ESSEX -- The Richland Rebels shocked the Portageville Bulldogs Tuesday night behind Drew Thornton's 27 points, 70-68.

"It's a huge win," said Richland coach Casey Knight. "You couldn't ask for a better way to start the season to pull off the win against a quality team like Portageville."

Bulldog coach Jim Bidewell was complimentary of the young Rebels. "Richland played three sophomores, a junior and a senior against us and they played pretty well," Bidewell said. "We've got a long way to go."

Besides Thornton's 27, Mikey Latham had 18 and Nick Harris 16 for the Rebels. Portageville was led in scoring by Byron Wright's 19 while Jacob Estes finished with 11.

Richland (1-0) will travel to Campbell Tuesday while Portageville (0-1) will travel to Kennett Friday.

Bernie Invitational

BERNIE -- The East Prairie Eagles took on the Holcomb Hornets Tuesday night in the Bernie Tournament, coming out on top 65-48.

"I was really proud of guys tonight,' said East Prairie head coach Matt Schonhoff, "We ran the transition well, did a good job creating missed shots, and really just competed hard throughout."

East Prairie (1-0) was led by Jacob Garrett who had 13 points. Holcomb (0-1) was lead by Heath Murdock with 20 points and 6-7 shooting from the line.

The Eagles will play the Puxico Indians Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the semifinals of the Bernie Tournament.

The Risco Tigers went head to head against the Puxico Indians Tuesday night in the Bernie Tournament, falling 64-53.

"They came out hot on us, hitting three 3's in a row," said Risco head coach Brandon Blankenship. "After that we made an adjustment and really played them pretty even for the rest of the game."

Risco (0-1) was lead by Zack Williams who had 16 points. Puxico (1-0) was lead by Joan Smith with 18 points and one three.

The Rebels will play the Holcomb Hornets Thursday at 4:30 in a constellations game of the Bernie Tournament.

Oran Tournament

ORAN -- The Kelly Hawks took on the Malden Green Wave Tuesday night in the Oran Tournament, losing 73-48.

Kelly (0-2) was lead by Chris Cooper with 15 points, three 3-pointers while Malden (1-1) was lead by Nick Perkins with 16 points.

The Hawks next game will be Tuesday when they host the Portageville Bulldogs. Tip off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

The Cooter Wildcats topped the Advance Hornets Tuesday night in the Oran Tournament winning in overtime 75-71.

Cooter (1-0) was lead by Aaron McCaig with 21 points and two 3-pointers. Advance (0-1) was lead by Jacob Bond who had 36 points and four 3-pointers.

Cooter will play the Scott Central Braves at Oran Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. Advance will play the host Eagles at 5 p.m.

Freshman basketball

DEXTER -- The Sikeston Bulldogs eight grade boys basketball team traveled to Dexter Tuesday night to take on the Bearcats, losing in overtime 39-35.

"We came out and played well in the first half," said Sikeston head coach Kevin Self. "However, they switched to a match up zone in the second half and we had a hard time moving the ball against that defense."

The Bulldogs were lead by Keldon Warfield with 12 points. The Bearcats were lead by Jake Lee with 15 points.

The Bulldogs next game will be at 6 p.m. Thursday evening as they travel to Poplar Bluff to take on the Mules.

The Sikeston Bulldogs eight grade boys basketball B team took on the Dexter Bearcats seventh grade team Tuesday night as well, coming out on top 62-18.

On Nov 28, 2007, at 12:12 AM, Jerry Jarrell wrote:

Thanks....

On 11/28/07 12:09 AM, "David Jenkins" wrote:

Jerry,

Here are all of our box scores and my Sikeston story. I will have Andrew send some our staff reports when he is finished. If you need a Sikeston photo, let me know.

David

Sikeston 59, Blytheville, Ark. 51

(Varsity boys)

Blytheville 08 11 16 16 - 51

Sikeston 16 18 12 12 - 59

BLYTHEVILLE (51) -- Trey Woods 4, Jeramey Golden 9, Dikembe Wells 7, Gabriel Osagie 20, Melvin Brooks 2, Ojay Collins 7, George Merriweather 2. FG 19, FT 9-14, F 16. (3-pointers: Osagie 2, Wells 1, Golden. Fouled out: Osagie).

SIKESTON (59) -- Juqualin Wiggins 6, Brandon Washington 4, Matt Ritch 6, Sherwin Jones 7, Dominic Fondon 11, Cal Lane 13, Michael Porter 12. FG 26, FT 3-15, F 11. (3-pointers: Ritch 2, Washington 1, Jones 1. Fouled out: none).

Blytheville, Ark. 47, Sikeston 42

(Junior Varsity boys)

Blytheville 15 07 08 12 - 42

Sikeston 11 16 10 10 - 47

BLYTHEVILLE (47) -- Whaller 12, Hullum 7, Dover 2, Henderson 6, Kelly 7, Jackson 3, Thompson 4, Mitchell 2, Williams 4. FG 16, FT 12-13, F 13. (3-pointers: Whaller 2, Hullum 1. Fouled out: none).

