Sports

Fighting an uphill battle all game long, the Monett boys basketball team (5-8, 0-1) had three chances in the final 12 seconds of regulation, but could only muster one shot with .8 seconds left that glanced off the rim in a 62-61 loss to McDonald County on Tuesday...

The Monett girls wrestling team posted solid results at the Diamond Scramble on Saturday. Results are as follows: • 103 pounds: Jenna Spencer (6-12) took seventh • 110 pounds: Abigail Jastal (21-4) placed first • 135 pounds: Janeth Quinones (21-6) placed third...

Monett High School recognized senior Kaesha George this week for achieving 1,000 career points.

With the midway point of the season now past for the Monett wrestling team, the Cubs’ coaches have taken time to see where they stand and where they believe they can go. They feel good about their prospects. “I think we are right where we need to be physically, weight-wise and conditioning-wise,” said Daryl Bradley, Monett coach. “We have competed in four tournaments in a short amount of time, and you can see things coming together.”...

The basketball season has not necessarily gone the way the Purdy girls basketball team has wanted. The Lady Eagles are off to a 1-6 start. On Friday, Purdy held a 5-point lead against Cassville but was unable to hang on, falling 43-41 in the contest...

Avenging an earlier season 48-39 defeat, the Monett girls basketball team roared to a 61-40 win over Springfield Catholic behind a season-high 24-point performance from Kaesha George. “They came out with a junk defense in the first half, and it was nice to see our other players step up,” said Zack Klein, Monett coach. “Natalie Turner was big for us early, hitting some shots and taking the pressure off Kaesha and opening up the offense.”...

While it has been said that rankings are more for the fans than the teams, the Monett wrestling team is being shown respect by Missouri Wrestling and MoWrestling.com Monett is ranked No. 1 in Class 2, per a composite score based on match results instead of the usual in-person input...

Hannibal Smith of A-Team fame was fond of say that he loved it when a plan comes together, and he would have been thrilled at the way the Monett basketball team conducted itself in a 70-56 win over Aurora on Tuesday. The Cubs’ assault on their rival was spearheaded by a career-high 34-point performance by senior Trevon Price...

Missouri State University and head football coach Dave Steckel have entered into a separation agreement, effective Jan. 14, university officials announced Thursday. According to the terms of the agreement, Steckel will step down from his head coaching position, and the university will provide him with a maximum buyout of $340,000, plus moving expenses. ...

The dual season for Monett wrestling continues to be productive as the Cubs moved to 8-0 on the season with wins over Diamond and Webb City. The Lady Cubs also picked up their first two wins of the season, as well. Monett defeated Webb City, 57-19, and topped Diamond, 60-6. In the girls dual, the Lady Cubs bested Webb City, 24-6 and Diamond, 24-18...

A 44-36 win for Pierce City over Cassville was just the type of game that Lady Eagles Coach Chris Randolph wanted to see. The Lady Eagles (6-6) were methodical in their approach and worked the ball inside to take high-percentage shots. “We returned four starters from last year and have some decent size,” Randolph said. “Our whole game is to slow the pace down, keep it low-scoring and let our size work for us.”...

Without a doubt, the Pierce City boys basketball team has its opponents green with envy and facing the inability to slow down the Eagles’ speedsters. The Eagles have won five straight games, with four wins coming in the Walnut Grove Tournament, as they took home the championship for the first time in school history...

The Big 8 Conference was well represented on the Class 3 All-State football team. In total the conference had 13 players make the list, with three from Monett. For the Cubs, Wesley Merriman and Ray Villalta landed on the Second Team, with Ethan Umfleet gaining an Honorable Mention accolade...

With just 20 percent of the Cubs’ roster returning with starting experience, Monett Coach Jeremy Land knew that this season would be steeped in growing pains. The Cubs finished seventh in the Neosho Holiday Tournament after beating McDonald County, 61-53. Land said the team found out a little about themselves...

