By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Last year, in their first trip to the Final Four under coach Brad Botsch, the Bernie Mules lost to Sturgeon 82-80. In the team’s second consecutive trip to the ‘ship, the Mules would now face the Crane Pirates for the Class 2 State title. At the end of a very physical, back-and-forth game, the Mules again fell short, losing to Crane by 14 points.


“We competed hard, and I don’t think for a second that our kids didn’t compete hard,” Botsch said after the game. “Sometimes the big stage can be tough for the kids, and maybe some of the kids were a little bit timid from that. That’s just part of the game.[Crane’s] kids were probably the same way. I thought going in with our experience coming back that we’d find a way to get it done, but we just weren’t able to do it.”

Botsch noted Crane’s excellent inside defense, as well as the Pirates’ star guard Levi Cook, as key factors in the loss.

“We lost focus a little bit,” Botsch continued. “Three different trips down the floor I called our play ‘Motion Hound’, which is Jordan McGowan’s nickname, where we try to get the ball inside to [McGowan]. Three different trips, and we took alternate shots or did alternate things that we didn’t want.”


“We had to do a little bit of scrambling to figure out how to stop [Cook],” Botsch said of the junior. “We had four or five strategies to try to stop him, but that kid had an answer for every one of them, and hats off to him for that.”

Cook, a 6’ 1” junior, had 42 points and 15 rebounds for the Pirates in the game, and pointed out the Mules’ great full-court defense.

“They got out and pressured us all over the court - we usually don’t have that,” Cook said. “This was probably one of our first games of the year that we got full-court pressure the whole game. We came out a little slow, figured out how to go against it, and adjusted from there.”

Crane’s head coach Rob Guerin liked the quick tempo that both teams tried to establish during the contest, and noted the Mules’ rebounding ability.

“[It was a] very up-paced game today, that’s kind of the way we like it,” Guerin said. “I’m more confident when we are playing fast. We like it when teams try to press us, try to trap us. We can get transition buckets that way, maybe force some mismatches. I was comfortable, and as long as we’re able to make our passes and hit the shots we need to make, I’m okay with it.”

“They were hurting us on the boards in the first half, and I knew we would have to control the glass if we were going to be successful in this ball game,” Guerin continued. “We came out and were able to control the boards in the second half and get some defensive stops when we needed to, and we put our free-throws in the hole today to come away with the state championship.”

The Pirates were also successful at shutting down Bernie’s three-point game (the Mules shot 8-34 from downtown) and, when coupled with their great inside defense, became too much for the Bernie to handle. Guerin again stressed rebounding in the second half as a key to his team’s victory.

“We knew they were going to shoot a lot of three-pointers,” Guerin said. “We had to stress to our guards to at least get a hand in their face and make them possibly miss. Our guards delivered, and we were able to handle it. In the second half, we rebounded the ball better, so they only got one opportunity to score. We felt that if we limited them to one opportunity to score, we would be successful.”

The Mules will lose five seniors this year - Botsch went on to credit their hard work as big factors in another great season in Bernie basketball.

“[Jordan] McGowan’s had a tremendous career for us - he set the state record in charges, and is second most in a season for threes made,” Botsch said. “But, he’s going to have a great opportunity to play for one of the best coaches in the country in Gene Bess [head basketball coach at Three Rivers College], and he’s going to do well over there. Sammy Walker had a tremendous year for us - the kid lost his father and still got out here and competed at an unbelievable level all season long. Cameron Shipman had a great year as well; he got as hot as anyone you’d ever see. We really had a good group of kids and I’m proud to have been able to coach them.”

The Mules finished the season with a record of 28 wins and five losses. There will be a reception for the team on Sunday (March 20) in the Bernie High School gym at 4:00 p.m. 



 Photos above Top Photo: Jordan McGowan drives through the lane for an easy layup during the second half of Saturday’s loss.
Middle Photo: Jesse Shelton puts up a tough shot over Crane’s Anthony Vermillion during Saturday’s Class 2 State Championship game.
Bottom photo: Sammy Walker drops in two of his 15 points.

                                                                     

	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	FINAL
BERNIE	9	16	14	24	63
CRANE	15	16	14	24	77

BERNIE: McGowan - 23. Walker - 15. Shelton - 13. Shipman - 6. Turner - 6.
CRANE: Cook - 42. Lumpkin - 10. Atkins - 10. Vermillion - 6. Bowling - 5. Moore - 4. 


By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Tradition: it’s one of the first words that come to mind when one mentions the Scott County Central basketball program. Going back to the early 1990’s, when the Braves won seven straight state titles under coach Ronnie Cookson, to now, in 2011, when the team, under coach Kenyon Wright, fought for their third straight state title. The only thing standing between the Braves and the three-peat was the Dadeville Bearcats.


After four hard-fought quarters, the Braves were able to claim their trophy, completing the three-peat and nabbing SCC’s fifteenth state championship.

“It was a hard-fought battle. It was one of those games that you come out, you’re playing for the state championship, you want to win it,” Wright said in the postgame press conference, “and we won it. We made some mistakes with the basketball a few times coming down the court that cost us a little bit, but for the most part, they fought and played through it.”


