Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament seeds announced

A slew of basketball coaches convened inside the ballroom of a smoke-scented casino in downtown Cape Girardeau to decide the seeds for the 2023 Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament on Sunday, Dec. 10.

The coaches ranked the officials selected for the tournament, as well as voted for the tournament seeds.

"I feel like coaches appreciate the process more when they have some input," tournament director Matt Asher said.

The tournament begins on Tuesday, Dec. 26. Due to Southeast Missouri State playing a basketball doubleheader at home against Southern Indiana, the final round of games will take place on Saturday, Dec. 30.

Asher said the day layoff is without precedent but could lead to bigger crowds at the Show Me Center on Saturday rather than Friday.

"I do believe that the final night of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament and Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament will see a boost in attendance with championship night on different days," Asher said.

The top three seeds were unanimously voted by the coaches. Much like last year, Cape Central is the top seed and will play No. 16 Delta at 9 a.m. The Tigers struggled through injuries to a 3-3 record and fourth-place finish in the SEMO Conference Tournament. The Tigers are expecting Matayo Rivers and Max Vogel to return in time for the tournament.

No. 2 seed Jackson also dealt with injuries with star senior Blayne Harris still out. The Indians are 3-3 but still won the SEMO Conference Tournament consolation prize, led by Kole Deck, who is averaging 18 points per game, and Judd Thoma, who is scoring 12 PPG. The Indians will play No. 15 Bell City at 10:30 a.m.

No. 3 Charleston is 4-2 with two of those wins against No. 4 seed Notre Dame. Ko'Terrion Owens leads the Blue Jays with 19 points per game, while Tayshon Clark is scoring 14 PPG. The Blue Jays will take on No. 14 Advance at noon.

Notre Dame is a young team with only one senior but is led by Kolton Johnson’s sharp three-point shooting. The Bulldogs will play No. 13 Scott County Central at 1:30 p.m.

At No. 5, the Woodland Cardinals are the highest-seeded small school in the tournament. They finished fifth in the tournament last year and at 4-0 with a pair of 100-point games and a WIT title to their name, the Cardinals are a threat to make the semifinals this month. Woodland will take on No. 12 Meadow Heights at 4:30 p.m.

Fellow undefeated Kelly (5-0) is the No. 6 seed after winning the OIT and is one of the few teams without a loss. Dalton Forck, Michael Dollins, and Reece Eftink lead a group of seven seniors and are among the four starters scoring in double digits. The Hawks will face Blake Yarbro and the No. 11 Chaffee Red Devils at 6 p.m.

No. 7 Oak Ridge's lone loss came against Woodland in the WIT final. Ty Wilson and the Hobeck brothers of Konner and Brock lead a senior-laden starting five. Head coach Cody Bova suggested that two of his seniors could potentially score their 1,000th career point in the tournament, possibly against No. 10 Leopold at 7:30 p.m.

Shortly after Scott City and Oran played each other on Friday, both teams were announced as the No. 8 and No. 9 seed and will face off in the first round at 9 p.m. The Rams defeated the Eagles 61-57 led by 13 points from Mark Panagos and 12 points for Kobe Watson, two players who were not a part of the team this year.