Bob Barker won't be there to remind you to have your pets spayed or neutered.
There will be, however, a Showcase showdown.
Twelve teams -- including six from Cape Girardeau County -- will be on stage Saturday as Cape Central holds its fifth annual Tiger Showcase, starting with the Notre Dame girls against John Burroughs at 11 a.m. at Tiger Field House.
Cape Central's, Jackson's and Notre Dame's boys and girls teams will all play one game apiece.
Following the first game, Notre Dame's boys will play John Burroughs at 12:30 p.m. Jackson's girls will play Rosary at 2, Jackson will play Vianney at 3:30, Cape Central's girls will play Seckman at 5 p.m. and Central's boys will wrap up the Showcase with a 6:30 game against Oakville.
While the event has been geared toward creating competitive matchups between teams from Southeast Missouri and teams from St. Louis, perhaps the juiciest game will be the opening one.
It was John Burroughs which ended Notre Dame's playoff hopes last year in the state quarterfinals. Notre Dame was in complete control in the first half, but a tighter officiated game, an intentional foul which resulted in a bloody lip, and a technical foul in the second half hurt the Lady Bulldogs in a 63-56 loss. Then-sophomore Amy Argetsinger scored 18 of her 21 points at the foul line, making more free throws than Notre Dame shot.
Notre Dame hasn't forgotten about the nightmare a year ago in Farmington.
"You know we're looking forward to it," said Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim. "We gave them the quarterfinal so you doggone know we're looking forward to it. There's been a lot of talk about it. Their athletic director called and was concerned about roughness. We're a physical team and I guess they'll have to get used to it. They're (Notre Dame) going to be pumped up. I'll have to keep their feet on the ground."
John Burroughs is struggling somewhat this season, bringing a 5-6 record into the Showcase.
The second girls game will pit two perennial powers in Jackson (5-5) and Rosary (9-1). Surging Cape Central at 10-2 will take on a struggling but dangerous squad in Seckman (4-7).
Rosary's only loss this season was to John Burroughs. And Seckman, which is led by Lindsey Gruenewald's 17 points per game, took Eureka the No. 3 ranked team in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch large-school poll down to the wire.
"For us, we're going in a little blind, so you never know what's going to happen," said Central girls coach Darrick Smith.
Smith said any time there is an event like this, there is a bit more at stake.
"You never know who's watching or who you'll play down the line," he said. "We're trying to showcase talent around here, so yeah, there is a little more emphasis. We always look forward to it. We may not get the crowds all the time, but being in between two boys games, we might have a bigger crowd."
On the boys side, Vianney -- Jackson's opponent -- brings in the best record at 10-3. John Burroughs is 6-5 and Oakville is 3-8. Notre Dame, as of Thursday night, was 8-5 and sports the best record of the local boys teams. Jackson is 6-7 and Cape Central is 4-8.
"The thing I really like about (the Showcase), is that it's a chance for somebody to come out and watch a lot of basketball," said tournament organizer and Central athletic director Terry Kitchen. "We're charging $3 a head to watch six basketball games. We're thinking, how can you beat that? And it's three local teams that are very competitive against each other and this is a day where we can pull for each other against teams from St. Louis."
All three local boys teams will have to play less than 24 hours after their previous games.
"It's going to be a challenge for us for sure," said Central coach Brett Reutzel. "We (play back-to-back) quite a bit. It's not too uncommon, but it'll be the first time this year."
TIGER SHOOTOUT
Saturday's games
11 a.m. -- Notre Dame girls vs. John Burroughs
12:30 p.m. -- Notre Dame boys vs. John Burroughs
2 p.m. -- Jackson girls vs. Rosary
3:30 p.m. -- Jackson boys vs. Vianney
5 p.m. -- Cape Central girls vs. Seckman
6:30 p.m. -- Cape Central boys vs. Oakville
Connect with the Southeast Missourian Newsroom:
For corrections to this story or other insights for the editor, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To learn about the Southeast Missourian’s AI Policy, click here.