Stoddard County, Missouri - The 2017 SCAA Seedings for the Varsity Boys Basketball tournament were released this morning at 11:00 a.m. 

The Advance Hornets received the #1 seed.  Dexter received the #2 seed and Bloomfield received the #3 seed.

Bernie earned the #4 spot, Bell City #5, Woodland #6, Puxico #7, and Richland received the #8 seed.

On January 23rd #1 Advance will play #8 Richland at 5:30 p.m.  At 7:00 p.m. #2 Dexter will play #7 Puxico at the Bloomfield high school gym.

On January 24th at 6:30 p.m. #3 Bloomfield will play #6 Woodland.  At 8:00 p.m. #4 Bernie will play #5 Bell City at the Bloomfield high school gym.

The SCAA Junior Varsity Seeds were released as well.

Bernie received the #1 seed.  Dexter received the #2 seed.  Bloomfield received the #3 seed, followed by #4 Richland, #5 Puxico, #6 Woodland, and  #7 Advance.

Bernie will have a Bye. On January 23rd  At 4:00 p.m. Dexter JV play Advance JV.  At 8:30 p.m. #4 Richland JV will play #5 Puxico JV.

On January 24th at 5:00 p.m. #3 Bloomfield JV plays #6 Woodland JV. 

The Varsity semifinals will be played on January 26th at 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Championship will be January 27th at 8:30 p.m.  Third place game will be at 5:30 p.m.

The Junior Varsity semifinals will be played on January 26th at 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.  Championship will be at 7:00 p.m. on January 27th and third place will be at 4:00 p.m. on the same day.

East Prairie, Missouri - The Bloomfield Wildcats didn't seem to mind the cold temperatures outside and a day off from school.  They hammered East Prairie on the road 72 - 39.

Austin Phillips opened the game with a 3-pointer and the Wildcats never looked back.  They shot 68% from the field in the first two quarters building a 24-point lead thanks to the efforts of three Bloomfield athletes who tallied double digits. 

Timmy Hector tallied a game-high 22 points including three treys.

Peyton Bell recorded  20 points including two 3-pointers.

Alex Gibbs finished with 10 points.

"We played well offensively and defensively in the first half," commented Bloomfield head basketball coach Brandon Crook.  "We worked and moved the basketball very well on offense that lead to high percentage shots that we converted on."

Bloomfield made a run in the third quarter scoring 10 points quickly and bringing them within 16 points.

"They made quite a run in the third quarter," continued Crook.  "But we were poised enough to keep working and win the 4th quarter."

Bloomfield once again proved to be a powerhouse scoring doubles in each of the four periods defeating the Eagles by 33 points.

Luke Marcum and Derez Tipler contributed 10 points each for East Prairie.  Marcum recorded 2 treys and Derez had one 3-pointer.

Final Score Bloomfield 72, East Prairie 39

Bloomfield    20  18   18   16  - 72

East Prairie    8    6   17     8  - 39

Bloomfield (72) - Jacob Hector 5, Dalton Phillips 6, Timmy Hector 22, Kyle Anderson 2, Austin Phillips 5, Peyton Bell 20, Dallas Monroe 2, Alex Gibbs 10. FG 28, FT 8/12, F 8. (3-pointers: Timmy Hector 3, Austin Phillips 2, Peyton Bell 2. Fouled Out: None)

East Prairie (39) - Luke Marcum 10, Deverence Jones 2, Derez Tipler 10, Casey Gregory 10, Mason Bryars 5, Chad Housman 2. FG 16, Ft 3/6, F 12. (3-pointers: Luke Marcum 2, Derez Tipler 1, Mason Bryars 1.  Fouled Out: None)

Bloomfield (8-4) will be back in action on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 when they travel to the Bearcat Event Center to take on take on the Bearcats.  Game time 6:00 p.m.

Bloomfield, Missouri - Dexter seeded #2 upset the No. 1 seed Hayti to win the 60th Bloomfield Christmas Tournament for the first time in 12 years.  Hayti's one and only championship win was in 2007.

"Winning this tournament was one of our primary goals this season especially after coming so close last season," commented Dexter boys basketball coach Josh Dowdy.  Dexter finished second to Kennett in the 2015 Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.

"I just wanted something like this (winning the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament) to help them realize that hard work does pay off," continued Dowdy.  "I know they have questioned that many times when I have told them to "get on the line".  Gabe Jackson and Jason Jarrell were so good this week.  I could tell many times in the huddle that they did not want to experience what we did last year."

Bearcat Junior Gabe Jackson recorded 12 points and senior Jason Jarrell tallied 10 points.  Jackson finished the tournament with a total of 54 points and Jarrell finished with 49 points.

Jackson and Jarrell were also named to the 2016 Bloomfield Christmas All-Tournament Team.

"I have always told Gabe to always use two hands when rebounding, passing, and catching," Dowdy said of Jackson.  "I looked over at the end of the night and he was raising that big trophy with two hands.....and all I thought was maybe he does listen to me every now and then!"

The Dexter Bearcats outscored Hayti by single digits in every quarter on their way to a 57-34 victory!  They scored eight 2-pointers and four treys in the first half.

