Mishow's column: Winning streak pushes Redhawks back from brink

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team looked down and out just a few weeks ago after starting the year with 10 straight losses.

To the Redhawks' credit, they have gotten off life support to revive their season.

Southeast has won three consecutive games, including a pair of Ohio Valley Conference road contests last week, to even its league record at 2-2.

A somewhat shocking 77-75 triumph at Tennessee Tech was included in those two OVC road victories.

It was somewhat shocking because Southeast had not won on Tennessee Tech's home court since the NCAA tournament season of 1999-2000, a string of 12 straight losses to the Eagles in Cookeville, Tenn.

Southeast saw the opposition overcome big second-half deficits to go ahead late before the Redhawks rallied back in both the Tennessee Tech victory and a 76-67 win at Jacksonville State.

That shows plenty of character and toughness, something second-year coach Dickey Nutt says he never has questioned about these Redhawks.

Among the keys to Southeast's recent success have been sophomore guard Marland Smith's resurgence after a major shooting slump, senior forward Cameron Butler's solid contributions despite battling painful foot problems and redshirt freshman point guard Lucas Nutt's steady hand running the show.

Throw in the consistent play of junior forward Leon Powell and senior guard Anthony Allison, and you've got a team that looks nothing like the club that struggled so much in the first 10 games.

The Redhawks dug an early hole in the OVC race by losing their first two conference games at home.

But considering that only one of the league's 10 teams -- Austin Peay -- has not yet suffered a conference loss, the Redhawks aren't in bad shape.

Southeast, which notched just one OVC road victory while posting only three conference wins last year, is in a three-way tie for fifth place and just one game out of second place with most of the OVC season still remaining.

The Redhawks still are very banged up. They miss Nick Niemczyk and Nate Schulte, who are out with injuries and might not return this season, and short on numbers so there is no telling what lies ahead.

But at least the Redhawks have given themselves a chance to make some noise with their recent run of success.

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Former Southeast football standout Dan Connolly was having a solid season, starting every game on the New England Patriots' offensive line.

But Connolly took his campaign to new heights Dec. 19 when he became something of a cult hero with his amazing kickoff return.

The 6-foot-4, 313-pound Connolly fielded a short kickoff then broke several tackles while displaying impressive speed and athleticism on a 71-yard return before being tackled at the Packers' 4-yard line during the nationally televised Sunday night game in Foxboro, Mass.

That play late in the first half was pivotal because it led to a touchdown that helped the Patriots rally for a 31-27 win.

Connolly's return was the longest by an offensive lineman in NFL history and drew all kinds of national attention, including being a hot topic on ESPN for the next few days.

It also garnered Connolly AFC special teams player of the week honors. He became just the second offensive lineman to win that award.

But on a down note, Connolly missed Sunday's game at Buffalo because of a concussion believed to have occurred during the kickoff return.

Connolly was a four-time all-OVC performer at Southeast from 2001 through 2004, including a first-team all-OVC selection as a senior.

Connolly, who originally made the NFL as an undrafted free agent, is in his sixth NFL season, although he spent a majority of his first several campaigns either inactive or on practice squads. He never had started a game until he made four starts for the Patriots last year.

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The Southeast football program always waits to announce mid-year junior college transfers until the NCAA's official signing day in early February.

But Southeast coach Tony Samuel said following the season that he did plan to sign four mid-year jucos who would enroll at the university for the second semester and participate in spring drills.

According to the Ventura (Calif.) County Star, Southeast recently signed Ventura College defensive lineman Taylor Ramsey.

Ramsey, according to the newspaper, had eight tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks as a sophomore this year.

And according to scout.com, Glendale (Ariz.) Community College offensive lineman Pete Niggemann recently gave Southeast a verbal commitment.

Glendale CC is the same school that sent Southeast offensive lineman Brandon Harris and defensive lineman J.J. Sanchez, two senior starters for the Redhawks this year.

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Speaking of Samuel, no word yet regarding if he'll be back as Southeast's coach. But I'll be surprised if he's not.

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One of my favorite events on the sports calendar is upon us. The Southeast Missourian Christmas tournament begins today at the Show Me Center.

The 66th annual 16-team boys basketball tournament tips off at 9 a.m. with the first of eight first-round games.

The opening round usually features plenty of blowouts, some by incredibly lopsided margins. That's also the case for some of the second-round matchups.

But plenty of classic battles have been waged during the semifinal and final rounds, which usually feature a packed Show Me Center.

The top storyline this week is whether two-time defending champion Scott County Central will three-peat.

SCC, winner of the past two Class 1 state titles, no longer has dazzling point guard Bobby Hatchett but still features smooth 6-9 senior forward Otto Porter.

Without having seen the Braves play yet, I doubt they're as good as last year mainly because of Hatchett's graduation.

But I bet they'll still be plenty tough to beat this week, which is why I'll be surprised if that happens.

See you at the Show Me Center.

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While I'm really looking forward to another Southeast Missourian Christmas tournament, I also enjoyed covering last week's Show Me Center Holiday Classic, the annual eight-team girls basketball tournament.

Notre Dame deserves kudos for repeating as champion, but the story of the tournament was Meadow Heights, which fell to the Bulldogs 63-61 in a thrilling title contest.

The Panthers, in the tournament for the first time, were seeded fifth but proved they're among the area's best squads regardless of school size.

Meadow Heights lost in the Class 2 quarterfinals the past two years. With every starter back from last season, don't be surprised if the Panthers make it all the way to the final four this year.

By the way, tournament director Mark Ruark said the Show Me Center Holiday Classic set an attendance record during its 15th edition.

And one more note that will make people like me who enjoy the tournament happy: Ruark said there definitely will be a 16th Show Me Center Holiday Classic next year even if a new primary sponsor is not found.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.