Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Bernie, Missouri – The Bernie Mule fans were shocked by the outcome of this Homecoming game Friday night. Simply put the Mules were outhustled by the Bulldogs. The fans of Notre Dame were excited to be in the Mule Barn and their “little blue man” got the crowd cheering at almost every basket.
The Notre Dame boys basketball team were motivated and had just spoiled Jackson's Homecoming game last week. The Bulldogs have been hovering around the .500 mark all season, but were beginning to improve. Coach Kevin Roberts stated last week after the win over Jackson, "This was our first good full game so far this season. Now we have to prepare for the state-ranked Bernie Mules next week and that game will be a tough one to win."
The Bulldogs came to the Mule Barn to show Bernie that they are competitive, perhaps a little inexperienced, but not to count them out just yet. They had momentum and were not going to back down.
“Notre Dame whipped us physically in the 2nd quarter and we didn’t put up much of a fight. They took it to us and we backed down for the majority of the game,” commented Coach Brad Botsch of the Bernie Mules.
“It is kind of a surprise to me as I felt our kids have been playing better and with more confidence, but something seemed amiss tonight and most of it, had to do with our lack of consistent effort and focus on the defensive end,” continued Botsch.
Both David Baker #31 and Troy Kirkpatrick #14 scored 16 points against Notre Dame. Baker was able to capitalize on four 3-pointers to help the Mules, but the Bulldogs hit right back with Quinn Paythress #4 and Cody DeBrock #2 who had a combined 31 points and Dereck Hulshof #42 who had 10 points.
Coach Botsch further explained, “They got way too many open looks from there and around the basket and they really hurt us on the backboard.” The Notre Dame Bulldogs had nine players with baskets during the game, five being 3-pointers.
The Bernie Mules will have to work hard in practice this week and begin to prepare for Hayti on Tuesday, February 5th. “Hopefully, we will take some of these lessons from this game and work hard for district which are in two weeks,” commented Botsch.
Final Score Bernie Mules 50, Notre Dame Bulldogs 64. Bernie’s record drops to 18-4.
It was no different for the JV team. The Junior Varsity record dropped to 18-2 for the season as the Notre Dame Bulldogs completely out played them Friday night as well.
Caleb Ellenburg had an awesome 31 points for the Bernie Mules, but the Bulldogs just kept fighting back. Final Score Notre Dame 60, Bernie Mules 45.
Check out the ShowMe Times Facebook page for exciting pictures of the JV and Varsity game with Homecoming highlights.
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The Richland Rebel Basketball Team took on the Risco Tigers tonight on their home court. The game should be labeled as one of the most intense games of the season this far. The game was very quick-paced and every player was on their feet and ready as the ball was passed quickly around, leaving the crowd on the edge of their seats for a large portion of the night.
During the first quarter, the Rebels instantly got the tip off due to senior Richard Forshee. The ball was quickly rebounded and taken by the Tigers as their top scorer of the night sank the first three pointer of the night while in midair. The Rebels retaliated and got a layup as both teams began to compete for the ball. Passing quickly and efficiently was crucial and while time was ticking, the players moved too fast and the ball continuously fell into the wrong hands.
The two teams were constantly tied or had a difference of one point nearly the whole first quarter. For a few moments, the Tigers had the lead of five points but the Rebels quickly got the ball and in less than a minute, took the lead back. With many fouls and free throws, the lead was passed back and forth between both teams but the Rebels ended the first quarter with senior Jesse Barnes snatching the ball and going in for a layup on the buzzer, bringing the quarter to the Rebels’ favor at 20 to 19.
The Rebels started off strong in the second quarter and the teams were tied at 22 for a long while until the Tigers took the lead after hitting two three pointers right in a row, creating a fairly large gap that the Rebels couldn't keep up with. The Tigers continue to stay in the lead by making free throws after multiple fouls. The Tigers held a ten point lead, which would almost be constantly held for the rest of the game. The Rebels attempted to close the gap but let up on their defense and allowed the Tigers to keep scoring. Forshee grabbed each rebound for his team but the players could not get down the court quick enough, resulting in the Tigers taking the second quarter at 45 to 34 with sophomore Marcus Grayson scoring at the buzzer.
