The opening day of the 2012 SCAA Tournament was rather uneventful; the closest hint of an upset came in the No. 4/No. 5 contest of the JV bracket, between Woodland and Dexter.

Granted, Dexter won, so it was TECHNICALLY an upset, but after watching the regular-season matchup between the two teams, it was really a toss-up.

In the Varsity bracket, seeds played out as expected; No. 1 Dexter picked up a 90-47 win over No. 8 Bell City, and No. 3 Bernie down No. 6 Woodland 70-23.

If you click here, you can download an updated version of the bracket.


Also, below are some of my best shots from Day One - if you navigate over to the gallery page, you can buy prints, coffee mugs, posters, trading cards, etc.

See you at the games! -AC

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The top-seeded, host Dexter Bearcats faced off against the No. 8 Bell City Cubs in the nightcap of Day 1 at the 2012 Stoddard County Tournament. The Cubs were able to hang with Dexter for the first quarter, but an offensive surge in the second propeled the Bearcats to a double-digit lead and a 90-47 victory.

Shane Hughes rejected Dexter's first shot of the contest, but a steal from Cody Neldon led to a bucket for Jake Lee and a four-point run for the 'Cats. Brad Potts knocked down a three for the 'Cats, but was quickly answered by Jerad Yates. Aaron Smith hit a trey on the Cubs' next possession. Yates tacked on another three a minute later, but this time D.J. Dowdy responded for the 'Cats. Dexter held on to a 20-14 lead after the opening frame.

Neldon and Chase Young knocked down back-to-back threes for the 'Cats to open the second quarter. Miller came up with a steal and missed a 12-footer, but Jake Lee was there for a stickback to give the 'Cats a 14 point lead at the 5:40 mark. Young hit another trey late in the frame to send the 'Cats in the locker room with a 45-26 advantage at halftime.

McKenzie Vires compelted a three point play for the Cubs to open the second half, but Bell City never pulled within 16 for the rest of the third. Miller put up 10 points in the third, while Lee continually pulled down defensive rebounds to give the 'Cats a commanding 74-39 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Miller knocked down another three at the 5:00 mark to give the 'Cats a 40 point lead. Jordan Fitts chippped in a trey on the next possession, while a pair of free throws from Matt Ridlen in the closing seconds of the contest put the final score at 90-47 in Dexter's favor.

The 'Cats had four players in double figures in the blowout win; Miller and Lee led the way with 21 and 20 respective points, while Potts added 15 and Young put in 11 points.

Yates and Vires led the Cubs with 17 and 11 points.

Dexter will move on to face the winner of the No. 4/No. 5 contest between Bloomfield and Puxico; the Bearcats sport regular-season wins over both teams.

Tip is set for 8:30 p.m. on Thursday (Jan. 26) night.

Editor's Note: The Bearcats have seemed to put their early-season struggles at the free throw line out of their minds for the time being. The 'Cats have shown steady improvment over the last few games, including tonight's 10-of-14 effort from the stripe.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The Woodland Cardinals struggled against the Bernie Mules when they met in the regular season in early December.

Thing didn't go any better for the No. 6 Cardinals when they went up against the No. 3 Mules in the opening round of the SCAA Tournament; the Mules' dominant defense gave up no more than six points in a single quarter throught the contest helped Bernie to a 70-23 victory.

Matt Eaves and David Baker, the Mules' leading scorers, opened the contest with a combined 10 point effort in the opening frame, while Jake Wagner dropped in a three midway through the frame. Bernie had control of the game from the opening tip, and held a 23-6 lead after the first quarter.

Bubby Schwent had a big game off the bench for the Mules; the 5'9" sophomore chipped in an old-fashioned three point play at the 4:30 mark to give the Mules a 32-9 lead. Eaves gave the Mules several defensive stops with his great performance on the glass, and added four more points toward the Mules' 39-12 halftime lead.

Sam Turner knocked down a deep three to open the second half and spark a 9-0 run. Aaron Yount added a three for the Cardinals two minutes later, but Bernie's potent D kept their big lead intact throughout the third quarter.

The Mules had a running clock in the fourth, thanks to their 56-17 lead to open the frame. Wagner added another three late in the frame to give the Mules a 70-23 victory.