The Braves were led by the one-two punch of cousins Otto and Dominique Porter, putting in 27 and 18 points respectively. Otto was also able to haul in nine boards, five of which were offensive.

The Bearcats were far more physical with ‘Bubba’ than anyone has been in the post-season, and the senior noted Dadeville’s Jacob Goodman’s defensive ability.

“[Goodman] guarded me really well,” Porter said. “He put a body on me a little bit, but it really didn’t bother me at all. I just try to move around more, and get my teammates the ball. We knew they were gonna put one on me, I just had to move and try to get him worn out by the second half. We picked [the tempo] up a lot more in the second half. He [Goodman] played really good D, but it helped to get other guys open.”



Senior Trey Johnson, who ended with five points and two rebounds, likened the Bearcats to several teams that SCC has faced this year.


“They’re [Dadeville] like some of the teams that we’ve played. They’re like Oak Ridge - they’ve got some big guys inside that we had to box out,” Johnson said. “That big guy [Benjamin Dobbins] they had, he was a tough one to box out. He got a couple rebounds, but we came back and followed up strong. Its what we’ve been working for all year - the state championship.”


The Braves, who have blown out everyone in the post-season until Dadeville, held a 35-21 lead going into halftime, but Dadeville’s Zachary Medley and Trenton Bergmann combined for four three-pointers in the third quarter. Despite hot outside shooting, the Bearcats were never able to pull within 10 ponits.


“We just never could pull away,” Wright said. “We’d get up 17, 18 points, but we never could get over that hump and just take off. You come up here and play on this floor, you’ve made it this far, there’s no pushovers left.”


Wright noted Dadeville’s squad’s tough play, as well as their coaching staff.

“We played them here last year, and coach [Michael] Linehan had them ready to go. They wanted to come out here and fight for it - its the state championship, its not just another basketball game. They did a good job of coming out and doubling us, but we were able to make some good passes and hit some shots, and everybody stepped up and did a good job of filling in when we needed them to.”





The Braves will lose 10 seniors this year, the most notable of which will be Otto ‘Bubba’ Porter. Porter has drawn attention from all levels of collegiate basketball - Mizzou head coach Mike Anderson was in attendance for most of the state title game - but, when asked about where he would play next season, just smiled and said “I don’t know”.


Porter also set the state record for Most Points in Final Four Games against Jefferson (Conception) on Thursday (March 17). Bubba dropped in 34 points in the contest, increasing his total to 164 points, breaking a record that had stood since 1960. With his 27 points today, Otto set the bar even higher at 191 points.


Otto reflected upon his own personal successes - as well as those of his team - after the game. “When I first started playing for varsity, I just helped out. It was just an honor to play. Once I was a starter, I had to try to be as relaxed as I can. But we succeeded- we wanted to play for the ‘ship,” Otto said, smiling. “It’s what we’ve all been dreaming about. Even at school we talk about it all the time. We just wanted to bring another one home - 15 state titles..its amazing to add on to [Scott County Central’s] tradition.”





Photos above Top Photo: The SCC Braves celebrate their third consecutive Class 1 State Title.
Middle Photo: Otto Porter puts in two of his 27 points in the contest. The senior shot 10-14 from the floor, a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe, and had nine boards, three steals, and four blocks in his last game for SCC.
Bottom photo: Trey Johnson (No. 15) cuts to the basket during Saturday's State Championship game at Mizzou Arena.

                                                                     

	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	FINAL
SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL	20	15	16	18	69
DADEVILLE	10	11	18	15	54


SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL: O. Porter - 27. D. Porter - 18. S. Johnson - 11. T. Johnson - 5. Woodson - 5. Steward - 3.


DADEVILLE: Medley - 19. Bergmann - 14. Webb - 13. Dobbins - 6. Goodman - 2.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

DONIPHAN, Mo. - Dexter Bearcat baseball got off to a great start of the 2011 season with a smashing win Friday afternoon over the Doniphan Dons by a score of 23 to 2. The team is young this year and has several questions marks by position and on the pitchers mound. However, the ‘Cats were ready for their seasoning opener.

The Bearcats jumped on the Dons early in the first two innings by scoring 20 of their 22 runs. Overall, Dexter had over 14 hits in the contest with many of the players contributing. The Bearcats scored 9 runs in the first inning and 11 runs in the second inning to get a solid lead built up on the Dons. Chase Young and Bryn Hester were both strong at the plate for the Bearcats. Young went two-for-three with four runs scored and two RBI’s. Hester was two-for-two with three runs scored and an RBI. Josh Sifford, Alex Cliff and Daniel Fitts all had had RBI’s in the contest.

Junior Dalton Putnam was a scoring machine for the Bearcats and put up three runs on the day. Several of the younger players were able to see some action in the later innings of the contest. Cody Neldon and DJ Dowdy were both one-for-one at the pate and appear to be two very promising players.

Owen Flowers has worked extremely hard on the mound in the off-season and recorded his first win of the season. Flowers handled the first two innings while Zach Watson, Brad Potts and Josh Overall all collected some time on the mound.

