December 28, 2008
Upsets, routs highlight first round at Bloomfield
BLOOMFIELD -- The 52nd Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament got under way Friday in Bloomfield. The eight game first round was full of excitement as three lower seeded teams were able to upset their higher seeded opponents. Results on Friday's first round play are as follows...
BLOOMFIELD -- The 52nd Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament got under way Friday in Bloomfield. The eight game first round was full of excitement as three lower seeded teams were able to upset their higher seeded opponents. Results on Friday's first round play are as follows
Dexter 75,
East Prairie 29
The Dexter Bearcats downed the Eagles of East Prairie 75-29 in first round play of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.
"We came out and played pretty well from the beginning," Dexter head coach Rob Nichols said after the game. "I think our guys did a good job and stayed focused through out the game."
The Bearcats jumped out to a 11-2 lead in the first 2:30 of the game and never looked back.
Dexter won the battle of turnovers and rebounds in Friday's contest, two aspects that proved to be decisive.
The Bearcats out rebounded the Eagles 41-20 and were plus 14 in turnover comparison.
"We knew since they (East Prairie) had some guys missing that they would have problems controlling the ball," Nichols said. "We talked about how we needed to do a good job on the press and make all those guys handle the basketball and force the turnovers. At the same time, you have to be able to rebound the basketball and force bad shots on defense. We did that well also."
East Prairie head coach Matt Schonoff agreed that Dexter's pressure proved to be too much.
"Dexter came out and played very physical," Schonoff said. "They (Dexter) were able to knock down a lot of shots. Their intensity level was better than ours. We had a lot of problems with their pressure and just weren't able to overcome it."
The Bearcats were also lights out from three point range, making seven three-point baskets.
"With our personnel, we really need to be able to shoot the ball well from the perimeter to be good," Nichols said. "We don't really have a lot of guys that can score in the paint, so we have to shoot well."
In scoring, senior Drew Kelly led the way for Dexter with 16, while East Prairie's Connor Scott put up 13 for the Eagles.
The Bearcats move to a record of 2-5 with the win as they have won two straight after five straight losses to open the season to difficult conference rivals like Sikeston, Poplar Bluff, and New Madrid County Central.
Portageville 59, Greenville 26
The Portageville Bulldogs remain undefeated as they cruised past the Greenville Bears 59-26 in opening round play of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.
Not a single Bulldog reached double digits in the scoring column as all ten Portageville players put points on the board in their 33-point victory.
The Bulldogs remain undefeated as they move to a record of 6-0 after Friday's game.
#7 Doniphan v. #10 Richland -- The Richland Rebels upset the higher seeded Doniphan Don's 62-40 Friday in opening round play of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.
Richland led 23-15 at halftime, but closed the door on the Don's in the second half to cruise to the 22-point victory.
The Rebels (2-5) Drew Thornton led the way with 18 points, while Doniphan's Taylor Smith led all the Don's scorers with 11.
Van Buren 55,
Kennett 47
The No. 14 seeded Van Buren Bulldogs pulled off a stunning upset over the No. 3 seed Kennett Indians 55-47 early in the day Friday in first round play of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.
Van Buren's Nathan Dazey led the way for the Bulldogs with 17 points, while the Indian's Jarvis Finely put up 21 points.
Puxico 72, Hayti 61
The upsets continued Friday at the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament, as the No. 13 seed Puxico Indians downed the Indians of Hayti 72-61 in opening round play.
It was Hayti who led 50-47 as the fourth quarter began, but a three point basket from Puxico senior Travis Stuart tied the game at 50. Two free throws from Puxico's John Smith gave his team the 52-50 advantage and Puxico never looked back. Steady play down the stretch secured them the 11-point win.
Leading scorers were Cody Russom (29) for Puxico and Keenan Williams (18) for Hayti.
Bernie 100, East Carter County 30
The Bernie Mules showed why they were given the top seed in the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament, as they defeated the bottom seed East Carter County Redbirds 100-30 in the opening game of the tournament.
Leading scorers were Jake Owens (28) for Bernie and Isaiah Yates (8) for East Carter County.
Bloomfield 78, South Pemiscot 71
The host Bloomfield Wildcats battled the Bulldogs of South Pemiscot County in one of the closest contested games of Friday's opening round. It was the Wildcats who advanced, holding on late to win 78-71.
Leighton Hensley led the way for Bloomfield in the scoring column with 23 points, while the Bulldogs were led by Jordan Carter with 22.
Twin Rivers 72,
Malden 26
The Twin River Royals downed the Malden Green Wave 72-26 in the first round of play at the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament.
Leading scorers in the contest were Kyle Oberkramer and Brett Whitlock, both with 11 points, for Twin Rivers. Malden was led by Quentin Jackson and Andy Matthews with 9.
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