Posted by sideline starter on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 11:33 AM:
Happy New Year to all and welcome to the first edition of the 2011-12 season's top ten. Just like last year, I chose to wait until the January to create a top ten so I had enough of a body of work to go off of. Even with all the games noted, it was still very tough to compile this season's inaugural list especially from 6-10. Some good teams were left off due to there not being enough room for everyone. But, if everyone got a trophy, would sports really be worth it? Anyway, here we go.
1) Charleston-The Bluejays are firing on all cylinders and have taken out contender after contender this season earning the number one spot. What was being billed as the "Tucker and Parham Show" before the season has proven to be much more with Aaron Cassell, Krushon Scott, and Michael Hull all having breakout performances amongst others. The Bluejays can cement their spot at the top with a second win over rival Sikeston on Friday.
2) Sikeston-With the sheer amount of criticism this team has received this season, one would think that they are 2-10 instead of being 10-2. The Bulldogs got on track this week by repeating as champions of the St. Dominic Christmas tournament. With a solid seven players all getting starters minutes along with another few that are contributing, this team is slowly forming an identity as the defense gets better and the offense does a better job utilizing it's weapons. Just how good the Bulldogs are will show over the next week and a half as they start a stretch of four games in five days Friday with Charleston followed by Imagine Prep Saturday, unbeaten #3 in Class 4 DeSoto Monday, and Fredericktown Tuesday.
3) Notre Dame-Scott County Central lost for the first time to a team in the state of Missouri since February 2010 on Thursday. The team that dealt the loss was also the last Missouri team to beat them, Notre Dame. The Bulldogs have really started to put together a solid season led by Nathan Meystedt who doesn't need another player to set up a great shot (though he does utilize his teammates well) and a couple of underrated players on the inside of Joe Siebert and Cody Heisserer. The Blue Dogs were able to get a big win over Sikeston but are a spot below them due to the upset home loss to New Madrid.
4) Caruthersville-A team that did not quite "gel" at the beginning of the season, the Tigers are now looking like the team everyone thought they would be. Pulling off maybe the most impressive tournament run over the course of this week, they knocked off some solid competition in "enemy territory" to win the Dyersburg Christmas tournament. With Darrell Monroe taking upon himself an all-state level of play along with a solid supporting cast, this team has the potential to win out and pull some monumental, milestone wins for their coach and program.
5) Cape Central-A lot of word was made before the season over a certain player for Cape who is no longer around and how he will make this team a contender. However, it turns out that the Tigers did not need him to be a solid team. TJ Tisdell continues to make his case against Greg Tucker to be SEMO Conference Player of the Year and is slowly finding more and more help especially from underclassmen Tim Booker and Jamal Cox who are looking to be impact players for Central in years to come.
6) Perryville-Until you are able to see the Pirates in action, do not doubt what they are capable of. The Pirates are BIG, more size on the inside than any other team in the Semoball area. However, they also have sharpshooting to go along with that height that makes for a deadly combination. With only two losses and both being to quality teams by single digits (Sikeston and DeSoto), the Pirates continue to make a statement. If this team can keep up the solid defensive play, look for them to have another twenty win season, conference championship, and maybe a surprise or two in districts.
7) Jackson-The Indians have a breakout player in their hands with 6'5" sophomore guard Karson King. After being considered the team with the potential to get upset in the Christmas tournament, the Indians proved just how talented they were earning fifth place honors and almost upsetting Cape to earn a trip to the semi-finals. While the blowout loss to ND is quite a blemish, the Indians are starting to prove they can compete with anyone, taking soon-to-be Class 5 #1 and unbeaten Vianney to overtime. If King and Newcomer continue to do good things at guard and play picks up inside, we could be in for another solid district in Class 5.
