POPLAR BLUFF - A couple of minutes made all the difference for the Jeffco Vikings against Three Rivers Wednesday night.

LaQuinta Jefferson scored 11 of her 15 points and recorded all four of her steals during a 15-0 run as Jeffco needed just 91 seconds to erase a nine-point deficit early in the second half and defeat the Lady Raiders 84-73 in a Region XVI contest at the Bess Activity Center.

Three Rivers took a 38-29 lead on Whitney Mills’ basket with 18:53 left in the game, but Jefferson and the Vikings took over from there.

Jefferson converted steals into baskets on three of five possessions and added a pair of free throws on another to tie the game with 17:22 to go in the contest, then took another steal to the hoop less than a minute later to give Jeffco the lead for good. Jefferson then added two more free throws and Mhykeah Baez hit a basket to cap the run and make it 44-38 with 15:58 showing on the clock.

The Lady Raiders (8-13, 1-4 XVI) did not go away, narrowing the deficit to 47-45 on Carolyn Overton’s free throw with 13:57 remaining, but Jeffco answered with an 11-3 run to take a 58-48 lead on Lashonda Littleton’s free throws midway through the second half.

Overton’s basket with 8:51 remaining cut the Three Rivers deficit to 59-55, but came no closer and the Vikings added a 10-0 run late in the game to put the game on ice.

Earlier in the game, it was the Lady Raiders who made a run, going on an 8-0 run to wipe out an early deficit and take a 27-21 lead after back-to-back baskets by Overton with 3:07 left in the first half.

However, Jeffco (18-4, 4-2) fought back, getting six straight points from Littleton in the final 47 seconds of the first half to trail by just one point (30-29) before Tazonda Gibbs hit a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer.

Overton then hit a 3 in the opening minute of the second half and Mills added a basket with 18:53 remaining in the game, setting the stage for Jefferson’s heroics for the Vikings.

Overton had a game-high 19 points for Three Rivers, while Mills tossed in 18 and Brooke Godsey finished with 10.

Littleton paced Jeffco with 18 points, while Rayven Brooks added 17, Jasmine Crawford chipped in 13 – and five steals – and Baez concluded the night with 10 points.

The Lady Raiders are back in action Saturday night when they host Region XVI foe State Fair in their annual Pink-Out Game for breast cancer awareness. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and will receive $1 off admission if they do. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at the Bess Activity Center.

For more information on everything Three Rivers Athletics, make sure to visit RaidersAthletics.com!

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

Prior to Tuesady night's home contest against the Meadow Heights Panthers, the Lady Bearcats took a moment to honor one of their players and coaches for significant career achievements.

Brittany Harris joined the 1,000 Point Club during the Lady Bearcats' 56-26 victory over the Kennett Lady Indians on January 9, 2012.

Harris' name will go down in the record books as the first Lady Bearcat to reach 1,000 points in her junior season, and as the fifth Lady Bearcat to reach the mark; she as preceded by Rachel Blunt (1491 pts., 2001-2005), Katelyn Heil (1,419 pts., 2005-2009), Katie Dunlap (1,157 pts., 1999-2003), and Taylor Nelson (1,115 pts., 2002-2006).

The junior post currently stands at 1,080 career points, and if her 17.2 ppg average plays out, should finish the reguar season close to the 1,160 mark. Harris, LBB's leading scorer, stands at 327 points through 19 of the Lady Bearcats' 25 regular-season games.

LBB head coach Chad Allen was also honored before the game for picking up his 100th career win. Allen is the first coach in the history of Lady Bearcat Basketball to reach the feat; Gavin Miller, Allen's predecessor, previously held the mark with 94 wins. Rounding out the top three is Larry Louder, who had 86 wins during his time at the helm of the Lady 'Cats.

Harris and Allen, along with the rest of the Lady Bearcats, look to improve on their marks on Thursday night, when they travel to Kelly to take on the Lady Hawks. Tipoff for the JV game is set for 6:30.

On the closest thing to a national holiday in the college football offseason, Letters of Intent have been filed by high school athletes lucky enough to continue playing at the collegiate level. On top of the Missouri Tigers scoring the nation's top recrut, DHS alum Glen Johnson will welcome 19 new players to the Southwest Baptist University Bearcats next season.

BOLIVAR - SBU Bearcat football has announced the addition of 19 players for the upcoming 2012 season. The Bearcats are coming off of their third consecutive winning season and will rejoin the MIAA in the 2012 season.

"Our coaching staff has done another great job this year of signing student-athletes that understand what it means to be a Bearcat," head coach Keith Allen stated. "These signees can contribute to our team immediately, either by playing in a starring role or providing competition and quality depth at their position. We are very excited about the guys we have signed and the ten mid-year transfers that are already on campus."

The guys we have signed are not only great football players, they are quality people off the field as well. This recruiting class is exemplified by young men with great character, hard work ethic, solid academics and a burning desire to compete on the football field for the Bearcats.

