Sports

THERE’S STILL A FEW HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS GETTING SET TO WRAP UP TODAY, AND A POST HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT AT STOVER STARTING UP ON SATURDAY WITH BOTH OF THE DIXON TEAMS..

THE WAYNESVILLE LADY TIGERS ARE PLAYING FOR 3RD PLACE TODAY AGAINST REPUBLIC IN THE WHITE DIVISION OF THE PINK AND WHITE TOURNAMENT..
THE LADY TIGERS ARE JUST UNDERWAY AT KICKAPOO AFTER GETTING TURBO CLOCKED, 78-31 BY NIXA YESTERDAY..
BREONNA HURD GOT INTO EARLY FOUL PROBLEMS, AND THAT ALLOWED NIXA TO DOUBLE TEAM NAUDIA EVANS AND IT DIDN’T TURN OUT GOOD FOR THE LADY TIGERS…HOPEFULLY, THEY CAN REBOUND TODAY LIKE THE WAYNESVILLE BOYS DID AT ROLLA..MORE ON THAN IT A MOMENT.

NIXA IS PLAYING WEST PLAINS FOR THE WHITE DIVISION TITLE..
KICKAPOO IS FACING WILLARD TODAY FOR THE PINK DIVISION….BOTH TITLE GAMES AT PARKVIEW HIGH SCHOOL..
THE OTHER OZARK CONFERENCE TEAM PLAYING TODAY IN THE PINK AND WHITE ARE THE LADY YELLOWJACKETS…LEBANON MEETS AVA FOR THE CONSOLATION HARDWARE…

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THE BLUE AND GOLD BOYS TOURNAMENTS WRAP TODAY WITH CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES HELD AT THE JQH ARENA, 3RD PLACE GAMES AT HAMMONS STUDENT CENTER AND THE CONSOLATION GAMES AT GREENWOOD….

IN THE BLUE DIVISION, HARTVILLE MOVED TO THE FINALS TODAY WITH A 57-39 WIN OVER SPRINGFIELD CATHOLIC…NIXA SQUEEZED BY PARKVIEW, 48-46 TO ADVANCE..
HARTVILLE AND NIXA FOR THE TITLE AT 2 THIS AFTERNOON AT THE JQH.
CATHOLIC FACES PARKVIEW AT 2 AT THE HAMMONS STUDENT CENTER FOR 3RD..

GOLD DIVISION, GREENWOOD KNOCKED OFF OZARK 67-63..
REPUBLIC BEAT ROGERSVILLE 53-36 IN THE OTHER SEMI SETTING UP GREENWOOD AND REPUBLIC IN THE TITLE GAME OF THE GOLD DIVISION AT 4 THIS AFTERNOON AT THE JQH..
OZARK AND ROGERSVILLE ALSO PLAY AT 4 AT THE HAMMONS STUDENT CENTER….

STRAFFORD ELIMINATED WEST PLAINS IN THE GOLD DIVISION WITH 59-36 WIN ON THE CONSOLATION SIDE…
THE ZIZZERS WERE THE ONLY OZARK CONFERENCE TEAM ON THE CONSOLATION SIDE…ALL OTHER HAD BEEN ELIMINATED OR WITHDREW DUE TO COVID ISSUES….

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THE 2 ROLLA HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS ARE IN THE BOOKS….POPLAR BLUFF WON THE BOYS, ROCK BRIDGE TOOK THE GIRLS….

IN THE BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, POPLAR BLUFF EDGED THE HOST ROLLA BULLDOGS, 66-58…

THE WAYNESVILLE TIGERS BOUNCED BACK FROM A TOUGH 1 POINT LOSS POPLAR BLUFF TUESDAY AND BROUGHT HOME THE 3RD PLACE TROPHEY AFTER A 78-57 VICTORY OVER CARTHAGE..
THE TIGERS STARTED FAST JUMPING OUT TO A 24-9 LEAD…CARTHAGE MOUNTED A SMALL CHARGE IN THE 2ND QUARTER, BUT THE TIGERS STILL HELD A 14 POINT ADVANTAGE AT THE HALF, THEN FINISHED STRONG WITH A 34-27 SECOND HALF ADVANTAGE..
TIGER COACH CHRIS PILZ SAID ”Our guys bounced back this afternoon…It’s a much easier game when you make baskets. Our team continues to improve. We will take a few days off and get back to work.”
THE TIGERS PUT 4, ALMOST 5 IN DOUBLES..JARED HYATT LED THE TEAM WITH 20…XAY MacGARTHUR TOSSED IN 17..A.J. MARTIN CONNECTED FOR A DOZEN AND MIKE LEWIS ADDED 11……
THE BENCH STEPPED UP…THE TIGERS WERE WHISTLED FOR 20 FOULS AND THEY HAD TO SUB OFTEN…
WAYNESVILLE AT 3-4 TRAVELS TO SMITH COTTON ON THE 5TH FOR THEIR NEXT OUTING….