8) Portageville-Before the Kennett fans get bent out of shape, let's consider that each of these teams has defeated the other. Also, Portageville only has one loss and was able to hand Doniphan their first loss of the season as well as beat a very good Bernie team. Yes, Kennett defeated Caruthersville but they took a loss to a sub-par Rector team and were only able to defeat Valley View by one. Not trying to make this about Kennett but providing reasoning, the Bulldogs only have one loss this season in a very close game in the finals of the BCT and are proving to be the top team in SEMO Class 2 once again. The team was under-the-radar coming into the season with Bernie coming off another state final appearance and everyone looking at Holcomb to breakout. However, Portageville continues to just go about their business and could be a competitor to win the Bootheel Conference and maybe another state title.
9) Kennett-In continuation from my previous post, Kennett has some solid wins and some sub-par losses. They were only able to beat Dexter by one who hasn't exactly been shown as a powerhouse this season (turboed by Sikeston twice, one win heading into the BCT). The Indians have talent and put it together to win the BCT. Can they do it consistently once they are playing against more quality opponents? Only time will tell but they are definitely a team to keep watching.
10) Risco-They are the only remaining unbeaten team in Southeast Missouri. Risco is trying to make the leap and be the team that finally keeps SCC from representing SEMO in the Final Four. So far, they have been impressive in making their case which started this summer with a great campaign and hasn't let up since. While their schedule has not been a gauntlet, being able to be unbeaten heading into the new year is very impressive and is enough to warrant earning the ten spot. With the SCC program reeling from back-to-back losses, Risco steals the ten spot this week.
Other teams considered (in alphabetical order): Bernie, Doniphan, Scott County Central
So this is where we are so far this season. Just about any team can take out any other this season. Even Charleston doesn't seem as "unbeatable" as Sikeston and Scott Central were last year. Keep up to date each week as I continue to refine the rankings. Also, I encourage any and all fans to be in Sikeston this Friday to see Sikeston and Charleston hoop it up again. It'll be a great atmosphere. Feel free to comment and critique. I'm more than happy to provide more analysis and excited to see what other fans think. Thanks for reading.
Replies (81)
Man Sideline you even made this interesting for me (inside joke) HA!. Your passion for high school sports certainly shows through. I have heard that the sophmore classes at Central, Jackson and Sikeston will provide some very nice basketball for the next couple of years. I have also heard the the freshman team at ND is a beast with 4 of their best freshmen playing JV.
-- Posted by crackerjack on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 11:44 AM
Thanks Bullet. Didn't realize how long this was when I was writing it but I enjoy it and felt it was all necessary.
-- Posted by sideline starter on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 11:47 AM
Also forgot to wish you a Happy New Year!
-- Posted by crackerjack on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 11:55 AM
One correction Kennett lost by one to Vally View. On Perryville and Jackson I will have to take your word on them , have not seen or read much about them. List looks good to me. Its hard to leave Doniphan out. To be continued.
-- Posted by mule1993 on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 12:18 PM
Thanks Mule. I thought they had defeated Valley View but I remember that they lost now and barely beat Covington at the Riverbend. Either way, the point remains the same that Kennett has had a couple of stinkers against teams that they should be expected to defeat.
-- Posted by sideline starter on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 12:23 PM
bulletman new madrid county central also has a very good jv group now.
-- Posted by GSP on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 1:21 PM
I hope some schools have some good JV teams comin up, cuz high school basketball in southeast missouri blows. The Semissourian tourney was like watching paint dry.
-- Posted by DaleDoback on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 1:34 PM
Bluegold, there was no team that did not "receive consideration". If a team plays in the Semoball coverage area, they have a shot at the rankings. However, if I were to continue into the top 20 (not gonna happen, top ten is complicated enough. Hah!), then Scott City would be in the 16-20 range.
-- Posted by sideline starter on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 1:47 PM
Nice! Looks good sideline.
-- Posted by FarmBoy06 on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 2:00 PM
I think Portageville and Charleston are favorites to win state titles in Class 2 and Class 3.
Risco is a contender in Class 1. So is South Iron and Scott County Central.
