MACOMB, Ill. -- Megan Aubuchon (Old Monroe, Mo.) tallied a 12-point outing to lead the Owls offense on Tuesday night, but it wouldn't be enough as the William Woods University women's basketball team fell to NCAA Division I Western Illinois by a 73-52 margin. WWU managed to outrebound the Leathernecks, but could only muster a 11 percent shooting pace from 3-pt range in the game.

Neither team was able to find the range early, as it took nearly two minutes for either team to score. Aubuchon put in a jumper with 18:15 on the clock to put the Owls up 2-0, but the lead would be short-lived.

WIU answered with a bucket on its next possession, and used a series of small spurts to build a 39-25 halftime lead. Coming out of the locker room, however, the Leathernecks posted an 11-2 run and didn't look back.

The Leathernecks stretched out to a 66-32 lead with 8:50 to go, but the Owls were able to claw back into the game with a 15-2 run, closing the gap to 49-68 with 1:13 to go. Destani Stensrud (Exeter, Mo.) capped off the run with seven consecutive points, including a three-pointer with 1:26 on the clock.

Dexter, Mo., native Ashlee Taylor contributed six rebounds, four points, and a steal in her 20 minutes of playing time.

William Woods finished the game with a .358 shooting percentage from the field, and hit at a .650 pace from the free throw line. Western Illinois finished with a .425 pace from the floor and a .321 rate from 3-pt range. The Owls held the rebounding edge on the evening, 43-38, and will return to regular season action on Friday.

WWU is set to take on Campbellsville University in the Cougars vs. Cancer Classic on Dec. 30, with tipoff slated at 2 p.m.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

BLOOMFIELD - The Dexter Bearcats took the floor against the South Pemiscot Bulldogs in their first contest since a close loss against the Scott City Rams. The Bearcats’ struggles from the free-throw line continued, but the ‘Cats were still able to come up with a 56-38 victory in the opening round of the 55th Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.

The ‘Cats opened up a quick 8-2 lead, aided by a three from Tyler Miller, but the Bulldogs fought back within four points late in the frame. The Bulldogs dominated the boards throughout the first half, and were aided by terrible inside shooting by the Bearcats. The ‘Cats were able to hang on to a two point, 12-10 lead after the opening quarter of play.

Miller, Jordan Fitts, and Brad Potts all recorded steals in the second quarter to help spark a 7-0 run. A three from South Pem’s Jacob Trammel helped get the Bulldogs within six at the 4:00 mark. The Bulldogs would take a brief 21-20 lead at the 2:00 mark on a Collin Gilmore layup, but Jake Lee quickly tied the game when he hit one of two form the charity stripe. Fitts picked up another steal and quick bucket on the ensuing inbounds pass to give the Bearcats a 23-21 lead at the half.

South Pemiscot went on a 4-0 run to open the second half before a Miller 15-footer tied the contest at 25. The Bulldogs took a 27-25 lead at the 5:00 mark; Fitts gave the ‘Cats a one point lead with a deep trey, but Contrell Johnson quickly answered with a three of his own. Miller completed a three-point play to put the ‘Cats back out in front. Dexter held a 36-30 lead at the end of the third.

Cody Neldon picked off the opening inbounds pass of the fourth quarter and turned it into a quick basket for the Bearcats. After a technical foul was called on Lee early in the fourth, the Bulldogs were able to convert one of the two free throws and Trammel added a three on the ensuing possession to cut Dexter’s lead to 40-34 at the 6:40 mark. Miller picked up the Bearcat ‘D’ late in the fourth, and recorded two blocks and a steal, as well as two three pointers, to help push the ‘Cats to a 56-38 victory.


DHS Head Coach Rob Nichols was unavailable for comments after the contest.

Miller led the Bearcats with 18 points in the contest, while Fitts had 13. The ‘Cats continue to struggle from the charity stripe, and only made 12 of 25 free throws.

Gilmore paced the Bulldogs with 10 points; Seth Harris added 7.

The Bearcats will move on to face the No. 4 Holcomb Hornets at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday in the Championship Bracket.


The Bulldogs will move on to face No. 13 Malden in the Consolation Bracket; tip is set for 9:00 a.m.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

With Christmas upon us, the minds of players and coaches from area high schools all shift to the 55th Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.

Stoddard County will be well-represented in the tournament, with the Richland Rebels, Bloomfield Wildcats, Bernie Mules, Puxico Indians, and Dexter Bearcats all competing in the four-day basketball extravaganza.

