 win over host Van Buren in the championship of the Lady Dawg Classic...

KENNETT – The Kennett girl’s basketball squad has wasted no time in testing itself from a physical and mental perspective this season.

The 77th annual Gridiron Banquet may have had an indirect sign of being doubly lucky, but chances are that this year’s E.E. “Bus” Carr Trophy winner didn’t need much of it this past fall. Scott City junior Mark Panagos was presented as the newest recipient of the highlight award of the banquet, held at the Black River Coliseum and presented by the Poplar Bluff Letter Club...

In the four years since the Cape Catfish baseball franchise was created, team general manager Mark Hogan has made the type of decisions to make the club as good as there is within the Prospect League.

Night two of the SEMO Conference Girls Basketball Tournament saw matchups between #1 Notre Dame and #8 Kennett, #4 Dexter and #5 Saxony Lutheran as well as #7 Sikeston and #9 New Madrid County Central. #1 Notre Dame vs #8 Kennett: 53-28 Notre Dame The first game of the night came with number one-seeded Notre Dame taking on number eight-seeded Kennett. Kennett defeated New Madrid County Central Monday night 51-14 to advance and play in. Notre Dame’s first test of the season was against Kennett...

1. South Nodaway/Jefferson Conception Junction 2. Delta T-3. Leeton T-3. South Iron 5. Walnut Grove 6. Mercer 7. Golden City 8. Macks Creek 9. Drexel 10. North Shelby Others receiving votes: Higbee, Meadville, Marion County. 1. Tipton 2. Ellington 3. Miller...

Class 1 1. South Iron 2. Green City 3. Bunker 4. Higbee 5. St. Elizabeth 6. Platte Valley 7. Thomas Jefferson 8. Leeton 9. Winston 10. Northwest Hughesville Class 2 1. Westran 2. Salisbury 3. Ash Grove 4. Bernie 5. Bishop Leblond 6. Putnam County 7. Hartsville...

MALDEN, Mo. — Jada Griggs scored a game-high 31 points, leading Kelly to a 65-61 season-opening win at Malden on Monday, Nov. 28. Aleya King, Brooke Dirnberger and Kayleigh Holman each added eight points for the Lady Hawks (1-0), while Brydon Maddox led the Green Wave (0-2) with 24...

ORAN, Mo. — Kelly opened the season with smothering defense and a lethal offensive attack, obliterating Bell City 95-42 in the opening round of the Oran Tournament on Monday, Nov. 28. The second-seeded Hawks (2-0) led from start to finish and were never seriously threatened by the seventh-seeded Cubs (0-1)...

Two teams that started the season unblemished met Monday night to open up the Lady Dawg Classic and it was as contrasting of styles as a basketball fan could imagine. On one side was the fast and furious approach of the host Lady Dawgs and on the other, was the physical size and strength of the Naylor inside-out game...

ORAN, Mo. — It took a couple of minutes for Oran to warm up offensively, but once they did, they put on a clinic in an 81-41 win over visiting Scott County Central in the opening round of the Oran Tournament on Monday, Nov. 26. The sixth-seeded Braves (0-1) jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, but the third-seeded Eagles (1-0) quickly turned things around, outscoring their opponent by 20 points for the remainder of the quarter...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — Ko’Terrion Owens had a near-perfect performance for Charleston in a 76-48 win over Covington at the Riverbend Shootout on Saturday, Nov. 26. The junior led the Bluejays (2-0) with 24 points on 14-of-15 total shots, grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked two shots and dished out an assist in the lopsided victory at NMCC High School...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — The talented tag team of BJ Williamson and Jadis Jones completed dismantled Memphis Day Academy at the Riverbend Shootout on Saturday, Nov. 26. The two-man wrecking crew combined to score 52 points, leading New Madrid County Central to a 58-34 win over the postgraduate school at NMCC High School...

This week's Holcomb Invitational Tournament is proving to be not just many players' first venture into varsity basketball, but it's also a test that will shed a glimpse into what the season might look like come February. Monday night brought about four games that all finished within a ten point margin and the tournament could be anyone's to claim...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — The Portageville boys basketball team started the season by switching a pair of games at the Riverbend Shootout at New Madrid County Central High School this past weekend. The Bulldogs (1-1) opened the event with 62-56 loss to Covington despite a game-high 32 points from Shane Townsend on Friday, Nov. 25...

The Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball squad did a valiant job on Sunday of continually climbing a mountain in the form of UC Davis in the second game of the Cream City Classic at Milwaukee. However, in many ways, it was the Redhawks, who continually put themselves in the position of having to climb that mountain because of inept offensive execution.