-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 2:41 PM
1 Thru 5 is pretty solid just cant give enough argument to justify a switch. 6 Thru 10 i will argue a little. Lets start with 10 Risco, no big when other than Holcomb or Oak Ridge maybe. 9 Kennett (my Indians) no consistency , to young and even the coach said it "need a leader to step up". 8 Portageville I like this bunch they have three or four what i call quality wins (Twin Rivers , Kennett, Doniphan and Hayti). 7 Jackson did not impressed in the tournament and no quality wins. 6 Perryville Has two big wins against Farmington and Fredericktown could be moving up soon but for now we leave them at 6
Portageville 7 , Kennett 8 , Doniphan 9 and i guess Jackson 10.
-- Posted by mule1993 on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 4:01 PM
Mule, I'll respect your list but in regards to Jackson, here is a comparison point. In SEMO Conference tourney, Jackson beat Dexter by twenty before they had figured out their guard play. Kennett and Doniphan were both played to VERY close games against Dexter. Also, Jackson took Vianney who are about to be named the #1 Class 5 team in the state probably to overtime. They lost really bad to ND in their first game which clouded a lot of people's judgment of them but they are a good team and I think could shock a couple of the top five in SEMO Conference play. Someone mentioned earlier about rankings and how a state contending small school will usually get beat by a decent Class 5 school and that is the philosophy I followed here. Again, just wanted to provide more analysis. I have no problem with disagreement.
-- Posted by sideline starter on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 4:44 PM
Nicely done S/S!
-- Posted by Larry Doby on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 5:09 PM
Nicely done S/S!
-- Posted by Larry Doby on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 5:09 PM
Oops sorry for the double post.
-- Posted by Larry Doby on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 5:10 PM
It's ok...
-- Posted by Haterade on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 5:26 PM
It's ok...
-- Posted by Haterade on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 5:26 PM
Your top ten looks pretty well on ! Nice job !
-- Posted by jpaawhite on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 5:27 PM
Your top ten looks pretty well on ! Nice job !
-- Posted by jpaawhite on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 5:27 PM
oops for the double post
-- Posted by Larry Doby on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 6:11 PM
Lookin good brother, lookin good! But I'm only posting it once haha
-- Posted by BuckMajor on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 6:46 PM
every year i hear the talk that basketball is worse and worse in our region.
every year we have teams from our region playing for and winning state titles.
-- Posted by GSP on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 10:24 PM
I'd move C'ville up to #3. We have a couple of good games coming up: @Portageville,@Charleston,and Sikeston at home. Personally, I think the Tigers will be EVEN BETTER next year with 4 core sophmore maturing and a good senior. The SKY IS THE LIMIT this year and the next two years..
-- Posted by Tigersfan on Sun, Jan 1, 2012, at 11:55 PM
If anyone is playing better than Caruthersville right now, they have to be very solid. The Tigers were clicking on all cylinders over the holidays and even though they are young, they have tons of talent.
-- Posted by herbsmith on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 6:46 AM
d heeb has them boys hooping right now,good job caruthersville and coach heeb
-- Posted by kmasters on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 8:57 AM
now just whot is coach neeb have to do with any off this? caruthlsville is good with out any coach first of all Buckos! i coulde prolly coach thta bunch to a vicotry or two or maybe even three. hi there again Bockmajor!
-- Posted by bearcat1forall on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 9:34 AM
mule i guess you could be right but maybe you havint sen risco play? looked sluggish against first three teams, got down to holcomb by 11 first quarter but were up at half.had oran by 40 early in third quarter played b team last ten minutes of game.average winning by over thirty points even with bad stsrts in first three games. bear a really good gosnell team that was much bigger. beat a good bloomfield team pretty easy. will play leopold friday and im guessing they will handle themalright too. just saying i think they really deserve at least a top ten. oughta see them play MULE!!!!
-- Posted by proud pa pa on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 11:11 AM
just whot are yous talkin about proud poo poo? i just have never even just enven herd of ricko, where is that school locatd?? is in the boothel Bucko?
-- Posted by bearcat1forall on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 11:28 AM
What's up bearcat!
-- Posted by BuckMajor on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 11:33 AM
I agree with the list so far. As far as Cville being #3, yeah I can see that also. Caruthersville just beat a VERY good team by double digits with 2 guys fouling out and 2 more with 4 fouls, in an hostile environment. Bolivar Central is perhaps the best team any SEMO team will see during the regular season. If Caruthersville can continue to play at this level, I see no reason they can't beat Sikeston or Charleston. It's just scary these boys are mostly sophmores!