ROCK BRIDGE AND TRUMAN FROM INDEPENDANCE BOTH WENT 3-0 IN THE GIRLS TOURNAMENT WHICH TURNED INTO A SHOOTOUT FORMAT AFTER 2 TEAMS HAD TO WITHDRAW AND QUARENTINE..
THE FIRST TIE BREAKER WAS POINTS AND IT WENT TO ROCKBRIDGE WHO KNOCKED OFF FATIMA 40-33 IN THEIR LAST GAME….TRUMAN WAS A 55-36 WINNER OVER CROCKER IN THEIR WEDNESDAY OUTING…
THE LADY LIONS WERE DOWN BY 8 AT THE HALF, BUT MISSED FREE THROWS, AND LAYUPS, AND GOING COLD FROM DOWNTOWN DIDN’T HELP THEIR CAUSE….
COACH RICH MUELLER OF CROCKER SAID “Overall in this tournament we were competitive and did some good things. Hopefully we can get our offense back on track for the second half of the season.”
SKYELER LAYMAN WAS THE ONLY ONE IN DOUBLES WITH 15 POINTS…

THE LADY WILDCATS OF LICKING BROUGHT HOME THE CONSOLATION TROPHEY AFTER THEIRR 60-39 THUMPIN’ OF COLUMBIA BATTLE….A SLUGISH FIRST HALF FOR THE LADY WILDCATS WAS FLIPPED OVER IN THE 2ND WHEN THEY CAME OUT OF THE LOCKER ROOM AFTER A CHALLENGE ABOUT THEIR TOUGHNESS BY COACH STEVE RISSLER AND PUT UP 21 STRAIGHT POINTS, CRASHED THE BOARDS, INCREASED THE LEAD TO 20 AND CRUISED TO THE WIN…
ABBIE SULLINS HAD A BIG 3RD QUARTER HITTING 11 OF HER GAME HIGH 18 IN THE THAT 8 MINUTE TIME FRAME….KYLIE TAYLOR TOSSED IN 17……
COACH STEVE RISSLER SAID “I really challenged their toughness at halftime. The girls responded with a tough defensive mindset in the 3rd and they rebounded very well. We hope this game is a preview of what we are truly capable of.”

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THE CABOOL BOYS HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT IS DONE…

IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, THE THAYER BEAT ALTON 56-50…
THE THIRD PLACE GAME WAS EVEN CLOSER WITH THE NORWOOD PIRATES EDGING THE LICKING WILDCATS, 52-50……A 2 POINT NORWOOD LEAD AFTER ONE, A 4 POINT PIRATE LEAD AT THE HALF AND A 5 POINT LEAD AFTER 3…LICKING WOULD NOT GO AWAY, BUT COULD NOT TOP THE HILL IN THE 4TH AND LOST BY A DUECE…
FIFTH PLACE, CABOOL 52, GAINESVILLE 46
CONSOLATION: SUMMERSVILLE 59, DORA 44

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AT THE MOUNTAIN GROVE GIRLS TOURNAMENT, THEIR FINALS WERE ALSO YESTERDAY…..
CHAMPIONSHIP: Hartville 60, Salem 51 –
THIRD PLACE: Willow Springs 49, Eminence 43
FIFTH PLACE: Dora 35, Bradleyville 31
CONSOLATION: Gainesville 50, Mountain Grove 30

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THE DIXON BOYS AND GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAMS WILL JUMP INTO POST HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT ACTION THIS SATURDAY AT STOVER…..
THEY’RE USING TWO GYMS, ONE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, AND THE OTHER AT THE DOME..
THE DIXON BOYS HAVE THE 1 SEED AND PLAY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AT 1:30 AGAINST CALHOUN AT STOVER HIGH SCHOOL.
THE OTHER BOYS GAMES TIP AT THE DOME.

ON THE GIRLS BRACKET, TEH LADY BULLDOGS HOLD THE 7TH SEED AND PLAY HOST STOVER AT 3:30 ON SATURDAY AND THAT’S AT THE DOME…
THE 2ND ROUND IN EACH THE BOYS AND GIRLS BRACKET WILL BE THE 5TH AND 6TH…NO GAMES MONDAY, JAN. 4TH…

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7TH RANKED Tennessee used a 15-0 run early to jump out to a 23-4 lead en route to a 73-53 blowout win over the No. 12 ranked Missouri Tigers. The Vols never trailed in the game.
This was the first SEC win of the season for Rick Barnes’ team, its first game on the road and Mizzou’s first loss. In the process, the vols improved to 7-0 on the year, while former UT head coach Cuonzo Martin’s Tigers fell to 6-1 on the season.

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ARMY IS SET TO PLAY IN THE AUTO ZONE LIBERTY BOWL this afternoon IN MEMPHIS….
THEY TAKE ON WEST VIRGINIA IN A 3PM KICKOFF ON ESPN……

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Becky Hammon has spent the past several seasons working towards becoming an NBA head coach, and on Wednesday, she achieved that goal… if only for a brief period. San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was ejected during the second quarter of their game against the Los Angeles Lakers, and Hammon took over as the team’s acting head coach. That makes her the first woman to serve as a head coach during a regular-season NBA game.

Hammon, a WNBA legend, has been an assistant with the Spurs since 2014. She has risen through the ranks since then to serve as a head coach for the Spurs in a number of different capacities prior to Wednesday’s game against the Lakers. She has led the organization’s Summer League Team, and as the Spurs rotated head coaches during the scrimmages leading up to the NBA’s restart in Orlando last season, she coached the team in an exhibition matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.