AREA HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SEASON GETS STARTED THIS WEEK (PREP BASKETBALL NOTES)

Although many teams won't play their first games until next week, the area high school basketball season tips off this week, with a few games scheduled for as early as tonight.

The only boys game on tonight's docket is Meadow Heights visiting Leopold.

In girls action, Kelly travels to Delta, Oran visits Charleston and Notre Dame takes on Perryville in the Perryville Tournament.

The Perryville tourney is a four-team, round-robin affair that will also feature games Tuesday and Wednesday.

While the local schedule is fairly light early in the week, things pick up after Thanksgiving.

A highlight of the early-season basketball schedule will be this weekend's annual Riverbend Classic at New Madrid County Central.

There will be five boys games both Friday and Saturday, with Cape Girardeau Central, Notre Dame, Scott City and Charleston among the teams competing in the high-powered event.

Friday's action will feature Scott City vs. Meridian (Ill.) at 1 p.m.; Notre Dame vs. Cardinal Ritter at 2:30; Alton vs. Memphis (Tenn.) East at 5:30; New Madrid vs. West Memphis (Tenn.) at 7; and Charleston vs. Vashon at 8:30.

Saturday, it's Cape Central vs. Memphis East at 1 p.m.; Meridian vs. East Carter County at 2:30; Charleston vs. West Memphis at 5:30; Portageville vs Vashon at 7; and New Madrid vs. Cardinal Ritter at 8:30.

Cape Central's girls open their season next week in the Oakville Tournament while Jackson's boys and girls tip things off next week in the Farmington Tournament.

* Scott City, Doniphan and Jackson earned the top spots in the preseason Southeast Missouri basketball poll, based on voting by area media members.

Scott City is ranked first in the small school boys poll. The Rams return several key players from last year's 27-3, district championship squad, including standout guard Jon Beck, who has signed with Arkansas State.

Portageville, which made the Class 2A Final Four last year after beating Scott City in sectionals, is second, with Kelly third, Bernie fourth and East Carter County fifth.

Doniphan is No. 1 in the large school boys poll after last year's 23-3 record. Rounding out the top five are Charleston, New Madrid, Sikeston and Jackson.

Jackson, which has advanced to the past three Class 4A state championship games, is rated first in the overall girls poll. The Lady Indians went 26-3 last year and have lost just 10 games over the past four seasons combined.

Poplar Bluff's girls are ranked second, with Doniphan third, Cape Central fourth and East Carter County fifth.

* Rumors were running rampant that Charleston standout junior guard Howard Biles had transferred to Cape Central.

Well, Biles apparently looked into it -- but he's now evidently back at Charleston. Although he won't play for the Blue Jays to start the season after running into some offseason problems, there is a chance he'll suit up for the second semester.

On the girls side, former Scott County Central star guard Vontrice Blackmon has transferred to Cape Central and will play for the Lady Tigers. Blackmon averaged 17 points per game for the Bravettes last season.

* There are a host of new head coaches on the area basketball scene this year.

At Cape Central, Darrick Smith -- who many area sports fans probably know as being a star baseball player for the McDowell Capahas -- takes over the girls program. He has been a Central assistant coach the last two years.

Among the smaller schools, new boys head coaches are Jim Hall at Advance, Jeff Funston at Bell City, Jim Gloth at Delta, Grady Smith at Marquand, Morgan Nugent at Oak Ridge and Mark Vogt at Zalma. Also, Greg Holifield has taken over at Sikeston.

Marquand's new coach, Smith, is an interesting story. He was a standout on the legendary Puxico teams of the 1950s that were chronicled in the book `My Name is Mister Ryan.'

New girls head coaches in the area are Curtis Finley at Kelly and Tom Sellers at Oran.

* Over in Illinois, former Southeast Missouri State University standout Jamie Koester is in her first season as the head coach of the Anna-Jonesboro girls team.