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 1:24 PM
Be careful Bearcat, someone was tried and fried for making a similar coach/talent post about Sikeston earlier in the year.
Heeb is a good coach with crazy talent. C'ville has a lot to be proud of.
-- Posted by Pete Sims on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 1:47 PM
Bluegold, I'll probably do it every Sunday. Last year, it was just during the weekend when I had free time which may be how it goes this year. We'll see. You can check my rankings from each week last year in the basketball forums archives.
-- Posted by sideline starter on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 1:55 PM
Personally I think this Top Ten is incredibly well thought out. He explains why he has a team where they are, and I agree with it entirely. Some might believe ND belongs over Sikeston but they split this year, but Sikeston's run through that STL tourney would push them ahead of ND. Certainly ND made a good run also, but they both can't be #2.
My two questions marks are Risco and Caruthersville ONLY because I've neither seen nor read very much about either team, so I am not familiar with their quality wins, etc.
-- Posted by GreatFun on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 2:35 PM
Caruthersville is capable of beating any of the teams in the top 10. Caruthersville one loss and that was to Kennett very early in the season. They are playing like they should now, they have all players back on roster, and are playing well together. They are a very dangerous and scary team. They have perhaps the best inside presence on the offensive side in Darrel Monroe. No one has been able to stop him yet! They don't get talked about much on here because for some reason when the DA submits the reports to Semoball, they don't post the articles. Usually the only talk about Cville on here is from posters.
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 2:51 PM
One thing nobody mentions about Cville is they finally have their own gym. For 5 years they had to share a middle school gym with girls basketball plus all the middle school sports. Heeb's first year at Cville they didn't get to practice after January because middle school volleyball got the gym instead of high school basketball. The difference of these kids actually having their own gym to practice in is noticeable. Most days the boys are at the gym between 7:00 and 7:30 shooting baskets before school. If you've seen them play you can notice how good the Tigers shoot. Even Monroe who is a post player can step out and knock down jumpers with ease now. These boys put in a lot of hard work and they are fun to watch.
-- Posted by gocvilletigers on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 4:29 PM
I haven't got a chance to watch Cville play this year. Do they still have that 6'6 post player Claude Taylor? I believe that's his name.
-- Posted by froboy on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 6:00 PM
C'ville is incredibly well rounded this year. Couldn't argue with them even being number 2. The only team I don't quite agree with on this is Risco at 10. They have played a very weak schedule to this point in the season. Holcomb is there only quality win and that was a battle to the end. I feel that Bernie is a better team and even Holcomb after the tough schedule both teams have played already.
-- Posted by bleacherking on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 7:39 PM
I keep hearing people knock Risco for lack of quality wins but what quality teams have Holcomb , Bernie or even SCC beat ? I mean ill be the first to admit that Risco hasn't played the caliber of teams as those teams but hey weren't invited to the Riverbend Classic , Bloomfield Christmas Tourney or the Cape Christmas Tourney . They have went out every night however and beaten every team they have played . May not have any "quality" wins other than Holcomb or Gosnell but they dont have any losses !
-- Posted by jpaawhite on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 9:55 PM
Any team competing in the BCT that plays all 4 nights has gotten some quality wins. The school district chooses who you play, theirs no excuse for Risco not playing Bernie. Those are two top quality small school teams within a few minutes of each other. Don't take this in the wrong way, I would go as far as to say that Risco is the best 1a team in the state behind SCC. I just feel like Bernie and Holcomb getting 5th and 6th in the BCT and SCC getting 4th in the cape tourney gives them a stronger resume then beating Gosnel in the Clarkton Holiday tourney.
-- Posted by bleacherking on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 10:35 PM
I personally think SCC is much better than all 3 of the other teams.