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball squad dropped a pair of games in the UCF Thanksgiving Classic in Orlando over the weekend. The Redhawks (2-4) opened play with a 66-49 loss to Rhode Island on Saturday, before falling to the host Knights 67-41 on Sunday...

The disappointing 34-24 loss on Saturday by Southeast Missouri State football at Montana in the opening round of the FCS Playoffs wasn’t even 30 minutes old when Redhawk coach Tom Matukewicz acknowledged the reality facing him. “What makes the loss so sad,” Matukewicz said, “is that 2022 is over, and there are such unbelievable men (in that locker room), who I won’t get to coach anymore.”

After consecutive non-winning seasons in 2020 and 2021, the followers of Southeast Missouri State football were more than likely surprised at how magnificent the 2022 season, in which the Redhawks won a share of the Ohio Valley Conference championship, unfolded.

Current River Classic VAN BUREN - If the first weekend of boys basketball at the Current River Classic at Van Buren High School is any indication on how the season will play out, then hoops fans could be in store for a memorable campaign. Twin Rivers used a deep bench and superb conditioning to pull away from Festus’ St. Pius, 59-43 on Saturday...

It’s one thing for a basketball team to play sharp and competitively for a game or two, any team can have its moments. But when a team strings together six solid to very good outings, then that becomes who a team is.

The magnitude of today’s FCS Playoff football game for Southeast Missouri State is not lost on ninth-year Redhawk coach Tom Matukewicz.

Over the last two weeks, ninth-year Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz has referred to the availability of injured sophomore quarterback Paxton DeLaurent as a “game-time decision.”

Third-year Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball coach may be perplexed by his emotions as he evaluates how this season has transpired through a few weeks. On one hand, the Redhawks are 4-1 and have road wins against teams from the American Athletic Conference and the Missouri Valley.

SIKESTON — Haley Webb scored 20 points and Grace Davis added 18, leading Oran to a season-opening win at Scott County Central on Tuesday, Nov. 22. The Lady Eagles (1-0) overcame a slow start and spoiled the Bravettes’ (1-1) home opener 58-42. “[Webb] and [Davis] have spent a lot of time on the court working together,” said Oran coach Jaysa Jenkins. ...

SIKESTON — Haley Webb scored 20 points and Grace Davis added 18, leading Oran to a season-opening win at Scott County Central on Tuesday, Nov. 22. The Lady Eagles (1-0) overcame a slow start and spoiled the Bravettes’ (1-1) home opener 58-42. “[Webb] and [Davis] have spent a lot of time on the court working together,” said Oran coach Jaysa Jenkins. ...

The Oran boys’ basketball team will be seeking its 14th consecutive winning season this year. The Eagles graduated five seniors, but return three players that saw varsity action, including senior Kolton Payne, who was the team’s leading rebounder last season with eight boards per game to go along with 12 points and 3.5 assists a game. Payne also earned All-Scott Mississippi Conference and All-Class 2, District 3 honors...

CHARLESTON – A summer baseball program doesn’t just fumble-bumble its way to 519 wins and six trips to the Babe Ruth World Series.

By Dennis Marshall Standard Democrat The Oran girls’ basketball team is also looking to continue a tradition of excellence this season and will be pursuing its 10th consecutive district championship. However, the Lady Eagles will have to do it with first-year head coach Jaysa Jenkins, who takes over Amy Pobst...

FARMINGTON, Mo. — The Sikeston girls' basketball team lost 76-34 at Farmington on Monday, Nov. 21. The Lady Bulldogs (0-2) were able to match the Lady Knights’ (2-0) intensity and go point for point in the early going of the game, but the combination of Farmington’s size, skill and depth proved too much...

SIKESTON — The Sikeston wrestling teams hosted its annual Red and Black intrasquad meet on Friday, Nov. 18. It was an exciting night with some impressive skills on display as the red squad made a miraculous comeback to win 66-64. “Overall, we had a good night and it went as expected,” said Sikeston coach Blake Angle. ...

FARMINGTON, Mo. — The Sikeston girls’ basketball season got off a rocky start with a 69-30 loss to North County in the St. Paul Lutheran Shoot Out on Saturday, Nov. 19. Paris Larkin scored a game-high 23 points for the Lady Raiders (1-0) while Jakiah Adams led the Lady Bulldogs (0-1) with 11...

NATCHITOCHES – Two game-clinching performances led DeMarcus Sharp to the first individual honor of his Northwestern State career. Sharp was named Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week on Monday afternoon after leading the Demons to a pair of road wins, including the first true road victory against an Associated Press Top 25 team in program history...

