By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

With one team already in the JV finals, the No. 5 Dexter Bearcats looked to upset the No. 1 Bernie Mules and defend their 2011 JV Title. When the two teams met earlier in January, the Mules blew out the Bearcats on their home floor in a 48-17 decision.

Despite leading by only four points heading into the fourth quarter, the Mules were able to stave off Dexter's upset bit and take a 55-43 victory.

The Mules jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first quarter. Myles Urhan headed back to the bench after picking up his second foul at the 4:10 mark, and Austin Aldridge knocked down a free throw for Dexter's first points of the night at 3:50. A trey from Blake Horton tied the game with 2:35 left in the frist, and a 15-footer from Stevie Payne brought the score to 10-8 in Bernie's favor at the end of the first.

Nick Noble knocked down a three to give the 'Cats the lead 20 seconds into the second, and the teams traded buckets for the entire frame. Urhan picked up his third foul and again found himself on the bench, and a late three from Aldridge gave the 'Cats a one-point lead. The Mules were able to get a quick bucket as time expired to take a 21-20 lead into halftime.

Troy Kirkpatrick knocked down a three for the Mules to open the second half, but was answered by Aldridge. B.J. Jennings hit a trey to give the Mules a three-point lead at the 1:55 mark, and Justin Stanfield layup gave Bernie a 39-35 advantage heading into the final eight minutes of play.

A Noble three got the 'Cats within four at the 3:34 mark, but it was as close as Dexter got to a win; the Mules iced the game by hitting 11 of 13 free throws in the fourth quarter and took a 55-43 victory to advance to the JV SCAA Title game.

Jennings led the Mules with 19 points, while Kirkpatrick added 13.

Payne paced the 'Cats with 14; Noble and Aldridge added 11 and 10, respectively.

Bernie will move on to face the Advance Hornets in the Championship game at 7:00 p.m.; the Bearcats will battle Puxico for third place at 4:00 p.m.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The No. 2 Advance Hornets and No. 3 Puxico Indians kicked off the JV bracket Semifinals at the 2012 SCAA Tournament. The Hornets took control of the contest early, and despite surges by the Tribe in the second and fourth quarters, advanced to the Championship game with a 63-49 final score.

The Hornets opened up a 14-2 run (eight unanswered) to open the contest. Ronnie Weagner dropped in a bucket for the Indians at the 2:03 mark, and Zach Tucker came up with a steal and bucket to bring the score to 14-4 with just over a minute left in the first, but the Hornets held a 16-6 lead heading into the second quarter.

The contest got incredibly physical in the paint during the second quarter; Tucker showed great post moves throughout, and earned four hard-fought points for the Indians because of it. The Indians defense sprung to life late in the frame, and they cut Advance's lead to 26-22 at halftime.

Zane Eggilmann knocked down a three for the Hornets to open the second half; a five point effort from Eli Seger helped Advance build back to the 10 point lead that they carried through the end of the third quarter.

The Indians battled back within five points at the 4:04 mark of the fourth quarter, thanks to a three from Seth Luttrell and a six point effort from Tucker, but the Hornets pushed back to their double digit lead. Advance took the victory with a 63-49 final score.

Ben Trout led the Hornets with 16 points; Eggilmann added 12, while Dalton Wilson and Seger both had 11.

The Tribe was led by Tucker with 16 points; Cory Pratt and Weagner added eight apeice.

Advance will move on to the JV Finals, played at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Indians will be in the third-place game, which tips at 4:00 p.m.

Day Two of the 2012 SCAA Tournament featured three blowouts and an almost-upset.

In JV matchups, the Advance Hornets picked up a 58-18 win over Bell City, while No. 3 Puxico knocked off No. 6 Bloomfield in a 57-30 decision.

Seeds held true in the Varsity bracket, with No. 2 Advance dominating No. 7 Richland with a 69-30 thumping, and No. 4 Bloomfield holding off a late surge from No. 5 Puxico for a 73-65 win.

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


Also, below are some of my best shots from Day Two - 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 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.