-- Posted by bleacherking on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 10:42 PM
Risco would have played Bernie in the Bernie Tournament Championship but Bernie lost to Holcomb . Why they no longer play each other during the season is beyond me. As for SCC goes I believe they are a very good team and I've seen all 4 of these teams play this year and I disagree that they are much better !!! All 3 of those other teams are capable of beating SCC this season !
-- Posted by jpaawhite on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 11:11 PM
Your right, I believe that all 3 teams have the capabilities of beating SCC, but I don't feel their better. I know Risco is very good at pushing the ball up the floor and running, but I don't think it's ever a good idea to get in a track meet with SCC. The way to beat them is to slow it down and pound the ball inside and hit the outside shot.
-- Posted by bleacherking on Mon, Jan 2, 2012, at 11:59 PM
bleacherking you need to watch risco play!!! i can tell from your comments that you apparently havent!! and SCC has already been beaten 4 times this year. everyone seems to rank them on their name not their current team.
-- Posted by proud pa pa on Tue, Jan 3, 2012, at 7:35 AM
Interesting talk about Risco, Scott County, other small schools. It will be great to finally see if Scott County is truly just a good but not great 1A school once they play some of these other small schools. Until then, I still say that despite everyone sounding the alarm on them, they are still the small school team to beat. They are very battle tested so far this year.
-- Posted by GreatFun on Tue, Jan 3, 2012, at 9:52 AM
I agree GreatFun ! I think it will definitely be a more interesting year in class 1 this season . SCC has 4 losses but all to bigger schools . They are indeed still the team to beat but knowing they aren't as dominate has got all the small schools chomping at the bit wanting a chance to make it to Columbia . I mean cmon let's face it none of these class 1 schools have even stood a chance the last several years but this year they know there's a chance . Not just talking bout Risco either as Oak Ridge and Leopold despite not looking good in their last matchup are sure to be looking forward to another shot at SCC .
-- Posted by jpaawhite on Tue, Jan 3, 2012, at 10:08 AM
I've actually seen Risco play 4 times this season already, thats just my personal opinion. When the time comes though, if they play each other, I can guarantee you I'll be pulling for Risco all the way. And yes, it's definitely an interesting year for small schools.
-- Posted by bleacherking on Tue, Jan 3, 2012, at 5:55 PM
Claude Taylor is not on this year's team.
-- Posted by herbsmith on Tue, Jan 3, 2012, at 6:15 PM
Scc has one of their top defensive player kicked off the team until late January, for a misconduct at school. I believe it's that Johnson kid. They are not the same team without him getting all those rebounds and steals.
-- Posted by Wise one on Tue, Jan 3, 2012, at 7:59 PM
Scc has lost to two class 6 or 7 schools out of Arkansas, and to class 5 Cape Central and class 4 Notre Dame. Risco has not even faced these caliber of teams. Once they get that Johnson kid back, the smaller schools will be in trouble!
-- Posted by Wise one on Tue, Jan 3, 2012, at 8:09 PM
Wise One, thats a great point. Playing a tough schedule like that during the season is what makes a great team in March. Not rolling through weak teams.
-- Posted by bleacherking on Tue, Jan 3, 2012, at 9:01 PM
@bleacherking, your definitely right!
-- Posted by Wise one on Wed, Jan 4, 2012, at 9:20 AM
mule, I think the rankings are pretty close, and I think that Doniphan will make it into the top ten sooner or later. I also respectfully think you may have under estimated Jackson's week. They have no bad losses this week, only missed the game winning shot against cape central at the buzzer and an overtime loss to Vianney, the #2 overall state ranked team in Missouri. Which or how many of the top ten teams could go overtime with the #2 team in Missouri without its 6'5" leading scorer? I had read that Karson King missed that game with a broken nose from practice.
-- Posted by theprof on Wed, Jan 4, 2012, at 6:09 PM
Charleston is on their way to Columbia!!!!!!!!!!! Caruthersville is not a title contender, just a decent ball club.
-- Posted by 11TIMEST.CHMPS@BLUEJAYS on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 8:35 AM
I hope everyone from Charleston feels that way. Could come back and bite them in the butt.