Former Sikeston standouts Parker and Owen Long each had big games for their respective teams in wins this past weekend. Parker led the Missouri Southern State Lions (2-2) to a pair of wins in the Pittsburg State Classic. Parker led the team with 23 points on 9-of-12 field goals in an 89-80 win over Illinois-Springfield (4-1) on Friday, Nov. ...

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Portageville’s postseason run came to end with a loss at Duchesne on Saturday, Nov. 19. The Bulldogs (10-3) fought hard until the final buzzer against the battled-tested Pioneers (8-4), but ultimately fell 35-22 in the MSHSAA Class 1 Quarterfinal...

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz is among 16 finalists for the 2022 Eddie Robinson Award, which is presented to the national coach of the year in college football's Division I subdivision.

Three Southeast Missouri State volleyball players finished in double-digits attacking as the No. 5-seed Redhawks fell to No. 6-seed Tennessee State in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship match on Saturday. The Redhawks (17-16) lost 21-25, 25-16, 25-22, 22-25, 10-15.

There is no love lost between rivals Murray State and Southeast Missouri State. On the football field, the Racers had beaten the Redhawks three consecutive times, and on Saturday at Houck Field, they had hopes of doing two things: * Making something of their dismal two-win season with a closing win over a rival, and * Ruining SEMO’s hopes of winning an Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship The Redhawks had other ideas.

Of the 13 scholarship players on the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball squad this season, five have missed time with injury (Dylan Branson, Israel Barnes, Gavyn Elkamil), illness (Josh Mitchell), or NCAA eligibility issues (freshman center David Idada).

The Southeast Missouri State football program has already achieved one of its “missions” this season.

As the rest of American society enters this weekend looking toward a holiday week of family, fun, and food, the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball program is focused on nothing but work.

When a football program has been as great as Southeast Missouri State has been this season, no one wants to see it conclude, but that is the case as far as the regular season is concerned for the Redhawks today.

NATCHITOCHES, La. — Led by a trio of Southeast Missouri natives, the Northwestern State men’s basketball picked up a monumental win at 15th-ranked TCU on Monday, Nov. 14. The Demons (3-2) erased a 12-point second-half deficit to win 64-63 over the Horned Frogs (2-1) after former Charleston standout Demarcus Sharp nailed a clutch go-ahead jumper in the lane with one minute and 14 seconds left in the game...

The Charleston boys and the Notre Dame girls received the top seeds in the upcoming SEMO Conference Basketball Tournaments. The boy's tournament will be played Dec. 5-9 at the Sikeston Field House. Charleston, the defending Class 3 state champions, come in with the top seed returning seniors Rico Farmer, Trey Stanback, Almareion Williams, junior Ko’Terrion Owens and sophomore PJ Farmer...

BENTON, Mo. — Kelly’s Madison Yount made her longtime dream of playing college softball come true when she signed to continue her athletic and academic careers at Mineral Area College during a ceremony at KHS on Thursday, Nov. 17. “I went to a camp [at Mineral Area] my sophomore year of high school and knew I wanted to play there in the back of my mind,” Yount said. ...

Districts for winter sports were released on Friday morning, with New Madrid County Central dropping to Class 3 for the 2022-23 season. NMCC finished third in Class 4 last season and return juniors Jadis Jones and AJ Ruff while junior BJ Williamson also returns after missing last season...

The Kennett Lady Indians showed off some familiar defensive muscle and perhaps some new offensive strength at the girls high school basketball jamboree hosted by Kennett High School on Thursday, winning all three games against Holcomb, Twin Rivers and Portageville...

Southeast Missouri State junior midfielder Faith Liljegren was recently named to the 2022 Academic All-District Women's Soccer Team. The Collinsville, Illinois native was selected to the 2022 Academic All-District First Team. She currently has a 3.955 GPA at SEMO and is pursuing her Bachelor's in Entrepreneurship and Finance...

You couldn’t blame Southeast Missouri State freshman Patrick Heitert if he – at times – drifted off with his concentration level throughout this football season.

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — East Prairie senior Tori Stinnett signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her athletic and academic careers at Three River College during a ceremony at EPHS on Thursday, Nov. 10. “Overall, everything thing went very well,” Stinnett said. ...

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Yuri Collins’ 22 points helped Saint Louis defeat Memphis 90-84 on Tuesday. Collins scored the Billikins final field goal when he hit a 3-pointer with 7:36 left, then hit eight straight free throws to help hold off the Tigers. Gibson Jimerson scored 18 points, shooting 6 for 12 (4-for-w7 from 3-point range) and 2 of 3 from the free throw line. Javon Pickett finished 6-of-8 from the field to finish with 14 points...

