Sikeston gets top seed in SEMO Conference tourney

~ The baseball tournament begins Thursday.

A familiar team is back in the role of favorite in the SEMO Conference baseball tournament this year.

Sikeston (12-4), which has played in the tournament championship game in each of its six years, is seeded first heading into this year's tournament. Opening-round play-in games will begin Thursday with Kelly hosting Poplar Bluff and New Madrid County Central playing host to Kennett.

Sikeston, No. 2 Central, No. 3 Jackson and No. 4 Dexter will host quarterfinal games Friday. The semifinals will be played at Central on Saturday, and the finals are scheduled for Monday at Capaha Field.

The Bulldogs are tied atop the conference standings with Central, but hold the tiebreaker due to their earlier win at Central. Sikeston has not won the tournament since 2004.

"We're just going to play them one game at a time and see what happens," Sikeston coach Kevin Self said.

Central won the title last year, 8-4 over Sikeston. It was the first tournament title for the Tigers.

"If we were the defending champion and No. 1 seed [there may be pressure], but by virtue of Sikeston beating us earlier in the season, I think we have something to prove again," Central coach Steve Williams said.

Jackson has rebounded from a slow start to earn the third seed. The Indians (11-7) will face No. 6 Notre Dame in the opening round.

Chaffee is seeded fifth and will go to Dexter in the other opening-round game. The Red Devils previously shut out the Bearcats this season.

If the seeds hold, Sikeston would get a chance to avenge one of its two SEMO Conference losses against Dexter in the semifinals. Central nipped Jackson 3-2 in a prior meeting this season.

"There could be some good middle games," Williams said.

Perryville soccer tourney

The first Perryville Soccer Invitational will get under way Thursday at the Perryville Soccer Complex.

Jackson, Perryville and St. Vincent appear to be the favorites in the eight-team tournament. Other teams include Festus, Windsor, Farmington, Poplar Bluff and Fredericktown.

Jackson and host Perryville are both on the top half of the bracket, and would meet in the semifinals Friday with opening-round wins. St. Vincent appears to have a clear path to the finals with a first-round game against Farmington and a possible semifinal matchup with either Poplar Bluff or Fredericktown.

The championship game is set for noon Saturday.

Peet signs with Three Rivers

Scott County Central senior Brittney Peet recently signed to play basketball at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff next season.

Peet was a four-year starter for the Bravettes, earning first-team all-state honors this past season. The 5-foot-5 guard was known for her quickness and tenacity on the defensive end. Peet helped lead the Bravettes to the quarterfinals this past season, scoring 18 points in an upset win over top-ranked Delta in the sectional round.

The Scott County guard will join two of her rivals at Three Rivers. Delta seniors Shea Smith and Kaci Menz have already signed with Three Rivers.

The Daily American Republic has also reported that Notre Dame senior Meridith Medlin is also expected to sign some time this week.

Amelunke earns honor

Delta senior Tiffany Amelunke earned academic all-state basketball honors at the recent Missouri Coaches Association banquet in Columbia.

Minimum requirements for the honor include an ACT score of 27, a 3.25 GPA and the player must have started 90 percent of his or her team's games or played in 75 percent of the total team quarters played. Amelunke was a part of a group of Delta seniors that won four straight district titles and made the final four in 2006.

Sexton signs with Shawnee

Central senior Christina Sexton will sign with Shawnee Community College to play basketball next year.

Sexton handled the point guard duties for the Tigers the past few seasons.