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 8:43 AM
I remember Malden was hot back in '07, just like Caruthersville is now. However sectionals came about and Chalreston defeated the Greenwave rather easy,actually got a better game out of East Prairie. Malden had 1 loss and Jays had 3, but it ended up being a lopsided affair. You see you have to show Charleston Caruthersville fans, lots of teams felt they were better than Jay teams every year, but we all ways come out on top!!!!!!!!!!!
-- Posted by 11TIMEST.CHMPS@BLUEJAYS on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 8:46 AM
That's fine if you feel that way. Charleston is the favorite no doubt about it, but if you think they have districts locked down then your crazy! Caruthersville has proven they can beat teams better than Charleston, example (Bolivar,TN). Bolivar fans before the game said the same thing, the game will be over at half but you seen what happen there. Sad thing is, they are doing this with mostly sophmore's on the team so they will have their ups and downs this season. I can guarantee you that Charleston will not have an answer for Monroe. He will eat them up in full court game or a half court game, no one has yet to stop him. Charleston may win but I will say they will have a fight on their hands. I'm not going to go back and forth with childish my team is better than yours, I said my piece now let the boys prove it on the court
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 8:57 AM
Weve played players better than Monroe already. JT Jones(Sikeston),Terry Jamison(Sikeston),TJ Tidsdell(Cape),Mysteyt(Notre Dame),etc... You said it right cheesy, "Charleston may win", because Monroe cant beat them alone!!!!!!!!!!!
-- Posted by 11TIMEST.CHMPS@BLUEJAYS on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 9:03 AM
10 TIME STATE CHAAAAAAMMMMPPPIOOOONNNNS....THE CHARLESTON BLLUUUUUUUUUEEEEEJJAAAAAAAYS!!!!!!!
-- Posted by 11TIMEST.CHMPS@BLUEJAYS on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 9:05 AM
We shall see! Enjoy your day!
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 9:05 AM
You too Cheesehead, thank you.
-- Posted by 11TIMEST.CHMPS@BLUEJAYS on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 9:06 AM
Sounds like Caruthersville , Jackson and Kennett are all gonna have great teams over the next several years with all their underclassmen .
-- Posted by jpaawhite on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 10:04 AM
Caruthersville plays 5 sophmore's and 3 of them start. Cville has an excellent JV also.
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 10:18 AM
Where does Cville play next week ?
-- Posted by jpaawhite on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 10:20 AM
Big difference between this Cville team and that Malden team Charleston fans. Malden had one loss and they beat up on the weak teams in the bootheel mostly. Cville has already played Blytheville, Dyersburg, Bolivar, Earle Arkansas, and Kennett. They still have Pville, Sikeston, Charleston, Dyer Count TN, Doniphan, NMCC, Bernie, and Meridian IL left on their schedule. Plus they also have the Bootheel Conference Tournament. Cville will give Charleston all they want. And any talk of comparing Monroe to those kids from Cape or Notre Dame is funny. You will see first hand that Monroe is easily one of the top 2 or 3 players in the semo area and he has plenty of help. Cville is deep. The class 3 district will be a lot of fun with Kennett having a strong team along with Doniphan and NMCC. I could see any of those 5 teams beating each other on a given night. Look at what Doniphan did to NMCC and then look at what NMCC did to Notre Dame and Blytheville. Kennett beat Cville and then Cville beats the #1 team in TN. It is just going to be that kind of year AGAIN in Class 3.
-- Posted by bootheelhooper on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 10:35 AM
There's no other way to put it than to say Monroe is legit. Could be the most athletically gifted sophomore player in the state of Missouri.
-- Posted by sideline starter on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 10:40 AM
They only have 1 game next week and that's against Hayti at Cville. After that is when they start a very tough stretch of games. They play 3 very tough teams in Dyer County(1/16), Charleston(1/20), and Sikeston(1/27). They may have a few losses come district time but playing the tough teams is what makes you a better team. They will be ready for Districts! On Monroe, he is very legit, and most people tend to forget he is a sophmore. The sky is the limit for this kid!
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 11:12 AM
The Class 3 district is loaded again. Should be a lot of fun!