The story of James J. Braddock is one of pure Americana sports and sprit. Braddock’s life was brought to the big screen by Ron Howard in the movie Cinderella Man. While some of the drama in the ring was manufactured to drive the Hollywood narrative. The life story of Braddock needed no additional spice...

The Wheaton basketball team earned fifth place in the Southwest Holiday Tournament Saturday.

With the whirlwind of the sports seasons changing and long playoff runs by area football teams, the fanfare of the basketball districts pods and classifications of area schools nearly went overlooked. For some area teams, there was a shock, but for most, it was the same group of schools, but with different host sites for the tournament...

No greater individual honor can be achieved than to be named to the All-State football team. The Eagles of Pierce City had four young men achieve that goal and recognition this year. Trey Sagehorn was named to the First Team as a defensive back. Wyatt Perry, Trenton Kluck and Colten O’Hara both found homes on the Second Team, Perry as a defensive end, Kluck as a linebacker and O’Hara as an athlete...

Monett fans will have a reason to tune into ESPN3 at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday as the Cubs’ Jamie Guinn will be a participant in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl in Tampa, Fla. Playing in the all-star game was thrown into doubt when Guinn broke his collar bone in a win over Hollister in the opening round of district play. ...

The lettermen jackets at Pierce City became a little bit heavier for nine Eagles football players, as they were named to the All-District football team. Wyatt Perry, Trenton Kluck, Chanse Ford, Trey Sagehorn, Jackson Kleiboeker, Cody Hyde, Matt Hall, Colten O’Hara and Trey Sagehorn all collected All-District standing for the Eagles this season...

The high-pitched screams being emitted from the locker room of Wheaton after a stunning 45-42 win over Marionville on Thursday night answered every question as to if the game meant anything to the girls who had just played. Seeded No. 6 in the Southwest Holiday Tournament and just 1-5 on the season was enough of an uphill battle, but Wheaton also had to climb the hill of beating a No. 3 Lady Comets team that had already topped them in overtime, 49-43, on Dec. 3...

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports confirming 24 new cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Missouri from nearly 27,000 tissue samples collected from white-tailed deer and submitted for disease testing this season. The new cases were found in the following counties: 2 in Adair, 5 in Franklin, 5 in Linn, 2 in Macon, 2 in Perry, 5 in Ste. Genevieve, 2 in Stone, and 1 in Taney. Most of the tissue samples were taken from hunter-harvested deer...

Caleb Hall, a high school senior at Berean Christian Academy in Monett, recorded his 1,000th career point on Dec. 20 with a free throw in the third quarter of the Lions’ game.

The Monett wrestling team traveled to the Kansas City Stampede and acquainted themselves well on the big stage. The invitation-only event featured top-flight teams from six states. The Cubs finished 18th out of 49 with 234 points. Liberty won the event with 600 team points...

It is about as close to a clean sweep as a team can get for Pierce City when it come to the Southwest All-Conference football honors. The Eagles took home 27 total awards, including Offensive, Defensive and Coach of the Year honors. Several Eagles picked up multiple awards for their offensive and defensive play abilities...

The Monett girls wrestling team traveled to Nixa last week and posted a solid showing. While the Lady Cubs did not finish in the top three as a team, according to coach Justin Semerad, their growth can be seen by higher individual placings than last year...

With the award season winding down, the Monett football team is still collecting hardware for the lettermen jackets. Seven Cubs earned All-District designations in Ray Villalta, Wes Merriman, Christian Selvey, Brandon Majors, Ethan Umfleet, Karter Brink and Gunnar Bradley...

Just one game into the season, Pierce City basketball Coach Matt Street was in a seeding conference for the annual Walnut Grove Holiday Tournament. Street’s Eagles were 1-0, but he had no idea where his team might be slotted. Due to a deep playoff run by the football team, Street had not even had a full week of practice with his squad...

This week is one of the most sacred weeks in all of the United States. On Wednesday, most families will assemble together, exchange gifts, eat a meal and enjoy Christmas. On Thursday, area basketball teams hit the hardwood for a ho-ho-whole lot of games...