Our immediate needs on offense were at the offensive line, running back, tight end and wide receiver positions. Defensively, we had immediate needs at the defensive line and with the secondary. As you can see from our mid-year signees and current signing class, we have addressed these needs and will continue to find young men that can help this team.

Again, our coaching staff did a great job recruiting and I applaud their hard work and effort. I also appreciate all the support and help our athletic administration, faculty and staff gave us in recruiting such a strong class. We will be finalizing this recruiting class over the next few weeks with a few more talented student athletes. Our fans can expect another great season with this class."

Click here to see the full list of Bearcat Signees for 2012!

SLIPPERY ROCK, Penn.- After a breakout 2011 season as a sophomore closer for the Palm Beach Atlantic University of baseball team, Alejandro De Moya appears keen on repeating the success he found last season as the Sailfish left-handed stopper in the late innings. His standout campaign helped him earn a selection to the Pre-Season All-Region Team released by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) on Tuesday.

The Sailfish are coming off a season in which they finished 27-26, a ten game improvement from the season before which was their first under head coach, Gary Carter. The Fish will begin the season just outside the top-ten of the NCBWA Regional poll as they finished in the receiving votes category.

A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the crafty De Moya led the Sailfish or was near the top in almost every statistical category last season.

De Moya finished tied for the team lead in wins with five alongside fellow left-hander Kenny Frosch while proving more than capable of handling the ninth inning responsibilities by accumulating a team-best seven saves.

He would finish 5-1 on the season over the course of a team-high 19 games while logging a total of 32.1 innings pitched. Utilizing his strong repertoire of pitches, De Moya limited his opponents to just a .191 batting average while tallying 39 strikeouts and 14 walks.

The Sailfish baseball team opens play on Thursday, February 2nd when they host Lynn University at 7 pm. The two Palm Beach County rivals will be squaring off at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, the Spring Training home of the Miami Marlins and defending World Series champion, St. Louis Cardinals.

Visit pbasailfish.com for the latest news and info on Palm Beach Atlantic University Athletics.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

Basketball fans at the Bearcat Event Center witnesses a showdown between two state-ranked teams on Tuesday night: the No. 7 Meadow Heights Lady Panthers and No. 4 Dexter Lady Bearcats. The Lady 'Cats were on a 14 game win streak heading into the contest, but the Panthers used excellent shooting to down the Lady 'Cats on their home floor with a 71-56 final.

Erin Bollman and Whitney Welker combined for 53 of the Panthers points, and wreaked havoc on the Lady 'Cats in the full-court press.

"Bollman and the Welker girl, they're both seniors and they have a lot of experience, and it showed tonight," LBB head coach Chad Allen said after the game. "Both those girls took over and had excellent games for them."

"Meadow Heights definitely have a good team, and they're well-coached," Allen continued. "We came out tonight a little flat-footed, and weren't very active."

Allison Jarrell knocked down a three at the 6:35 mark for LBB's first points of the contest, but a three point play from Bollman gave the Panthers a 7-3 lead. The Lady 'Cats struggled against Meadow Heights' press throughout the contest, and committed several turnovers in the first quarter. Jarrell would knock down three more treys, and Mollie Whitehead added her first of the game, but LBB trailed 25-19 after the first.

Taylor Cureton knocked down a three early in the second, but Dexter's defense was able to limit the Panthers to just nine points in the second quarter. Paige Patterson dropped in four points to help the 'Cats to cut the Panther lead to 34-31 heading into halftime.

An offensive board and stickback from Brittany Harris gave the Lady 'Cats their first lead of the contest less than a minute into the second half, but a 12 point effort from Bollman in the third gave the Panthers a 10 point advantage at the end of the third.

Katelynn Frazier came up with a steal and layup early in the fourth to put the 'Cats down by eight, but the Panthers responded with a 7-0 run. Whitehead knocked down another trey midway through the frame, but no matter what the 'Cats did, the Panthers were able to maintain at least a 10 point lead.

Harris fouled out at the 3:00 mark, but Jarrell knocked down her fifth three of the game on the next possession. Cureton was able to pick off back-to-back inbounds passes by the Lady 'Cats for three quick points, and the Panthers rode out the clock for a 71-56 victory.

"I thought overall we didn't play aggressively tonight. We looked a little timid, and I know the girls can play better than that," Allen said. "The girls will learn from this and we'll get better."

"Our guards didn't get their heads up, and they did a great job of keeping us from getting the ball in the paint. We just didn't get our heads up to look for the open man inside," he continued. "I thought we should have got in there more. [Meadow Heights] definitely executed offensively and defensively tonight."

The Lady 'Cats fall to 17-3 on the season with the loss, and will be back in action on Thursday night when they face Kelly on the road. The contest will be a triple-header, featuring the Freshman Boys at 5:00, followed by the JV and Varsity girls.

Editor's Note: Paige Patterson cleaned up the boards all night, and netted a double-double with 10 points and 13 boards in the contest.