The Portageville football team will travel to Duchesne on Saturday for a MSHSAA Class 1 Quarterfinal. Jamarion Smith and Mason Adams may be the names everyone knows from this year’s team, but the Bulldogs (10-2) have a strong core of players on both sides of the ball and a “next man up” mentality that’s helped propel them to new heights...

There was no lack of emotion exhibited by the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball squad on Wednesday in its game at Missouri Valley Conference team Evansville.

Statistical leaders from the Sikeston Standard-Democrat coverage area through district championships. PASSING RUSHING RECEIVING TACKLES SACKS INTERCEPTIONS t-20. Ethan Sutton, P’ville, 1...

Kennett senior student-athletes Trey Gardner, Brooks Nigut and Tanner Pierce convened in the Kennett High School library Tuesday along with parents and coaches to sign letters of intent to continue their respective baseball careers and education at the college level...

A walk-on on a college basketball squad has one purpose, which is to help the team be successful in any way possible.

The future at the quarterback position for Southeast Missouri State is without question in the hands (and arm) of sophomore Paxton DeLaurent. However, in Saturday’s 31-7 win at Eastern Illinois, freshman Patrick Heitert had an impressive enough collegiate debut that the immediate future may be pretty good in HIS hands.

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — Portageville’s Mason Adams did a little bit of everything Friday night in helping the Bulldogs defeat Charleston 58-16 in the MSHSAA Class 1, District 1 Championship. The junior threw for a touchdown, blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass while helping guide Portageville (10-2) to its first district championship since 2002...

Southeast Missouri State junior forward Josh Earley hasn’t spent much time actually playing on a basketball court in recent seasons, so when the Redhawks signed the 6-foot-7 athlete last spring, it was a legitimate question to wonder just how good the transfer from Tulsa University could be for SEMO. Early indications are pretty good.

Ninth-year Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz would more than likely dispute that there is a downside to achieving success as a football program, however, if there are any negatives to winning a lot of games, one could be that it results in other programs stealing the Redhawk assistant coaches on an annual basis.

NEW MADRID – A pair of early turnovers led to a hole the New Madrid County Central Eagles couldn’t dig out of Friday night, falling to Lift for Life Academy 66-26 in the Class 2, District 1 championship game. “We just didn’t play like us,” Eagles head coach Tyler Fullhart said. “Pretty plain and simple, we did a lot of uncharacteristic things and you can’t do that in a championship game.”...

Southeast Missouri State fell in women's basketball action on Thursday 83-57 at Ole Miss in Oxford.

When he visited Cape Girardeau, Chaminade College Preparatory School senior BJ Ward was pretty confident in his mind that he liked Southeast Missouri State enough that he wanted to commit to playing basketball for the Redhawks over the next four seasons. However, when his parents, Aunna and Brian Ward were sold on SEMO and the Redhawks’ coaching staff, then the decision became a “no-brainer” according to Ward.

A year ago, Southeast Missouri State quarterback CJ Ogbonna was THE man. He started 11 games in 2021, including a season-ending beating of then-No. 8-ranked UT Martin, a game in which he threw for over 200 yards and three touchdowns.

With 10 new players on his roster this season, third-year Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball coach Brad Korn is going to rely on WHAT he knows and WHO he knows, especially in the early games.

Four players finished in double-digits scoring as Southeast Missouri State opened its 2022-23 women's basketball season with a come-from-behind 60-48 win over NCAA Division III University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy on Monday at the Show Me Center.

The tale of the great Geno Hess added “another unbelievable chapter” on Saturday, as the Southeast Missouri State junior running back became the Redhawks’ all-time leader in rushing yards in a 42-0 beating of Ohio Valley Conference opponent Tennessee State at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

With an enormous number of young people in the stands at the Show Me Center for today’s 2022-23 season-opening game for the Southeast Missouri State women’s basketball squad, all of those young eyes will most assuredly be looking for long 3-pointers swishing the net and sweet passes that lead to Redhawk makes. What they probably won’t be focused on is whether or not SEMO “meets the standard.” That will be the job of eighth-year Redhawk coach Rekha Patterson. The Redhawks will host NCAA Division III University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy out of St. Louis today at 11 a.m. (ESPN+), and it is the annual “Classroom on the Court” game, where SEMO Athletics welcomes over 2,000 students from the Cape Girardeau area.

With sunshine beaming down and mild temperatures drifting throughout Southeast Missouri of late, it may be difficult to fathom, but college basketball season is here. As in today.

“The Music City Miracle” is known throughout Nashville as the famous kick-off return for a touchdown pulled off by the NFL’s Tennessee Titans to win an AFC playoff game in the final seconds 23 years ago. However, something of a “miracle” took part on Saturday in the same Nissan Stadium that former Titans Frank Wychek and Kevin Dyson made memorable.