Clay Mullins calculated a game-high 17 points for Dexter.  He increased his team's lead 30-18 with a 3-pointer just before the buzzer at the end of the first half.

"Clay had a real nice tournament," stated Dowdy.  "He has been a great addition to this group.  he is a talented player but most importantly he has come in here and learned what we are trying to do and has blended in with these guys like he has been here forever."

Alan Pippins brings a lot of energy to the group.  He and Sindle come out with enthusiasm and lift the team.

"Alan is the guy that will just do whatever is asked of him," Dowdy said.  "He will handle the ball, knock down crucial free throws, and is just real coachable.  He had a big week for us as well."

Hayti attempted to rally turning to a full court press after half-time, but it was not enough and allowed Dexter to claim their first Bloomfield Christmas Tournament under head coach Josh Dowdy and their first title since 2004.

Kedron Rollings contributed 10 points while Kobe Cooper finished second in scoring for Hayti with nine points.

Hayti drops to 8-3 with the loss. Dexter improves above the 500 mark to 6-5 with the win.

"When I first met these boys may of them were riding their bikes to practice," reflected Dowdy.  "I still remember a curly headed boy who I had just met would not leave the gym after we got through working out.  Five years later he is still one of the last guys out of the gym.  This is none other than Ben Sindle. He has become a role player each year.  It's just one example of why this team had some success up here this week. Ben has put in extra work and that had made him a real threat.  He is so deserving of any success that he has on and off the court."

"Dawson Kasting seldom played in middle school.  You wouldn't ever think that now - his persistence and character has carried him through," continued Dowdy.  "Ryan Mayo is very similar. He was our sixth man his eight grade year.  I could not be more proud of these kids and the lessons they have learned through basketball."

"What can I say about our Junior Varsity.  These guys deserve this as much as the guys on the floor.  They pushed us in practice over the break, cheered us on from the bench, and just provided that extra spark.  They collectively were our "sixth man!"

Ben Sindle and Clay Mullins each shot two 3-pointers for the Bearcats.  Kasting and Mayo contributed four each and Braxton Foster his a basket late in the fourth quarter.

What a great experience it has been for the Dexter Bearcats.  They will be back in action on Friday, December 6, 2017 for their Winter Homecoming against the Woodland Cardinals.  Game time is 6:00 p.m. with Homecoming Court named prior to the start of the varsity game.

Final Score Dexter 57, Hayti 34

Dexter     13   17   10   17  -   57

Hayti          9     9     7     9  -   34

Dexter (57) - Jason Jarrell 10, Braxton Foster 2, Ben Sindle 6, Clay Mullins 17, Dawson Kasting 4, Ryan Mayo 4, Gabe Jackson 12. FG 21, FT 9/13, F 11. (3-pointers: Sindle 2, Mullins 2. Fouled Out: None).

Hayti  (34) - Kobe Cooper 9, Darius Jones 6, Kedron Rollings 10, Kemron Rollings 6, Dayon Moore 2. FG 14, FT 1/4, F 14. (3-pointers: Jones 2, Cooper 1, Kedron Rollings 1. Fouled Out: Kemron Rollings).

"One last thing!  We had a big student section at each game.  You could hear them roar above the crowd at times. It was just awesome!"

"I also want to mention the hard work of our manager Carson Hankins.  His spirit helped us raise that trophy!"

Bloomfield, Missouri - The No. 6 seeded Kennett Indians upset the #5 seeded Bloomfield Wildcats in the 3rd Place game of the 60th Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament 53-41.

The only points in the first quarter for Bloomfield were Peyton Bell's pair of 2-pointers.  Kennett led 9-4 at the end of the first period.

Jay Davis hit a 3-pointer for the Indians as the buzzer sounded at the end of the first half to pad Kennett’s lead to 18-11 at the end of the 2nd quarter.

Kennett's Jad Kenny came out of the locker at half-time and put away 17 points in the second half. 

The inside dominance helped Kennett increase its lead to 33-24 by the end of the third quarter.

The Indians led by as much as 13 points in the fourth quarter before Bloomfield trimmed the deficit to the final score.

Kennett's Jaylean Kinnon tallied 15 points. Jay Davis added nine points.

Tim Hector and Peyton Bell paced Bloomfield with nine points.

Final Score Kennett 53, Bloomfield 41

Kennett        9   9  15   20  -  53

Bloomfield    4   9  13  17  -   41

Kennett (53) - Jay Davis 9, Patrick Maddox 6, Jarvis Stewart 4, Dawson Britt 2, Jaylean Kinnon 15, Jad Kenny 17. FG 24, FT 4/7, F 20. (3-pointers: Davis 1. Fouled Out: None).

Bloomfield (41) - Jacob Hector 3, Dalton Phillips 5, Tim Hector 9, Kyle Anderson 2, Matt Gibbs 1, Austin Phillips 7, Peyton Bell 9, Alex Gibbs 5. FG 13, FT 8/17, F 15. (3-pointers: Peyton Bell 1, Alex Gibbs 1, Tim Hector 1, Dalton Phillips 1. Fouled Out: None).