“The pitchers did a good job for us once we got the lead,” head coach Brian Becker said. “The hard work of Owen paid off and he did a good job for us in the first two innings of the game.”

Becker liked the look of the team during its first outing of the spring, and felt it was a good start to the 2011 season.

“Overall about the game was a good start for us”, Becker added. “Any time you score 9 runs in 1st inning it’s a good thing and to be 1-0 is an important place to start our season. Hopefully we can build off it.”

The Bearcat baseball team will be in action again on Tuesday, March 22, in a game at Malden. Both the junior varsity and varsity squads will see action against the Green Wave, with the first game beginning at 4 p.m. The 'Cats season opening is slated for Wednesday, March 23, against Kennett. Both varsity and JV will take on the Kennett Indians, with the starting pitch for the first game scheduled for 4 p.m.

Junior Dalton Putnam waits for the signal to head for home during Friday afternoon's Bearcat season opening against Doniphan. Putnam scored three runs in Friday's game.

Photos submitted by Reader Shannon Putnam. Thanks, Shannon!

Missouri Boys State Tourney
Thursday (March 17) Semifinals

CLASS 3

Hogan Prep 86, Charleston 79, OT

Strafford 48, Elsberry 38

CLASS 2

Bernie 73, Wellington-Napolean 66, OT

Crane 68, New Bloomfield 49

CLASS 1

Scott Co. Central 78, Jefferson (Conception) 42

Dadeville 65, La Plata 52

SATURDAY (March 19) FINALS

CLASS 3

Hogan Prep (22-8) vs. Strafford (27-3), 3:10 p.m. Mizzou Arena

CLASS 2

Bernie (26-4) vs. Crane (26-5), 6:50 p.m., Mizzou Arena

CLASS 1

Scott County Central vs. Dadeville, 11:30 a.m., Mizzou Arena.

Girls State Tourney

Thursday (March 17) Semifinals

CLASS 3

Stockton 64, Kennett 24

Hermann 67, Hallsville 51

CLASS 2

Couch 59, North Platte 28

Purdy 68, Clopton 55

CLASS 1

Exeter 47, Jefferson (Conception) 38

Marion County 52, Montrose 51

SATURDAY (March 19) FINALS
CLASS 3

Stockton (27-3) vs. Hermann (26-5), 5:00 p.m. Hearnes Center

CLASS 2

Couch (26-3) vs. Purdy (25-6), 8:40 p.m. Hearnes Center

CLASS 1

Exeter (24-8) vs. Marion County (29-0), 1:20 p.m. Mizzou Arena

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Bernie Mules once again found themselves playing for another chance at the State Title Thursday (March 17) afternoon. The Mules (27-4, ranked #4 in the state) just had to get by Wellington-Napoleon Tigers (26-1, ranked #1 in the state) to earn their second consecutive shot at the Class 2 State Championship. After a a double-overtime thriller, the Mules came out victorious, winning 73-66.

Wellington-Napoleon’s defense was geared towards stopping Bernie standout Jordan McGowan early, but teammates Sammy Walker and Cameron Shipman stepped up for the Mules during the contest. Walker was able to put up 24 points on the night, as well as hauling in eight boards. Shipman, who hit six-of-nine three pointers in the contest, added 21 points to the Mules’ tally.

McGowan was still able to chip in 15 points during the game, but only shot four-of-13 from the floor during the game. Most of McGowan’s contributions came on the defensive side of the court - six of his seven rebounds were defensive - as well as coming up with two steals and two blocks.

The Tigers had a slight edge in rebounds - 39 compared to 36 for the Mules - and doubled Bernie’s takeaway total - eight compared to four for the Mules - but still came up short.


The Mules held a 30-20 lead going into the locker room at halftime, but the Tigers came out in the second half fired up and took over the game. Bernie’s lead was cut to four (38-34) after the third quarter, and Wellington-Napoleon exchanged leads with the Mules during the fourth. Blake Seitz had a great opportunity to secure the win for the Tigers - he stole the ball with less than 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter - and took the ball to the hoop, but missed a wide open layup to send the game into overtime tied at 56.


 
Shipman hit a deep three to give the Mules a 61-58 lead with 2:00 left in the first overtime, but he was quickly answered by Taylor Bryant. Matt Eaves completed a three-point play to put Bernie back on top - 64-62 - with 33 seconds left in the overtime period, but Bryant hit two clutch free-throws to send the game to its second overtime.


Eaves hit another clutch layup for the Mules to give them a 66-64 lead with 3:00 left in the second overtime. The Mules held that lead until McGowan hit two free throws to increase the lead to four with just under a minute left. Shipman hit three of four free-throws in the final minute of the game to push Bernie to a seven-point advantage at the final buzzer.

The Mules will move on to face the Crane Pirates for the Class 2 State Championship. The game will be held Saturday (March 19) at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.




Tipoff is scheduled for 6:50 p.m.

The ShowMe Times will be at the Championship game Saturday night. If you can't make it, make sure to check our Facebook or Twitter page for periodic score updates, and the games will also be broadcast online by Fox Sports Midwest at http://www.foxsportsmidwest.com/pages/mshsaa_championship_alt/0.