Region will be represented well at state tourney

Southeast Missouri high school basketball will have three more chances on the boys side to continue its current streak of six straight years with at least one state champion.

Charleston (Class 3), Advance (Class 2) and Bell City (Class 1) will compete this week. Sikeston fell just short last week, finishing second in Class 4.

Bell City will be looking for its third state title over the past five seasons, while Charleston is looking to pick up state title No. 10. The Bluejays have not won a state title since 1996 despite going to the final four the past three years.

Advance has not made the state final four since 1975, but does own a pair of state titles.

Scott County Central still owns the state record with 12 state titles, although Vashon inched closer by winning its 11th title last week. Charleston ranks third.

Advance and Bell City will play in semifinal games today, while Charleston will play Friday.

On the girls side, Delta in Class 1 and Doniphan in Class 3 will represent Southeast Missouri. No school from Southeast Missouri has won a state title since 2002, when Notre Dame claimed the Class 2 title.

Neither Delta nor Doniphan has won a state title.

"It's great having all these teams from Southeast Missouri there," Bell City coach Brian Brandtner said. "During the season they're your rivals, but when it comes to the postseason it's great, we all get together and pull for each other. Hopefully, everyone in Southeast Missouri can go up there and represent us well."

Richardet all-conference

St. Vincent senior Waylon Richardet earned first-team all-conference in the Jefferson County Conference small schools division for boys basketball.

Richardet averaged 11.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Indians. St. Vincent fell in the district semifinals this season after advancing to the Class 2 championship game last year.

Greg Finger and Eric Clements each hearned honorable mention honors.

For the St. Vincent girls, Jessica Welker earned second-team all-conference. Kelsey Kutz and Lacey Siegmund were honorable mention.

All-Mississippi Valley

Mississippi Valley Conference tournament champion Saxony Lutheran was rewarded with three first-team all-conference members.

Casey Petzoldt and Trey Maevers, both seniors, and junior Alex Jauch each made the first team from the Crusaders. Saxony Lutheran defeated regular season conference champion Meadow Heights in the conference tournament finals.

Seniors Anthony Bollinger and Heath Fulton made the first team for the Panthers.

Delta was the only other team to have multiple first-team members with seniors Aaron Kinder and Terrence Below honored.

Austin Hahs (Oak Ridge), Tim Landing (Zalma), Steven Dooley (Chaffee) and Victor Vandeven (Leopold) rounded out the first team.

Matt Stoverink (Leopold), Michael Collier (Meadow Heights), Johnnie Price (Oak Ridge) and Terry Wagner (Meadow Heights) were honorable mention.

College notes

• Scott County Central graduate Chris Pullen scored nine points in Tuesday night's NAIA Division II national championship men's basketball game in Point Lookout, Mo., as host College of the Ozarks beat Huntington (Ind.) 74-56. Pullen, a 6-foot-3 starting sophomore forward, made the all-tournament team.

He averaged just over eight points per game this season for College of the Ozarks, which is near Branson, Mo.

* Notre Dame graduate Lindsay Reinagel has a pair of wins for the University of Missouri-St. Louis softball team through eight games. Reinagel has a 2-0 record with a 2.62 ERA in 13 1/3 innings.

Offensively, Reinagel is tied for the team lead with three doubles and has four RBIs and five runs scored.

* Central graduate Ashley Colon finished 13th in the weight throw at the NCAA Divison II indoor track and field national championships.

Colon, a Truman State junior, had a throw of 49 feet, 11 3/4 inches on her first throw, but fouled on her next two and did not reach the finals.