Written by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
Essex, Missouri - Tonight was an exciting night for the Rebel fans as the basketball team played a tough game against the Bell City Cubs on their home court. The Rebel Rousers, Richland’s Pep Club, showed their support by wearing crazy socks and shoes with their slogan “Kick Those Cubs to the Curb”. The high school cheerleaders and the school’s mascot, Colonel Red, kept the crowd cheering with excitement throughout the night.
This was the team’s first Friday night game and their second home game of the season, which allowed the bleachers to fill up fast with fans from both schools. Richland quickly got on the court and got the ball and kept the lead throughout the first quarter, but only held it by one or two points. The Cubs constantly tied with the Rebels, sinking free throws left and right. The first quarter ended with the Rebels barely holding onto the lead at 19 to 17.
The second quarter was a definite power struggle for both teams. While Bell City hit nearly every free throw that they shot, Richland had trouble with their defense. Bell City took the lead due to senior Jerad Yates (#5), who was quick on his feet and had multiple chances to sink the ball through the net. Senior Richard Forshee (#50) quickly retrieved the ball on the rebounds and helped the Rebels keep up with the quick pace of the Cubs. In the last few seconds of the second quarter, the Rebels once again pulled ahead, keeping the score at a three point gap. Halftime began with a score of 33 to 30, with the Rebels leading again.
Just like every home game at Richland High School, the Pep Band led by Amber Duley, played a few songs to keep the crowd energetic and entertained. While the Rebels were in the locker room working on a strategy, the band played the Hey Song, Land of a Thousand Dances, September, and their favorite classic: Go Big Red. Colonel Red helped the cheerleaders with their cheers during the break as the crowd anxiously waited for the second half of the game to continue.
The next two quarters had the audience on the edge of the bleachers and their hearts racing. Senior Nick Daniels and sophomore Marcus Grayson played great defense for the Rebels as they slowly but surely took a larger lead from the Cubs. Sophomore Skyler Harper and Forshee also had multiple layups and great offense. Senior Jesse Barnes shot many free throws that helped out his team, bringing the third quarter into the Rebels’ advantage of 56 to 40.
The last quarter was a total steal for Richland and the Cubs couldn’t get their hands on the ball. With Grayson and Forshee constantly passing and scoring, the Rebels seemed to have a strong front as Bell City lost the ball to them nearly every time they tried to make a pass.
The Rebels recently lost each game in the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament two weeks ago, but after a few long and tiring practices, their efforts have paid off because their improvements as individuals and teammates have been phenomenal. These advances shined brightly during the fourth quarter of tonight’s game when the Rebels played keep away with the Cubs and ended their second home game with a score of 83 to 55.
Tonight’s game was a great way for Richland to start off the brand new year of 2013 and both the Rebel Rousers and the fans in the crowd went wild as the team celebrated their victory. The Rebel Basketball Team is currently preparing for the next home game on Monday, January 7th, against the Woodland Cardinals. The boys are also practicing hard to ready themselves for their upcoming Homecoming game on January 18th, against the Zalma Bulldogs.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Bernie, Missouri – The Mules traveled to Advance Thursday evening to swat the Hornets. Bernie’s Sam Turner threw a 65-foot shot winning basket at the buzzer to beat the Hornets 69-66.
Bernie Coach Brad Botsch said, “Sam’s 65 footer at the buzzer was pure luck, but we are happy it went in!” He continued by saying, “We stopped being aggressive in the fourth quarter and they really stuck it to us."
Bernie ended the half with a considerable lead of 40 – 29; however both teams slowed down in the 3rd quarter with Bernie scoring 13 and Advance with only 14 points. But in the final quarter of the game, the Hornets rallied strong and almost stole the game away from the Mules.Advance came from a 53-43 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter. They scored 23 points to take the lead. Lane Below scored a game-high 24 points for Advance and Ethan Bar had 22 for the Hornets.
David Baker led the Mules with 21 points while Joey Walker had 16 total for the game. With his 3-pointer at the buzzer Turner finished in double-digits with 11 on the night.
Bernie will travel to Caruthersville on January 8th. Game time will be 6 pm. The Mules will then play Dexter on January 11th at Bernie.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Dexter, Missouri – The Dexter Lady Bearcats will take the court at the Prepcasts Elite Girls Shootout V, which will be held at the DeSmet High School on Saturday, January 5th. Game time is 1 pm (CT). Admission is $5 for the entire day.
The Lady Bearcats have had a phenomenal season with a record of 11-1 and will take on the girls of the Webster Groves Lady Statesmen who are 7-3 on the season. The Bearcats were a STATE quarterfinalist team in the Class 4 last season. This surging program has upgraded their schedule significantly as they travel to St. Louis as part of that effort.
Coach Chad Allen (108-32) has taken two Dexter teams to the Final Four in his six-year tenure. The Lady Cats return eight players from last year and they are led by the 2011-2012 SEMO Girls Player of the Year, Brittany Harris. They have already won two tournaments this year. Over the holiday break they won their second straight Twin Rivers Lady Royals Christmas Classic tournament.
This should be a great shootout and a chance to play some powerful teams. If you can’t make it to St. Louis on Saturday, then check out the Lady Bearcats tonight as they host the Farmington Lady Knights at 6 pm at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Jonesboro, Arkansas – The Arkansas State Football team has accepted an invitation to play in the 2013 GoDaddy.com Bowl on Sunday, January 6, 2013 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
The A-State Football team is the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Champions and will face the Kent State Golden Flashes of the Mid-American Conference with an 8 pm (CT) opening kickoff scheduled.
The Red Wolves have chosen black as the color for the game and will be donning black jerseys as they take the field. The “Sound of the Natural State” is ASU’s marching band for athletics and will also take the field at half-time.
For nearly 80 years, the A-State Marching Band has been an important part of the University and provides nearly 200 students with opportunities to continue their musical activities. They have been described as “one of Arkansas State’s greatest assets” by Chancellor Potts. They are a vital part of the action of Sun Belt Conference and Bowl Championship Series football. Each year the performances of the band are varied and exciting, offering a well-polished and energetic show.
ASU has been long recognized the many talents of high school students and is pleased to have an innovative scholarship program. Many students from Dexter Senior High School have received scholarships and currently march at ASU.
Shelby Chappell, Tim Moore, Lauren Dudley, Brandon Moore, Daniel Chappell and Andrew Webb are the most recent DHS graduates who are performing this weekend at the GoDaddy.com Bowl. They left early Thursday morning and headed to Mobile where they will perform on Sunday evening.
The Red Wolves football team will also be taking part in a number of bowl-game functions prior to the game along with the band that will be marching in the Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday evening.
Dexter folks are extremely proud of their accomplishments and we wish them much success, as they will surely entertain thousands of football fans in the stadium. ESPN will also be televising the game nationally.