While the teams rested and created a new game plan during half time, the Pep Band performed. The band played Land of 1000 Dances, Ipso Funko, Go Big Red, Iron Man, and the crowd’s favorite: Crazy Train. The Pep Band is made up of both junior high and high school band students and they perform at every home game.
When the third quarter began, the Rebels took the ball and scored at the very beginning, but they were still down by ten and could not seem to get passed that gap that the Tigers created. The Rebels would begin to collect points but Risco was never far behind them and would sustain the lead once again. Senior Nick Daniels hit a three pointer and the Rebels were only down by six. With a foul called on Risco, the players got another chance while junior Adam Lane made both of his free throws. The Rebels only trailed by 3 points but the sudden hope in the team and in the fans was diminished once there were multiple fouls called on Richland, resulting in the Tigers scoring single points off of free throws and leading by ten again.
The Rebels seemed to lose their hope in the fourth quarter and the ten point lead held by the opposing team turned into a fifteen point lead. The players fought for their team but the Tigers eventually took the win with a final score of 96 to 76. After four straight wins on Richland’s court, the Rebels fell to the Tigers.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Dexter Bearcat wrestling team traveled to Poplar Bluff on a very cold and windy Thursday evening to compete in a dual with Cape Central Tigers and the Mules.
It was Senior Night for the Mules and they were up for the challenge in a head to head dual with Cape and Dexter.
The Mules were ready to wrestle the Bearcats and there was no stopping this night. Dexter’s James Mullins 120# weight class, Trever Waldner 132# weight class, Ethan Stevens 145# weight class, Dylan Bacarian 152# weight class, and Logan Quertermous 182# weight class were able to win their matches.
The Mules were able to capitalize on their strength and agility to win 51 to 24 over Dexter and they were also strong enough to dominate the Cape Central Tigers as well.
However, Cape Central Tigers were no match for the Dexter Bearcats. Several of the Bearcat wrestlers won their matches.
In the 106 lb weight class division Brandon Twomey of Dexter won by forfeit.
In the 113 lb weight class Logan Wright of Cape Central won by pinning Dexter’s Steven Parks in 4 minutes 54 seconds.
In the 120 lb weight class James Mullins of Dexter won by pinning Samuel Rees of Cape Central in less than 1 minute.
Storm Massey of Dexter won by technical fall over Bailey Sheehan of Cape Central in the 126 lbs weight division, 15-0.
Trever Waldner of Dexter won by pinning Anton Aleksandrov of Cape Central in under two minutes in the 132 lb weight class.
In the 138 lb weight class Tremaine Grant of Cape Central won by decision over Ty Harmon of Dexter 5-0.
Ethan Stevens of Dexter won in the 145 lb weight class over Alex Davis-Carter of Cape Central by decision 11-6.
In the 152 weight class Dylan Bacarian of Dexter won by pin over Jordan Franklin of Cape Central in under a minute.
Nathan Sterns of Cape Central was able to pin Brandon Quertermous of Dexter. It took 5 minutes and 31 seconds in this 160 lb weight division.
In the 170 lb weight division Michael Hurst of Dexter won by forfeit.
Logan Quertermous of Dexter won by pinning TJ Marquis in just 29 seconds in the 182 lb weight class.
Jason Mattison of Dexter won by forfeit in the 220 lb weight class.
Chris Bryant of Cape Central won by pinning Cameron Craft in 29 seconds in the 285 lb weight class division.
The Dexter Bearcats were able to beat the Cape Central Tigers with a total score of 56 to 21. Way to go wrestlers!
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Bernie, Missouri – The Holcomb Hornets traveled to Bernie to sting the Mules on Tuesday, January 29th. Instead the Mules kicked the Hornets pretty hard causing them to end their 13 game winning streak.
“I thought both teams came out flat in the first half,” stated Bernie’s Head Coach Brad Botsch. “Massey really had his way with us in the beginning and I thought our kids were really trying to stop him. He is a very good player.”
