HOOP SCOOP: SEMO HOOP SEASON ENDS ON DOWN NOTE

The season ended for Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday night in the opening round of the Ohio Valley Conference post-season tournament at Middle Tennessee State.

Middle jumped on us early and built a 21-point halftime lead that we were unable to overcome. So we finished the year with a 12-18 record, 9-9 in the OVC, which tied us for fifth place.

Tuesday's 89-74 loss put us out of the tournament, but I think our tournament was really lost at Tennessee-Martin and Eastern Illinois. A win in either of those games would have given us a home game in the opening round of the tournament.

I knew it would be difficult to beat a good Middle team for the third time at their place. Our kids did make a run at them in the second half and pulled to within five points with over eight minutes left to play and had a chance to pull within three, but we had a turnover on a two-on-one break and two straight missed free throws that allowed Middle to pull back out for the win.

I was proud of the players for coming back in the second half. Allen Hatchett had a career-high 22 points while Bud Eley had another big night with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Dante Bryant also had a career-high 10 points.

All four home-site teams won and will advance to Nashville this weekend. Austin Peay will meet Tennessee Tech and Middle Tennessee will face Murray State in Friday's semifinals. It should be an exciting two days of basketball for the teams and their fans.

I personally want to thank our administration for their support. The cheerleaders and Sundancers were at both of our last two games and the show band was on hand for Tuesday's game. I don't think we could ask for any more.

We also had a good following of fans at our last three road games. Again, thanks to everyone for your support. It is good to look up in the stands on the road and see all of you fans in red. We really appreciate your efforts in attending the games, both at home and on the road.

When the season began this year, my expectations for this team were extremely high. I felt all the pieces of the puzzle were in place to make a run at the OVC championship.

Yes, we did have some injuries like all teams do but we didn't persevere through them. We were in the hunt for most of the season, but the road losses at Morehead, Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee-Martin and Eastern Illinois really hurt us.

Despite the disappointing end to the season, the future looks bright because we lose only one senior, Reggie Crisp. Our top five scorers return next season and our staff is working hard to fill in some of our weaknesses.

I want to thank Reggie for his hard play down the stretch. He is a fine young man who will get his degree in Industrial Technology with an emphasis in electronics. He will be a positive influence on society. Good luck, Reggie!

In addition to our returning players, we have Kahn Cotton, who has been practicing with us this year after transferring from Idaho State. Kahn is an excellent point guard who will have two years of eligibility remaining.

It was a long season that began for most of our players with nine games in Hungary during August and then 30 games during the season, including the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic. It is time now for our coaches to hit the recruiting trail and for our players to hit the books and get ready for next season.

Our fan support this season was outstanding and we had some of our best student crowds ever during the latter stages of the season. This is all very positive for our program.

I'm sorry we didn't go further in the tournament, but we'll be back next year with a veteran team that should contend for the OVC title.

Ron Shumate is the head basketball coach at Southeast Missouri State University