By Annabeth Miller, SMT Editor

While the center of action has been on the court with basketball games back-to-back on the first two nights of the Stoddard County Tournament, fans have had plenty of opportunities for fun times with cheer squads, dance competition, and watching some great county hoops.

The eight cheer squads in the tournament have all been judged this week by a trio of judges  Squads are judged 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, cheer teams have been entertaining fans at half time with dance routines that have thrilled and entertained fans.

Young and old have enjoyed the action in the tournament in its first year to be hosted at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter. Tournament action will take a break tonight (Wednesday) and resume Thursday with finals played on Friday evening.

ShowMe Times Photo Gallery

Stoddard County Tournament

SMT Photos by Annabeth Miller

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The Bloomfield Wildcats and Puxico Indians met in the nightcap of Day Two. The matchup between the No. 4 Wildcats and No. 5 Indians looked to be a blowout early in the game, but a second half resurgence by Puxico nearly sent the Wildcats packing. The 'Cats utilized clutch free throw shooting down the stretch to ice a 73-65 victory.

Austin Cooper's 12 point effort in the first quarter helped the Wildcats open with a 17-2 run. The Indians were able to knock down three late free throws to end the first quarter down 20-5.

Cory Messer knocked down a three for the Indians at the 5:10 mark in the second, but the Wildcats' defense stepped up and held the Tribe to just nine points in the frame. Bloomfield carried a 33-14 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Tim Hancock dropped in a layup to open the second half for the Indians. Both teams traded baskets until Hancock knocked down a pair of free throws to pull the Tribe within 20 at the 5:15 mark. Matt Camden and Messer knocked down a three late in the third, and Messer's 11 point effort helped the Indians within 11 at the end of the frame.

The Indians pulled within eight points after a pair of Hancock free throws at the 5:30 mark. Camden and Nathan Martin unleased a barrage of three pointers; the Wildcats were able to maintain their lead by knocking down 17 of 24 free throws in the fourth quarter. The Indians pulled within seven with just over a minute left, but Bloomfield weathered the storm to take home a 73-65 victory.

Messer paced the Tribe with 19 points. Martin added 14, and Camden put in 11 points.

Adam Vandiver led the Wildcats with 21 points and nine boards; Cooper added 18, while Logan Cowart netted 14 points.

Bloomfield will face the host Dexter Bearcats in Thursday's nightcap; tipoff for the Varsity semifinal contest is set for 8:30 p.m.

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.