“We had a good defensive effort and overall played good fundamental basketball," Bernie head coach Brad Botsch said. " That’s what we have to get back to. We’ve gotten away from just solid, fundamental basketball in different aspects of the game and it’s important we get our focus back on that.”

The Mules had four players in double figures; Baker had 16, Eaves had 14, Schwent added 12 off the bench, and Turner dropped in 10 points.

Only three Cardinals scored in the contest; Yount led the way with 16 points.

The Mules will be in action again on Thursday, when they take on the winner of Tuesday night's matchup between No. 2 Advance and No. 7 Richland.

Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday (Jan 26) night.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The Woodland Cardinals and Dexter Bearcats kicked off the JV bracket of the 2012 SCAA Tournament in a matchup between the No. 4 and No. 5 teams.

Despite holding a regular season victory over the 'Cats, the Cardinals were knocked off in a slight upset with a 44-38 final score.

The Bearcats opened the contest with a 10-2 run before Garrett Faulkner knocked down a three at the 2:38 mark to put the Redbirds down by five. A great first quarter effort from Stevie Payne - who had seven points and three rebounds in the opening frame - gave the 'Cats a 13-5 lead.

Each squad put together a four point run in the early second quarter, but Devin Hampton pulled down several key defensive rebounds to preserve the Bearcats' lead. Ben McCormick completed a three point play for the Cardinals in the closing minute of the first half, but the Bearcats were still able to hang on to a 17-12 lead at halftime.

Austin Aldridge buried a three to open the third quarter, but the Cardinals rattled off four quick points to bring the score to 20-18 at the 5:30 mark. Another three from Aldridge, as well as an offensive rebound and putback from Payne, helped the 'Cats to a 36-25 advantage after the third quarter.

The Bearcats continued to roll in the early fourth quarter. Aldrige hit another three pointer at the 5:30 mark, while Payne and Hampton continued to clean up the glass. The 'Cats exteded their lead to 44-30 with a minute left in the game before the Cardinals put up eight unanswered points to bring the final score to 44-38 in Dexter's favor.

Aldridge paced the 'Cats with 17 points; Payne was the only other Bearcat in double-figures with 11 points.

McCormick was the only Cardinal in double digits, with 10 points. Faulker added nine points in the loss.

The No. 5 Bearcats will move on to face the top-seeded Bernie Mules in the JV Semifinals; tip is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

By Annabeth Miller, SMT Editor

It’s the lesser known competition during Stoddard County Tournament week, but the squads who lead the cheers, do those back flips and tumble and dance work hard to prepare and perform for this week.

The cheer squads from the eight teams are in a competition this week as well – each and every time they step foot on the Bearcat Event Center floor. The eight squads from the conference will be just each game of the tournament by a trio of judges. The judges are there for each and every game, and just the cheerleaders on a set of criteria:

• Voice – including if words and phrasing is clear, loud, articulate and understandable
• Appearance – appropriate, safe attire and neat
• Arm Motions – controlled and distinct, corresponding with words
• Formations & Spacing – the use of the floor and transitions and positions
• Jumps, Stunts and Mounts – skill, level of difficulty, and execution
• Showmanship & Spirit Projection – impact, energy, effectiveness, performance quality, smiles and personality
• Crowd Involvement – use of positive crowd response and creativity.

In addition, Dexter Assistant Athletic Director Alana Dowdy said each girl on each squad is also judged by a second set of standards.

A team trophy will be awarded Friday night during the presentation of awards at Center Court, and the All-County Cheer Squad will be announced as well at that time.

Photo Above: The Bernie Mule Cheer Squad will take to the BEC floor on Monday night for the Bernie-Woodland game in the opening night of the Stoddard County Tournament. Cheer team members include (front row- Sierra Eberle (Sophomore), Alexis McGowan (Sophomore); (middle row) Lari Spitzer (Freshman, Co-Captain), Katie Baker (Junior, Captain), Blakely Bradshaw (Freshman); (back row) Jordan Ellenburg (Sophomore), Paige Mays (Junior), Ellen Snider (Junior), Caitlyn Mayberry (Junior). (Photo submitted by Bernie Cheer coach Melissa Marquis)