By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

In the first Varsity contest of the day, the No. 2 Advance Hornets met the No. 7 Richland Rebels. The Rebels were able to keep a competitive game in the first half, but a big third quarter from the Hornets put the game out of reach with a 69-30 final score.

Richland's 6'11" Richard Forshee picked up two blocks in the first minute of the game. Advance's usually potent offense sputtered throughout the first quarter, and starting guard Hunter Wilson had to leave the game with foul trouble midway through the frame. Forshee blocked two more shots in the last minute of the first, but the Hornets held on to a 12-6 lead.

The Rebels put together a 6-0 run, capped off by a layup from Forshee, to tie the game at the 6:00 mark of the second quarter. Advance responded, and put up their own 6-0 run. A steal from Ethan Barr led to a 12-footer for Lane Below to give Advance a 22-14 lead at the 3:35 mark. Barr took control of the game late in the second, and dropped in 10 points to give the Hornets a 30-18 lead heading into halftime.

After a quick bucket by Jesse Barnes to open the second half, the Rebels didn't score until the 3:10 mark of the third quarter. Advance put together a 26-0 run until Forshee dropped in a bucket with just over 3:00 left in the frame; the Hornets carried a 59-24 lead into the fourth quarter.

Forshee hit Richland's only shots from the floor in the fourth quarter, as Advance moved on to a 69-30 victory.

The Hornets had four in double-figures; Barr led the way with 18, while Wallace added 14 points. Below and Wilson each had 10 points.

Forshee led the Rebels with 15 points and 14 boards. Jesse Barnes added seven points.

The Hornets will face the No. 3 Bernie Mules in Thursday night's semifinal round; tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The No. 6 Bloomfield Wildcats looked to upset the No. 3 Puxico Indians in the final opening-round JV contest, but the Tribe proved to be too much for the 'Cats to handle; despite a second-half surge from Bloomfield, the Indians pushed to a 57-30 victory.

The two teams traded buckets early in the first quarter, but a three point play from Zach Tucker pushed the Indians to a 8-4 advantage at the 1:15 mark. The Tribe put up three more points to take a 11-4 lead after the first quarter.

The Indians continued to build their lead in the early second quarter; Austin Rodgers picked up a steal and layup to spark a 10-0 run by the Tribe. The Wildcats picked up a three point play from Austin Battles midway through the frame, but the Indians rattled off seven unanswered points to take a 28-9 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Wildcats looked lke a different team in the beginning of the second half; they put together a quick 9-0 run and forced three turnovers in the first three minutes of the third quarter. The Indians responded, and surged to a 40-24 advantage heading into the fouth.

The Indians capitalized on Wildcat turnovers in the fourth quarter, and worked up an 18 point lead at the 2:35 mark. Cory Pratt buried a three for the Tribe late in the fourth to help push them out to a 57-30 victory.

Cole McClard led the Wildcats with 12 points, while Austin Battles netted seven.

Cordell Stewart paced the Tribe with 12 points, and was closely followed by Ronnie Weagner, who had 11. Austin Rodgers, Pratt, and Tucker added eight points apiece.

The Indians will face off against the No. 2 Advance Hornets in the semifinals of the JV bracket; tip is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The second-seeded Advance Hornets faced off against the No. 7 Bell City Cubs to open the second day of the 2012 SCAA Tournament. Advance's high-powered offense overwhelmed the Cubs and sealed a 52-18 opening round victory.

The Hornets put together an 8-0 run to open the game. A layup from Colbey Gammons stopped the bleeding momentarily, but Advance strung together a 6 point run to close the quarter with a 14-6 lead.

Eli Seger picked up a loose ball and dropped in a quick layup to set the tone of the second quarter; Advance's press forced turnovers all quarter long, and the Hornets carried a 29-10 lead into halftime.

Advance continued to hammer the Cubs throughout the third quarter; an offensive board and stickback from Nolan Schaefer was the highlight of the third for Bell City, as Advance had a 30 point advantage heading into the fourth.

A running clock in the fourth was the only thing that could slow down the Hornets' offense; Advance only scored eight points in the closing frame to cruise to a 52-18 victory.

The Cubs were led by Schaefer, with six points. Gammons, Cameron Polley, and Jeremy Green all had four points.

Seger led the Hornets with 16 points; Dalton Wilson added 12, and was the only other Hornet in double-figures.

Advance will move on to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the Puxico/Bloomfield contest.

Tip for the semifinal matchup is set for 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.

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.