Jamie Massey #32 for the Hornets scored 17 points for the Hornets as he dominated the court most of the first half.
David Baker #31 for the Mules was the leading scorer with 23 points. he had 19 of those points in the first half. B.J. Jennings #12 had 16 points along with Sam Turner #45 who had 10 points in the game.
“We struggled offensively and Holcomb did a good job on our guards. In the second half, we started finding our groove,” stated Botsch.
“I thought we valued each offensive possession much better and guarded every possession with focus and intent, explained Coach Botsch. “I didn’t start any of the seniors to begin the 2nd half, and hoped they would get the message. We depend on their leadership and experience to propel us, and they stepped up to the challenge in the 2nd half.”
Holcomb is a very good team and on any given day the tables could have been turned. They are extremely well-coached. “This was a good win for us tonight, but we will continue to push and work hard,” Botsch stated.
"They executed," Holcomb Coach Seth McBroom said. "You just have to tip your hat to them. They executed in the second half and we struggled shooting. We weren't very good defensively after we started missing shots and everything snowballed at the start of the third quarter."
The Bernie Mules and the Holcomb Hornets currently support the best records in each of their nine teams in Class 2, District 1, which Hayti won last season. Bernie is 2-1 against Holcomb, beating them in the championship of the Campbell Invitational Tournament and in the championship semifinal of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.
Final Score Bernie Mules 60, Holcomb Hornets 38 Bernie’s Varsity Record now stands at 18-3.
The Bernie JV team also did very well on Tuesday night. Ellenburg had an awesome night leading the JV team to victory with 33 points. Three players; Smith, Sparks and Trammell each had 6 points for the game.
The JV Mules have had an impressive year only losing one game to date. Their record stands at 18-1 on the season. Final Score Bernie JV Mules 60, Holcomb Hornets 40
Next round of action for the Bernie Mules is Friday night, February 1st when they will be celebrating “Homecoming”. They will be hosting the Notre Dame Regional High School Bulldogs.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Dexter, Missouri – The Sikeston Bulldogs and the New Madrid County Central Eagles traveled to the Dexter Senior High School Tuesday in a dual with the Dexter Bearcats. This was the last home match of the season and it was Senior Night. Both
Damien Glasener and Logan Quertermous are graduating this spring.
While most folks were keeping an eye on potentially bad weather, many family and friends did come out to watch the high school wrestlers compete.
There were some really good match-ups between Dexter and Sikeston/New Madrid County Central.
"Q" as most of the students call him at Dexter High School had an awesome night of wrestling! He won by major decision over Sikeston Bulldogs' Braydon Reynolds 13-3 and then pinned Austin Cummins of New Madrid County Central in 3 minutes 10 seconds. Way to go!
Trever Waldner, a junior at Dexter High School also had an exciting night with his overtime win over Cody Middleton of Sikeston 14-12 in the 132 lb class. He also was able to pin Bryce Smith of NMCC in 3 minutes 42 seconds.
Storm Massey, a freshman at DHS won in the 126 lb class by major decision over Javeon Bonner of Sikeston 10-0. He also won by forfeit against NMCC.
The Dexter Bearcats were able to dominate New Madrid County Central and crushed them 66 to 18.
Unfortunately for the Dexter wrestlers, Sikeston was just too powerful and was able to control the score by defeating them 42 to 28.
Wrestling can be like a chess match. You have to use your mind to outwit the opponent and determine several moves ahead to determine the outcome of your position. Both the NMCC and Sikeston teams have tough athletes. Head Coach James Sneed and Assistant Coach Cody Boyer work continuously with the young men to motivate them ti give their absolute on and off the mats.
"The skills learned in high school wrestling teach those boys that we are responsible for everything we do in life," state Coach Sneed, "We have a choice in how we react to circumstances that we may or may not be responsible for. Every second counts."
The DHS Wrestling Team will be in action again tonight, January 31st in Poplar Bluff. They will compete against the Poplar Bluff Mules and the Cape Central Tigers. Match begins at 5:00 p.m. This is the last regular match of the season as Districts begin February 8th and the State Tournament is February 14th and 15th.