The Bearcats were given the No. 5 seed in the tournament. The ‘Cats are currently 1-5, after opening the season with a Murderer’s Row of a schedule. The ‘Cats have dropped two games to the defending Class 4 State Champion Sikeston Bulldogs, as well as two two games against Jackson and one against Charleston. The Bearcats’ most recent 65-62 loss against the Scott City Rams could have just as easily been a win for the team.


The ‘Cats open the tournament against No. 12 South Pemiscot on Dec. 26 at 2:30 p.m.

The Bernie Mules, fresh off their second-straight Show-Me Showdown Final Four appearance, were given the No. 6 seed and sport a 6-1 record. The Mules’ lone loss of the 2011-2012 season came against Holcomb in the semifinals of the Bernie Invitational Tournament.


The Mules will open against No. 11 Van Buren at 4:00 p.m. on Monday.

The Bloomfield Wildcats earned the No. 7 seed with a 3-2 record. The host Wildcats two losses came against Holcomb and the Bernie Mules, and they open the tournament against No. 10 Saxony Lutheran at 5:00 p.m. Monday.

The Puxico Indians were given the No. 9 seed with a 3-2 record and will open the tournament against the No. 8 Hayti Indians on Monday at 7:00 p.m. in the final contest of the opening day.

The Richland Rebels, with a 1-5 record thus far in the 2011-2012 campaign, was given the No. 16 seed.

The Rebels will open the tournament on Dec. 26 at 9:00 a.m. when they face off against the No. 1 Kennett Indians, who look to three-peat after knocking off the Bearcats in last year’s title game.

ShowMe Times sports editor Andrew Cato will be at all 26 games, and you can follow live score updates via our Facebook or Twitter pages. There will also be a new menu area, under the Sports tab, where you can find recaps of all 26 games.


For your convenience, Tournament Brackets can be downloaded and printed out here.

ShowMe Scoreboard, 12.23.2011

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

BROSELEY - The stage was set for what hoped to be a close contest between two of the best girls basketball programs in the area in the finals of the Lady Royals Christmas Classic. The Lady ‘Cats, who had won their previous three games in the tournament by an average of 56 points, looked to hand the Kennett Lady Indians their first loss of the season. After four quarters of play, the Lady Bearcats took home first place with a 69-45 victory over the Tribe.

“I was really proud of our girls. They were ready for this game tonight, and really got off to a great start. We got that 28-10 lead during the first quarter, and that really set the tone,” LBB head coach Chad Allen said. “Kennett is well-coached, and I thought they did a great job in the second quarter of making their run. Good teams will eventually make a run as well, and that’s what they did. We tried to get our girls to keep pressuring the ball, and sooner or later they would wear down, and that’s what we did in the second half.”

The ‘Cats jumped out to a 28-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Indians held the ‘Cats to only 10 points in the second quarter to bring the score to 38-23 at the half.

”[Kennett] ended up playing their game and slowing it down [in the second quarter],” Allen said of the Tribe. “We were taking too many perimeter shots and not hitting. I think we shot close to 90% in the first quarter, but we couldn’t get any in during the second.”

“You’ve gotta make shots to get in your press, and I think that was the difference in the game. They slowed things down in the second and worked the ball inside to Wynne - she’s really tough inside, and she had a big night for them.”

The Indians came out in the second half and battled back within 11 points midway through the third quarter, and the two squads traded buckets until the 1:00 mark of the third, when the ‘Cats quickly rattled off six points to take a 51-35 lead after the third.

“We just told the girls to keep on pressuring and that sooner or later they would break down, and then we would make our run,” Allen said. “I knew we would eventually make a run, and around the middle of the third you could tell [Kennett was] getting pretty tired.”


The Lady ‘Cats outscored Kennett in the fourth - 18-10 - to seal the 69-45 victory and the first-place trophy in the tournament. Allen noted the pressure his team faced as the number one seed in the tournament, but said he was proud of their consistent effort throughout their games.

“There’s always pressure involved, especially when you get to the championship game. I thought our girls handed that pressure extremely well, coming out with our great start, and I really think that made a difference tonight,” he said. “The girls are definitely excited to get this tournament win; I know they didn’t show a whole lot of emotion, but I’m proud of how they played and competed this week. I hope they have a good break and get rested and ready to get back in the gym and start working hard again.”


The Lady ‘Cats were well-represented on the All-Tournament team, with Brittany Harris, Paige Patterson, and Hannah Noe all earning slots on the squad. Audrey Wynne and Darby Sparks of Kennett, Kasuela Cooper of Charleston, Lexi Morris of Clearwater, Kayla Maupin and Brooke Sheppard of Neelyville, Benesha Childress of New Madrid, and Tori Cole and Lexi Stockton of Twin Rivers also made the team.

The Lady Bearcats will be back in action again on Monday, January 2, when they travel north to face off against Farmington.