SIKESTON (42) -- Lomas Johnson 2, Niquavious Dixon 7, Will Holifield 3, Dewayne Harris 6, Corey Porter 6, Eli Jackson 8. FG 16, FT 9-18, F 12. (3-pointers: Dixon 1. Fouled out: none).

Charleston 75, Dexter 54

(Varsity boys)

Dexter 11 16 13 14 - 54

Charleston 23 16 22 14 - 75

DEXTER (54) -- Kevin Hart 21, Drew Kelley 11, Logan Carwile 8, David Hessling 5, Tyler Scott 5, Bobby Rawson 4. FG 16, FT 17-24, F 14. (3-pointers: Kelley 2, Hart 1, Hessling 1, Rawson 1. Fouled out: none).

CHARLESTON (75) -- Donald Dixon 23, Fred Pratt 22, Brian Parham 11, Antonio Riggens, Allen Hemphill 4, Brian Caldwell 2, Mackenzie Ivy 2, Marquez Ware 2. FG 32, FT 7-14, F 17. (3-pointers: Riggens 3, Dixon 1. Fouled out: none).

Richland 70, Portageville 68

(Varsity boys)

Portageville 19 14 14 21 - 68

Richland 27 16 7 20 - 70

Portageville (68) -- Byron Wright 19, Jacob Estes 11, Devin Bobo 8, Dometric Trotter 7, D.J. Bidewell 7, Terrale Jones 6, Mikey Johnson 4, Bruce Mathis 4, T.J. Smith 2. FG 24, FT 5-7, F 21. (3-pointers: Wright 3, Estes 1, Trotter 1. Fouled out: none).

Richland (70) -- Drew Thornton 27, Mikey Latham 18, Nick Harris 16, Mac Thornton 7, Hakeem Whittaker 2. FG 21, FT 22-27, F 9. (3-pointers: Latham 2. Fouled out: none).

East Prairie 65, Holcomb 48

(Varsity boys)

Holcomb 11 10 8 19 - 48

East Prairie 19 12 19 15 - 65

Holcomb (48) -- Heath Murdock 20, Chad Adams 12, Lucas Fuller 10, Justin Elder 2, Michael Casey 2, Daniel Tapia 2, Chase Branch 2. FG 15, FT 16-20, F 10. (3-pointers: Fuller 2. Fouled out: none).

East Prairie (65) -- Tony Jones 21, Jacob Garrett 13, Ryan Jones 9, M.C. Williams 9, Trenton Martin 6, Derek Atwood 4, Dustin Caldwell 2, Connor Scott 1. FG 24, FT 5-11, F 13. (3-pointers: Williams 3, Jones 2. Fouled out: none).

Puxico 64, Risco 53

(Varsity boys)

Risco 8 12 14 19 - 53

Puxico 17 14 13 20 - 64

Risco (53) -- Zack Williams 16, Kyle White 9, Kyle Hayes 7, Dylan Hill 7, Matt Smith 5, Derek Fowler 5, Michael Davis 4. FG 18, FT 15-24, F 22. (3-pointers: White 1, Hill 1. Fouled out: none).

Puxico (64) -- Joan Smith 18, J Hon 17, David Crain 15, Matt Allison 10, Jordan Holloway 2, Kerry McClure 2. FG 22, FT 15-30, F 19. (3-pointers: Hon 4, Smith 1. Fouled out: none).

Malden 73, Kelly 48

(Varsity boys)

Kelly 12 9 14 13 - 48

Malden 10 21 15 27 - 73

Kelly (48) -- Chris Cooper 15, Levi Felter 8, Zach Essner 7, Ryan Essner 5, Josh DeBrock 5, Josh Rodgers 3, Bryce Faulkner 2, Brett Harper 2, Omar Campos 1. FG 18, FT 7-19, F 16. (3-pointers: Cooper 3, Ryan Essner 1, DeBrock 1. Fouled out: Cooper).

Malden (73) -- Nick Perkins 16, Leonard Burton 16, Chad Hudson 12, Andy Matthews 10, Marvin Fields 7, Dee Collier 5, Michael Johnson 3, Dillon Criglar 2, James Clopton 2. FG 31, FT 9-19, F 16. (3-pointers: Fields 1, Hudson 1. Fouled out: none).

Cooter 75, Advance 71

(Varsity boys)

Cooter 12 15 22 12 14 - 75

Advance 13 18 11 19 10 - 71

Cooter (75) -- Aaron McCaig 21, Nick Rinks 17, Nathan Poe 12, Zack Watkins 9, Michael Evans 8, Aaron Brown 4, Charles Copeland 2, Edward Forsythe 2. FG 29, FT 9-13, F 15. (3-pointers: Rinks 3, McCaig 2, Evans 2, Watkins 1. Fouled out: none).

