By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The No. 6 seed in the 2012 SCAA Tournament went to the Woodland Cardinals. The Cardinals have amassed a 4-9 record in their 2011-2012 campaign, and look to pull off an upset in their opening round matchup against the No. 3 Bernie Mules.

Woodland stands at 1-2 in SCAA contests, including a 72-35 loss at Bernie, a 78-55 loss against Dexter, and a close 79-75 win over the Bell City Cubs.

Head coach Robert Stein notes that his team has shown better consistency and effort in recent weeks.

“Recently, we are playing a lot more consistently as a team,” Stein said of the Cardinals.  “My players seem to have gained some confidence and are playing with a lot more poise.”

The Cardinals will have a tough task on their hands in their opening matchup against the Bernie Mules. Bernie’s leading scorer David Baker had 18 points when they last met, and Bernie’s press has been potent as of late. Matt Eaves could also cause problems for Woodland in the paint.

“On Baker and Eaves we are planning to try to play hard and make it as difficult as possible for them to score,” Stein said. “On the press, we will try to find an open teammate and make fundamental passes and cuts to get it across and into our offense.  Hopefully we will be able to shoot better than we did the last time we played them.”

The Cardinals’ JV squad picked up the No. 4 seed in their bracket, and will open the tournament against the host Dexter Bearcats, who took the No. 5 slot.

Woodland’s JV team will be on display in the first contest of the tournament at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The Varsity squad will be in action in the 6:00 p.m. contest on Monday.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The Richland Rebels picked up the No. 7 seed in the Varsity bracket of the 2012 SCAA Tournament. The Rebels have accumulated a 2-11 overall record so far in the season.

Richland has struggled in contests with other SCAA teams so far this season; all three of their losses within the county came in blowout fashion - 74-41 against Bloomfield, 78-31 against Dexter, and a slightly improved 77-58 decision against Puxico - but the Rebels do hold a 64-63 victory over the Bell City Cubs.

Head coach David Reynolds notes that despite their record, his team is showing improvements recently.

“I feel we've got a little better defensively as the season has gone on,” Reynolds said. “Although we still have a ways to go to improve.”

The Rebels are set to open the tournament against the No. 2 Advance Hornets. The two squads met on January 13, and saw the Hornets emerge with a 89-63 victory.

Advance’s 6’4” center Ethan Barr will again have a tough task on his hands with Richard Forshee, Richland’s 6’11” center. Forshee has had several great scoring efforts recently; the junior has had two 40-plus point games since the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.

“It should be a battle in the paint,” Reynolds said of the Barr/Forshee matchup. “Those guys are a couple good players that really leave it on the floor.” “We played them a last week so we both kind of have an idea on what each other has to do,” he continued. “I look for us both to make adjustments and hopefully give the crowd a good competitive game.”

The Rebels didn’t enter a JV team in the tournament; the Varsity squad is set to tip off at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

Editor’s Note: This is the first of eight preview stories for all Varsity teams in the 2012 Stoddard County Tournament, released in reverse-order based on tournament seeding.


The Bell City Cubs have struggled in the early part of the 2011-2012 season, but they are showing signs of improvement over their 3-21 record last season.

In their second year with Nate Wills as head coach, the Cubs have already matched their win total from the previous season. The Cubs stand at 3-10 on the season, and are currently winless in SCAA contests.

After a 72-38 loss against the Bernie Mules in December, the Cubs have kept things much closer in their other SCAA match-ups.

The Cubs hosted the Richland Rebels on January 6, and dropped a 64-63 thriller; earlier this week, the Woodland Cardinals handed the Cubs a 79-74 loss.

The Cubs have five seniors on their eight man squad, but have a significant height disadvantage against many teams they face; their tallest player is senior Shane Hughes, who measures up at 6’1”.
“We just keep coming at you. If there's one thing I've noticed about our team it's our resiliency and I'm very proud of them about that,” Wills said of his team. “We aren't very big size-wise, so we like to spread the floor and dribble. We like to penetrate the lane, leaving some shooters on the perimeter.”


The Cubs got the No. 8 seed in the tournament, and will face the No. 1 Dexter Bearcats in the opening round of the tournament on Monday. Wills noted the distinct height advantage of the Bearcats, and noted the emphasis his team has put on preparing for a battle in the paint.

“Dexter is a tough matchup for us size-wise,” Wills commented.  “We've really been putting an emphasis on rebounding and playing good post defense in preparation for the game.”

Bell City’s JV squad picked up the No. 7 seed in their bracket; the young Cubs will face No. 2 Advance in the opening round.

The JV Cubs are set to open the tournament on Tuesday with a 4:00 p.m. tipoff; the Varsity squad opens the tournament on Monday in the 7:30 contest.