CLARKTON -- The Risco Tigers missed out on their third-straight trip to the championship of the Clarkton Holiday Tournament, falling to top-seeded Gosnell, Ark., 82-77 in the semifinals on Thursday night.
Risco led 26-17 after one quarter but a 22-7 run by Gosnell in the second quarter, helped by five 3-pointers, put the Pirates in front 39-33 at halftime.
The Tigers cut the lead to one after three 60-59, but Gosnell pulled away in the fourth for the win.
"I can't be any more proud of the heart my guys showed," said Risco coach Brandon Blankenship. "We only had six guys able to go and we played most of the second half with just five guys. We hung in there, fought back and still had a chance which is all you can ask for."
Risco (4-3) was led in scoring by Luke Bixler who finished with 20 points. Chris Pavy and Austin White added 19 apiece while Kris Walker chipped in 12.
The Tigers will take on Gideon in the third place game tonight at 6:30 p.m. while Gosnell will play Clarkton in the championship game.
Risco 26 7 26 18 -- 77
Gosnell 17 22 21 22 -- 82
RISCO (77) -- Luke Bixler 20, Chris Pavy 19, Austin White 19, Kris Walker 12, Brandon Bixler 4, Jeremy Fowler 3. FG 28, FT 13-20, F 18. (3-pointers: White 3, Bixler 2, Pavy 2. Fouled out: Pavy).
GOSNELL (82) -- Tre Howe 25, Keyston Claybrooks 20, Darrian McKinney 11, Brandon Whiteside 6, James Cook 6, Zach King 4, Corliss Lee 3, C.J. Chew 3. FG 32, FT 12-23, F 17. (3-pointers: (Howe 3, McKinney 1, Lee 1, Chew 1. Fouled out: none).
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Oran 65, South Pemiscot 52
STEELE -- The Oran Lady Eagles started strong and held off the South Pemiscot Lady Bulldogs 65-52 on the road Thursday night.
Oran jumped out to a 21-9 first quarter lead and led 33-24 at half. A 19-14 outburst in the third quarter put the Lady Eagles comfortably in front as they were able to hold the lead.
Cheyanne King led Oran with 20 points while Haley Glastetter and Halle Woodfin scored 14 and 13 respectively.
Oran 21 12 19 13 -- 65
S. Pemiscot 9 15 14 14 -- 52
ORAN (65) -- Cheyanne King 20, Haley Glastetter 14, Halle Woodfin 13, Crissy Sauceda 6, Taylor Nenniger 11. FG 29, FT 1-5, F 11. (3-pointers: Nenniger 1, Sauceda 2. Fouled out: none)
SOUTH PEMISCOT (52) -- Wilburn 8, Campbell 18, Houston 5, Dunn 2, Shephard 18. FG 23, FT 5-10, F 7. (3-pointers: Shephard. Fouled out: none)
East Prairie 57, Hayti 16
EAST PRAIRIE -- The East Prairie Lady Eagles defeated visiting Hayti on Thursday night, 57-16.
East Prairie's Jennifer Nicholson scored a career-high 37 points in just three quarters of play. Nicholson scored 17 point in the third quarter alone.
SEVENTH GRADE BASKETBALL
Sikeston 51, Jackson 18
JACKSON -- The Sikeston 7th grade basketball team wrapped up its season with a pair of road victories over the Jackson Indians on Thursday night.
Sikeston won the "A" game 51-18 and also won the "B" game 26-14.
After losing by just four points in their season-opener at Kennett, the Bulldogs rallied to close out the season with eight straight victories to finish 8-1.
"I was really pleased with the team this season," Sikeston seventh grade coach Derek James said. "We improved every single game and I felt like we were playing our best basketball at the very end. Each and every player on the team contributed to our success."
In the "A" game, Sikeston had 10 players reach the scoring column led by Dominique Dyes' 17 points. Cedric McIntyre followed up with eight points.
In the "B" game, Deterio Newman and Colton Davis tied for team-high honors with six points apiece with Davis canning two 3-pointers in the game.
"I have high hopes for this group," James said. "I think they will continue to work and improve on their own and I look forward to watching them progress as they get older. I think they will continue the winning tradition that Sikeston basketball has developed."
Sikeston 15 12 16 8 -- 51
Jackson 2 5 7 4 -- 18
SIKESTON (51) -- Dominique Dyes 17, Cedric McIntyre 8, Jaylen Mallory 5, Wyn Roberds 4, Shawn Blunt 4, Victwon Riley 4, Dakota Ray 3, Antonio Bennett 2, Deterio Newman 2, Leo Harris 2. FG 19, FT 4-13, F 17. (3-pointers: Dyes 1, Ray 1, Mallory 1. Fouled out: none).
JACKSON (18) -- Crosnoe 7, Brinkopf 5, McGuire 4, Ward 2. FG 5, FT 8-19, F 7. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none).
Sikeston 26, Jackson 14
SIKESTON (26) -- Deterio Newman 6, Colton Davis 6, Antonio Bennett 5, Wyn Roberds 3, Shawn Blunt 2, Dakota Ray 2, Leo Harris 2.
JACKSON (14) -- Bess 6, Jeffers 4, Moore 2, Bollinger 1, Whitledge 1.