Essex, Missouri- Tuesday, December 4^th was a busy day for the Richland High schoolers as the Beta Club put on a chili supper fundraiser, the Pep Band prepared songs to play at halftime, the Pep Clubbers painted their faces and put on all their red attire, and yes, last but not least, the Richland Rebel basketball team prepared for their first home game of the season.

The team this year is coached by Matt Cline and Tyler Feller, both teachers at Richland High. On Tuesday, they played the Campbell Camels in their own gym and it was a game that kept every fan in the gymnasium on the very edge of the bleachers.

The Rebels started their season off with two losses in the Oran Tournament in late November but that just showed them where their weak spots were so they could work harder to achieve success.

During the school day, the Pep Club and cheerleaders put on a pep rally to get the fans and students excited about the upcoming game where the Pep Club members dressed in red to “Red Out the Camels”. The cheerleaders performed a witty skit and music director, Amber Duley, did a fantastic job of introducing each and every basketball player.

The Rebels were missing two of their starters last night, but that didn’t slow them down. Senior Richard Forshee (#50) will hopefully soon be back on the court during their next game but had to sit out their last three games due to stressed tendons in his foot. Their other starter, junior Tyler Maddox, was at an absence but will also be participating in the next game.

The game against the Camels was definitely a game worth watching. It was a constant power struggle between both teams. The first quarter was 12 to 19 with the Camels in the lead. Both teams had to step up their defense due to their stronger players plowing through their defensive players.

The second quarter had the fans' heads whipping back and forth from one side of the court to the other as the ball flew into each net several times. The score of the second quarter was 33 to 34 with the Camels barely holding onto the lead.

During halftime, the Pep Band performed three of their more popular songs for the Richland audience: Party Rock Anthem, The Horse, and Crazy Train. The fans also got a special treat during halftime. With the big, gray hat, a fuzzy, white mustache, and a red suit, you would never be able to tell who was dancing in front of the crowd and helping lead the cheers. But it was "Colonel Red", Richland’s first ever mascot to step foot onto the basketball court. The fans both young and old loved Colonel Red and we look forward to seeing him at each of our home basketball games this season.

The third quarter continued to grip the audience and the players as more shots were made. There was a constant struggle for strong defense on both sides of the court. Richland pulled ahead but lost their lead due to Campbell’s multiple free throws, leaving the third quarter at 49 to 51.

The fourth quarter was definitely the most exciting quarter. The Rebels quickly took the lead away from the Camels and kept it throughout most of the quarter. The fans rose to their feet as the Camels began to catch up. It was a back and forth battle, with only a one or two point gap between the two teams just like the rest of the night. Due to multiple fouls on the Rebels, the Camels eventually pulled ahead and took the final victory of 65 to 71.

Sophomore Marcus Grayson made many incredible plays throughout the night and was the lead scorer, followed by sophomore Skyler Harper, senior Nick Daniels, senior Tyler Jacobs, and senior Jesse Barnes. Although they suffered a narrow defeat, the Rebels are still proud of their efforts and believe that the season will turn around very soon. 

Dexter, Missouri- With the start of basketball season, it’s easy to get swept away in the awe of the local high school basketball teams that have already made a great impact and have given us a great preview of what is to come throughout the winter. But we shouldn't forget about our little dribblers that will one day be those big high school ball players.

Dexter’s fourth grade boys basketball team (class of 2021), has jumpstarted their very own season this year. The team recently kicked their season off at the Farmington Booster Club Tournament back on Saturday, November 17^th. In pool play, they won their very first game against Farmington at 40 to 20. Their next victory was on the same day against the St. Genevieve Dragons, who were no match for the Bearcats who racked their points on the scoreboard, ending their second game at 34 to 19.

The team easily took two wins right in a row, which placed the fourth grade boys into the finals against the South Iron Jayhawks. Although the boys fought hard and played their hearts out, the Jayhawks took the final win of the day in Farmington, leaving the Bearcats with a 2-1 record and the score at 41 to 19.

The Bearcats have had a promising season so far with two humongous victories; be sure to mark your calendars so you can watch them play throughout the winter. The team will be participating in the Farmington fourth grade AAU league this winter, which makes their next game this Saturday, December 8^th, at Farmington versus Fredericktown and St. Genevieve. Their following game will be played at Kelly on December 9^th.

Don’t worry Bearcat fans, because the fourth grade team will also be playing right at home this winter in our very own gym against Charleston on Saturday, December 15^th. They will also be playing a game at Chaffee the following Sunday.

The team is coached by Lloyd Hyten and the assistant coach is Dave Ellinghouse. They are looking forward to an eventful season with their team and many fun weekends filled with buzzers, cheering fans, and high scores.

The fourth grade basketball team has many successful players such as: Ryder Boles, Jackson Cade Allen, Andrew Ellinghouse, Dylan Sitze, Peyton Driskill, Ryan Collier, Riley Slusher, Carter Dorton, Zach Schaefer, and Austin Daniels. It’s important to cheer these boys on as they tackle learning new skills, rules, and a love for a game that will last them a lifetime. So, we hope that they have a great season and bleachers full of fans at their upcoming basketball games!

Written by

 Jessica Snider, SMT Writer

During the junior varsity game, a few players were unstoppable as they continued to drain baskets with ease throughout the game. Bernie’s Ellenburg came up as the leading scorer with 19 points; Sparks not far behind with 18; and Vernon with 12 points.

The Bernie junior varsity holds a 2-0 record so far on their season. They will be playing Holcomb tonight at 6:30 in the Bernie JV tournament. 

Many fans were highly anticipating the start of the Bernie Mules varsity game as they knew Scott City would have strong competition on the court. The game ended in Bernie’s favor, however.

Just like the junior varsity, the Bernie varsity team took a solid victory over Scott City, but by a much smaller margin.

“We played well at times and struggled at times. We aren’t very efficient offensively, and we’ve got to do a better job taking care of the ball and minimizing turn-overs,” commented Bernie head coach Brad Botsch after the game.

The Bernie varsity  is already off to an impressive start this season as they hold a record of four wins and zero losses so far.

The hard work being put into practice every day by the Mules showed during their game last night as they fought hard against Scott City to come up with a 69-53 victory.

“The kids are playing hard, and it’s still real early, so I think with continued emphasis on practice, we will start playing more efficiently and smoothly,” said Botsch.

Botsch continued by saying Bernie is just like any other team in the sense that they still have a lot of things to work on and get better at throughout the season.

Bernie’s David Baker had quite the game as he continued going to the hoop throughout and ended up as the leading scorer with a total of 37 points. Sam Turner also stood out in last night’s game with nine points, and B.J. Jennings notched 8 points.

The next varsity game for the Mules  is set for this Friday, December 7^th against Gideon. Bernie hopes to have a big fan turn out as they travel to Gideon in hopes of continuing their undefeated record.