-- Posted by gocvilletigers on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 2:39 PM
No offense but it has seemed like Caruthersville has had a talented young team every year for the past 5 years.
With that said I haven't seen Caruthersville play, but from what I have read they seem like a legit team.
-- Posted by paulbd on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 3:01 PM
@Cheesehead: One thing is for certain, the C'ville Charleston match up will be a dandy. I still say District 3 is Charleston's to lose.
-- Posted by bluejay_fan_natic20 on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 9:36 PM
I agree! Charleston should be the favorite until someone from their district beats them. They earned that respect. I was just saying I wont be handed to them, they will have their hands full this year.
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 9:48 PM
*it. not I
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Thu, Jan 5, 2012, at 9:49 PM
Will it be more or less important to get the number one seed in the class 3 district this year with Doniphan being a strong contender?
-- Posted by mule1993 on Fri, Jan 6, 2012, at 4:13 AM
I don't think it really matters about the one seed! Tough games all the way around in this district
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Fri, Jan 6, 2012, at 7:02 AM
Last year with it being a three horse race the one seed meant not playing Caruthersville or Kennett until the final. Now you will have to play a tough match to get to a tough match.
-- Posted by mule1993 on Fri, Jan 6, 2012, at 9:13 PM
I love how people are just crowning Charleston. The way Cville has been playing lately, Charleston will be in for a dogfight. Just look what they did to a great Portageville team tonight?
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Fri, Jan 6, 2012, at 10:29 PM
Caruthersville @ Charleston 1/20/12 Should be a dandy
-- Posted by bluejay_fan_natic20 on Fri, Jan 6, 2012, at 11:26 PM
@Cheesehead Does Caruthersville play Sikeston this season?
-- Posted by bluejay_fan_natic20 on Fri, Jan 6, 2012, at 11:28 PM
On the 27th of this month
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Fri, Jan 6, 2012, at 11:29 PM
Where is that game, cheese?
-- Posted by Pete Sims on Sat, Jan 7, 2012, at 12:37 AM
At Caruthersville
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Sat, Jan 7, 2012, at 7:19 AM
I'm definitely excited to see Monroe play. However, I hope he dons a Mizzou jersey one day on the gridiron! It sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders and a great support system. I think the sky's the limit for him!
-- Posted by yah-yah on Sat, Jan 7, 2012, at 9:27 AM
Happy New Year to all and welcome to the first edition of the 2011-12 season's top ten. Just like last year, I chose to wait until the January to create a top ten so I had enough of a body of work to go off of. Even with all the games noted, it was still very tough to compile this season's inaugural list especially from 6-10. Some good teams were left off due to there not being enough room for everyone. But, if everyone got a trophy, would sports really be worth it? Anyway, here we go.
1) Charleston-The Bluejays are firing on all cylinders and have taken out contender after contender this season earning the number one spot. What was being billed as the "Tucker and Parham Show" before the season has proven to be much more with Aaron Cassell, Krushon Scott, and Michael Hull all having breakout performances amongst others. The Bluejays can cement their spot at the top with a second win over rival Sikeston on Friday.
2) Sikeston-With the sheer amount of criticism this team has received this season, one would think that they are 2-10 instead of being 10-2. The Bulldogs got on track this week by repeating as champions of the St. Dominic Christmas tournament. With a solid seven players all getting starters minutes along with another few that are contributing, this team is slowly forming an identity as the defense gets better and the offense does a better job utilizing it's weapons. Just how good the Bulldogs are will show over the next week and a half as they start a stretch of four games in five days Friday with Charleston followed by Imagine Prep Saturday, unbeaten #3 in Class 4 DeSoto Monday, and Fredericktown Tuesday.
3) Notre Dame-Scott County Central lost for the first time to a team in the state of Missouri since February 2010 on Thursday. The team that dealt the loss was also the last Missouri team to beat them, Notre Dame. The Bulldogs have really started to put together a solid season led by Nathan Meystedt who doesn't need another player to set up a great shot (though he does utilize his teammates well) and a couple of underrated players on the inside of Joe Siebert and Cody Heisserer. The Blue Dogs were able to get a big win over Sikeston but are a spot below them due to the upset home loss to New Madrid.