NEW MADRID, Mo. — New Madrid County Central detonated John Burroughs' hopes of a championship win with a 48-0 blasting in a semifinal of the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 at NMCC High School on Friday, Nov. 4. The only explosions were from the Eagles’ offense, who finished with a 423 to 82 advantage in total yardage over the Bombers (5-6)...

STE. GENEVIEVE — The number one seeded Valle Catholic Warriors overpowered the fourth seeded Kennett Indians 58-6 in the Class 3 District 1 semifinals Friday night. The Indians struck first Friday night with a 30+ yard run into the end zone by senior running back Daniel Boatman. ...

With all due respect to the Southeast Missouri State football coaching staff, who have sung the praises of Redhawk Geno Hess all season, the junior running back drew adulation recently from a pretty impressive admirer.

When Kristian Wilkerson caught his 219th and final pass of his magnificent football career at Southeast Missouri State less than three years ago, common sense would have told everyone that Redhawk fans would probably never see a wide receiver of that caliber again.

Southeast Missouri State freshman Cayla Koerner and junior Faith Liljegren were both named 2022 All-Ohio Valley Conference Soccer players on Thursday. Koerner was named the 2022 OVC Forward and Freshman of the Year, while also being selected to the All-OVC First Team and All-Newcomer Team...

After just two wins in the past two seasons, the Charleston football team has rebounded with a breakthrough year. But the Bluejays (7-2) still have goals they hope to complete, including an upset at St. Vincent (7-2) in the MSHSAA Class 1 District 1 Tournament on Friday night...

It’s incredible what the New Madrid County Central football team has been able to accomplish this season when considering the team brought back just a couple of starters from last season’s team. “It is never easy when you graduate 17 seniors,” said NMCC coach Tyler Fullhart. ...

The East Prairie volleyball team had its best season in program history, and four Lady Eagles were named to the MSHSAA All-Class 2 District 1 team Chayse Kavan, Katie Brewer, Lydia Valencia and Tori Stinnett. Kavan and Brewer earned first-team honors, while Valencia and Stinnett were named to the second team...

The Portageville football team is a group of proven winners, having experienced success in multiple sports over the past few seasons. But the Bulldogs (8-2) will have their hands full this week when they travel to Scott City (9-1) to meet the Rams in the semifinals of the MSHSAA Class 1 District 1 Tournament...

Statistical leaders from the Sikeston Standard-Democrat coverage area PASSING RUSHING RECEIVING TACKLES SACKS INTERCEPTIONS t-19. Ethan Sutton, P’ville, 1...

Former Sikeston standout Karris Allen made her collegiate basketball debut for Western Kentucky in an 84-61 exhibition win over Lindsey Wilson College at E.A. Dibble Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky on Tuesday, Nov. 1. Allen played just 13 minutes but finished with seven points, seven rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — After repeating as the Bootheel Conference and MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 Champions, the Portageville volleyball had several players receive postseason accolades. Senior Amiyah Saxton earned the award for Bootheel Conference Player of the Year for the second year in a row, while also garnering first-team all-district...

After handily defeating Potosi last Friday, the Kennett Indians will travel to Ste. Genevieve this Friday to once again take on Valle Catholic, this time in the Class 3 District 1 semifinals. Despite falling to the Warriors in the team’s final regular season game 16-46, Kennett head coach Andrew Webster said that the Indians are going to play as warriors this week as well...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — The Sikeston soccer season ended with a 3-0 loss to Farmington in the opening round of the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 Tournament at Cape Central High School on Saturday, Oct. 29. The third-seeded Knights (13-4) are 14th in Class 3 in the latest power rankings from the Missouri High School Soccer Coaches Association and lived up to the billing...

Because Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball fans are going to see a lot less of Nate Johnson this season, ultimately, the crowds at the Show Me Center are going to see a lot MORE of the Redhawk senior center (just follow me). Johnson, who has battled injuries during his time in Cape Girardeau, has lost a nice amount of weight, which should lead to more productivity and time on the basketball court.

Following his team’s 28-23 home loss to Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at Houck Field, ninth-year Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz said what every coach should say following a disappointing loss, which was: You win, and you lose, as a team.

The Southeast Missouri State women’s basketball program recently named its three captains for the upcoming season and two of the players (senior forward Tamia Stallings and senior guard Kori Tomlin) may have caught some Redhawk fans by surprise, but for those that follow the program closely, the fact that redshirt junior guard Sophie Bussard was recognized isn’t a shock at all.