Advance (71) -- Jacob Bond 36, Chris Welch 9, Cody Van Gennip 8, Brandon Coleman 7, Nate Middleton 5, Blake Seabaugh 4, Cory Cooper 2. FG 30, FT 7-10, F 12. (3-pointers: Bond 4. Fouled out: none).

Dexter 39, Sikeston (A) 35

(8th grade boys)

Sikeston 12 06 07 08 02 - 35

Dexter 10 02 12 09 06 - 39

SIKESTON (35) -- Terry Jameson 2, Eldridge Gipson 9, Kilron Coleman 6, Keldon Warfield 12, Chris Bryant 6. FG 14, FT 6-12, F 18. (3-pointers: Gipson 1. Fouled out: none).

DEXTER (39) -- Jordan Fitts 10, Garrett Wray 2, Nick Summers 2, Jake Lee 15, Bailey Hampton 2, Daniel Fitts 6, Josh Overall 2. FG 14, FT 11-17, F 11. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none).

Sikeston (B) 62, Dexter 7th grade 18

(8th grade boys)

Sikeston 18 06 20 18 - 35

Dexter 06 02 05 05 - 39

SIKESTON (62) -- Traveon Dennis 3, Willie Jones 2, Jacob Wilson 8, Earl Grissom 4, Evan Deere 4, Luke Keefer 3, Hunter Williams 8, Shaquille Sherrod 13, Trent McMillon 11, Chris Bryant 6. FG 28, FT 5-9, F 8. (3-pointers: Keefer 1. Fouled out: none).

DEXTER (18) -- Sam Ward 3, Brad Potts 2, Derrick Felker 2, Ryan Joyner 2, Dillon Aaron 2, Elliot Mason 2, Kyle Willis 3, J.T. Putnam 2. FG 7, FT 3-6, F 11. (3-pointers: Ward 1. Fouled out: none).

By David Jenkins

sd_sports@yahoo.com

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Bulldogs wasted no time getting the new season off to a good start, jumping out 9-0 on the Blytheville, Ark. Chickasaws en route to a 59-51 win Tuesday night.

"We just got whipped," said Blytheville coach David Hixson. "We got off to a horrendous start. They got off to a 9-0 start and we were just waiting to get a basket."

Juqualin Wiggins started the scoring off with a basket for the Bulldogs, followed by a Matt Ritch 3-pointer and a Dominic Fondon slam dunk. A Cal Lane stick-back made it 9-0 with 4:30 left to play in the first quarter.

"We came out and were excited and energetic," said Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield. "But Blytheville is so quick and well-coached, we knew they weren't going to go away."

Blytheville closed to 16-8 after one quarter but Sikeston responded with a 6-2 run to start the second quarter to go up 22-10 and led 34-19 at the half after a Fondon lay up and free throw with just 2 seconds remaining.

However, Blytheville got to within six at 36-30 in the third quarter after seven-straight points by Jeramey Golden and four by Gabriel Osagie. But a basket by Lane and a 3-pointer by Ritch put Sikeston back up 41-30 and they were never threatened again.

"We knew they wouldn't go away and we would have to keep battling and competing," Holifield said. "We had some moments when we had some big rebounds."

The Bulldogs dominated the glass, pulling down 40 rebounds on the night, including 12 by Michael Porter and six from Lane.

"They've got a good basketball team and they just absolutely dominated us on the offensive glass," Hixson said. "A lot of that is the fact that they're good, very athletic, very tall."

Blytheville also seemed out of sync as the Bulldogs employed a zone defense rather than their normal man-to-man.

"Gregg's a good coach and he came out in a zone and we play man-to-man so that's what we work on every day," Hixson said. "We were trying to run our offense against our man and we didn't spend as much time as we would have liked working with zone. They had a good zone and had a great game plan."

The zone all but eliminated the inside game of the Chickasaws, forcing them to shoot outside.

"We're not normally a zone team but I thought at times we moved pretty well in it," Holifield said. "We're long and our size did cause some problems down there."

While the zone caused problems for Blytheville, the Chickasaws man-to-man created their own problems for Sikeston as the Bulldogs finished the night with 22 turnovers.

"We got a careless and a little wild at times but for the first game of the year I was proud of the effort," Holifield said. " For us to be good we rebound well and we have to take care of the basketball, which we didn't do at times tonight. But your going to do that early in the year against teams like Blytheville."

Sikeston was led in scoring by Lane's 13 points. " (Lane) gets off the ground good, he's just a great athlete," Holifield said "He's just going to get better and better."

Porter also finished in double figures with 12 points while Blytheville was led in scoring by Osagie's 20 points.

Sikeston (1-0) will travel to Dexter Friday to take on the Bearcats.

Junior Varsity

Sikeston (1-3) came up short in the junior varsity game 47-42. Blytheville led 37-30 after the third quarter but a Niquavious Dixon 3-pointer cut the Chickasaw lead to 43-42 with 19 seconds remaining. However, Blytheville hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Sikeston was led in scoring by Eli Jackson's eight points.