4) Caruthersville-A team that did not quite "gel" at the beginning of the season, the Tigers are now looking like the team everyone thought they would be. Pulling off maybe the most impressive tournament run over the course of this week, they knocked off some solid competition in "enemy territory" to win the Dyersburg Christmas tournament. With Darrell Monroe taking upon himself an all-state level of play along with a solid supporting cast, this team has the potential to win out and pull some monumental, milestone wins for their coach and program.
5) Cape Central-A lot of word was made before the season over a certain player for Cape who is no longer around and how he will make this team a contender. However, it turns out that the Tigers did not need him to be a solid team. TJ Tisdell continues to make his case against Greg Tucker to be SEMO Conference Player of the Year and is slowly finding more and more help especially from underclassmen Tim Booker and Jamal Cox who are looking to be impact players for Central in years to come.
6) Perryville-Until you are able to see the Pirates in action, do not doubt what they are capable of. The Pirates are BIG, more size on the inside than any other team in the Semoball area. However, they also have sharpshooting to go along with that height that makes for a deadly combination. With only two losses and both being to quality teams by single digits (Sikeston and DeSoto), the Pirates continue to make a statement. If this team can keep up the solid defensive play, look for them to have another twenty win season, conference championship, and maybe a surprise or two in districts.
7) Jackson-The Indians have a breakout player in their hands with 6'5" sophomore guard Karson King. After being considered the team with the potential to get upset in the Christmas tournament, the Indians proved just how talented they were earning fifth place honors and almost upsetting Cape to earn a trip to the semi-finals. While the blowout loss to ND is quite a blemish, the Indians are starting to prove they can compete with anyone, taking soon-to-be Class 5 #1 and unbeaten Vianney to overtime. If King and Newcomer continue to do good things at guard and play picks up inside, we could be in for another solid district in Class 5.
8) Portageville-Before the Kennett fans get bent out of shape, let's consider that each of these teams has defeated the other. Also, Portageville only has one loss and was able to hand Doniphan their first loss of the season as well as beat a very good Bernie team. Yes, Kennett defeated Caruthersville but they took a loss to a sub-par Rector team and were only able to defeat Valley View by one. Not trying to make this about Kennett but providing reasoning, the Bulldogs only have one loss this season in a very close game in the finals of the BCT and are proving to be the top team in SEMO Class 2 once again. The team was under-the-radar coming into the season with Bernie coming off another state final appearance and everyone looking at Holcomb to breakout. However, Portageville continues to just go about their business and could be a competitor to win the Bootheel Conference and maybe another state title.
9) Kennett-In continuation from my previous post, Kennett has some solid wins and some sub-par losses. They were only able to beat Dexter by one who hasn't exactly been shown as a powerhouse this season (turboed by Sikeston twice, one win heading into the BCT). The Indians have talent and put it together to win the BCT. Can they do it consistently once they are playing against more quality opponents? Only time will tell but they are definitely a team to keep watching.
10) Risco-They are the only remaining unbeaten team in Southeast Missouri. Risco is trying to make the leap and be the team that finally keeps SCC from representing SEMO in the Final Four. So far, they have been impressive in making their case which started this summer with a great campaign and hasn't let up since. While their schedule has not been a gauntlet, being able to be unbeaten heading into the new year is very impressive and is enough to warrant earning the ten spot. With the SCC program reeling from back-to-back losses, Risco steals the ten spot this week.
Other teams considered (in alphabetical order): Bernie, Doniphan, Scott County Central
So this is where we are so far this season. Just about any team can take out any other this season. Even Charleston doesn't seem as "unbeatable" as Sikeston and Scott Central were last year. Keep up to date each week as I continue to refine the rankings. Also, I encourage any and all fans to be in Sikeston this Friday to see Sikeston and Charleston hoop it up again. It'll be a great atmosphere. Feel free to comment and critique. I'm more than happy to provide more analysis and excited to see what other fans think. Thanks for reading.
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