Jones, Edwards honored as SEMO Conference’s best

Many SEMO Conference athletes were honored on Wednesday at the 64th Poplar Bluff Letter Club Basketball Banquet at the Black River Coliseum for their outstanding play on the basketball court.

Jadis Jones of New Madrid Central snagged his third straight John Gibbs Award Most Outstanding Boys Basketball Player award in the SEMO Conference. While Jones continued to show why he was the best player this season, one freshman athlete took the girls’ SEMO conference by storm.

Freshman guard Alyce Edwards became the first player from Kennett, male or female, to be named the Bob Gray Award for the most outstanding player in the conference. The pair were honored by their peers and family members, along with members of the All-SEMO Conference team.

Jones was named the Class 3 Player of the Year for the second time by the Missouri Basketball

Coaches Association. He averaged 27.1 points per game, shooting 63% from the field, while averaging 12 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Jones joins Poplar Bluff’s Tyler Hansbrough as the only player to win the Gibbs Award three times.

The NMCC Eagles claimed their second straight MSHSAA Class 3 championship, finishing with a 28-3 record. All three of New Madrid’s losses were against conference opponents, and two were at Sikeston, which ran the table in conference play.

In his final game at Mizzou Arena, Jones scored 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field and 6 of 9 free throws to go with 11 rebounds, nine steals and three blocks. He also led the team with four assists as the Eagles beat Summit Christian 86-65.

Edwards averaged 24.8 points per game, earning the conference scoring award, while setting a

school record for points by a freshman with 645 points, nearly 200 more than the previous mark. Her season points, game average, and 43-point single-game performance are among the top 10 in state history among freshmen. She also averaged five steals for Kennett, which lost once in conference play during a 21-5 season.

Sikeston’s Dontrez Williams won the boys scoring award, averaging 24.6 points per game.

Sikeston’s Landri Hammontree sank 81% of her free throws to win the conference award, while Kolton Johnson of Notre Dame had the top free-throw percentage among the boys at 85%.

While some awards were given out to the top individual players, a few Semo Conference awards were also given to some of the top teams.

Sikeston won the boys conference title for the first time since 2018 and has now won or shared the championship 13 times, moving ahead of Cape Central and Poplar Bluff for second most behind Charleston’s 24 championships since the conference formed in 1958.

Notre Dame claimed the girls conference title for the third year in a row and sixth since 2003. It’s the longest title run since Jackson won four straight titles from 1992-95 and won or shared the title five straight seasons between 1997-2001. Notre Dame’s Kirk Boeller was named coach of the year.

Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield was honored twice Wednesday night, first as the coach of the year and later with the Tom Hoover Lifetime Achievement Award. The longtime Bulldogs coach earned his 600th win this season.

ALL-SEMO CONFERENCE BOYS

Ko'Terrion Owens, Charleston, sr., 6-2

Kole Deck, Jackson, jr., 6-6

B.J. Williamson, New Madrid Central, sr., 6-0

Jadis Jones, New Madrid Central, sr., 6-5

Kolton Johnson, Notre Dame, jr., 6-0

Dontrez Williams, Sikeston, sr., 6-5

P.J. Farmer, Sikeston, jr., 6-2

Tristan Wiggins, Sikeston, jr., 6-0

Jay Reynolds, Cape Central, sr., 6-4

Marquel Murray, Cape Central, soph., 6-3

Coach: Gregg Holifield, Sikeston

John Gibbs Award (Player of the Year): Jadis Jones, New Madrid Central

Scoring Award: Dontrez Williams, Sikeston (24.6 ppg.)

Free-throw pct. Award: Kolton Johnson, Notre Dame (85%)

Honorable Mention

Blayne Harris, Jackson, sr., 6-3; Judd Thoma, Jackson, sr., 6-4.; Ethan Zabelin, Dexter, sr., 6-3; Brendan Durden, Poplar Bluff, jr., 6-1; Mar'Lon Hickman-Roberson, Poplar Bluff, sr., 6-1.

GIRLS

Brie Rubel, Notre Dame. soph., 5-9

Kate Rubel, Notre Dame, soph., 6-0

Nevaeh Lucious, Notre Dame, soph., 6-2

Rebecca Johnson, Saxony Lutheran, sr., 5-7

Landri Hammontree, Sikeston, jr., 5-2

Camryn Alsdorf, Jackson, jr., 5-9

Katelyn Nichols, Dexter, jr., 5-7

Alyce Edwards, Kennett, fr., 5-2

E’Marriha Johnson, Kennett, soph., 6-0

Emani Summers, Cape Central, jr., 5-8

Evie Caruso, Saxony Lutheran, sr., 6-1

Holland Guilliams, Jackson, sr., 5-5

Coach: Kirk Boeller, Notre Dame

Bob Gray Award (Player of the Year): Alyce Edwards, Kennett

Scoring Award: Alyce Edwards, Kennett (24.9 points per game)

Free-throw pct. Award: Landri Hammontree, Sikeston (81%)

Honorable Mention

Kennedi Simms, Sikeston, fr. 5-5; Marlie Crook, Sikeston, soph., 6-0; Abbie Lloyd, Dexter, sr., 5-7; Eliza Barnette, Notre Dame, jr., 6-0; Abigail Wilson, Poplar Bluff, sr., 5-7.