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SportsJanuary 7, 2007

What a difference a week has made for the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team. The Redhawks took the court at Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday night mired in a six-game losing streak, which included four straight Ohio Valley Conference defeats -- three by a total of seven points...

What a difference a week has made for the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team.

The Redhawks took the court at Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday night mired in a six-game losing streak, which included four straight Ohio Valley Conference defeats -- three by a total of seven points.

First-year Southeast coach Scott Edgar kept telling anybody willing to listen that he could see the Redhawks continuing to improve, but it's hard to get that point across to a public that is solely focused on wins and losses.

But there had been plenty of encouraging signs in last-second losses to Samford and Jacksonville State, as disheartening as those setbacks were to the squad and its supporters.

And finally, the Redhawks have been rewarded for their efforts.

First came the 88-74 win at Eastern Kentucky as the Redhawks outscored the Colonels 56-33 in the second half.

Then came Thursday's 80-65 home victory over Eastern Illinois, as Southeast outscored the Panthers 50-34 in the final period.

Those are only two games, and people shouldn't get carried away, but the Redhawks certainly were impressive in both.

Southeast shot by far the best it has all season over a two-game period -- from the field overall, from 3-point range and from the free-throw line -- and also posted strong defensive numbers in the second half both nights.

Don't look now, but all of a sudden the team that had so much trouble putting the ball in the basket over the first part of the season is the OVC's highest-scoring team during conference play, averaging a little more than 75 points per game.

And the squad that was constantly getting hammered on the boards has outrebounded its last two opponents. All three of Southeast's plus-rebounding games have come during league play.

Does this mean that all of the Redhawks' problems are fixed and they will perform at peak efficiency the rest of the year?

Of course not. Like Edgar has said all along, Southeast is a work in progress and will remain that way for quite a while, if not the entire season.

But now that the Redhawks -- who are 5-11 overall and 3-4 in OVC play -- have gotten on a roll, they have at least given their fans cause for optimism for the remainder of the campaign.

In the mediocre, wide-open OVC, there isn't much difference between the top teams and the bottom teams.

Any of the 11 squads that plays consistently solid basketball can get hot and make its way up the standings in a hurry.

The Redhawks have done that over the past week -- moving from a last-place tie to sixth -- and now it will be interesting to see if they can continue the surge.

This week won't be easy, with tough road games at Murray State on Monday night and Austin Peay on Saturday night, but after that, Southeast plays six of its next eight conference games at home.

What will the rest of the season hold for the Redhawks?

Nobody knows for sure, but with 13 OVC games left to play, Southeast still has plenty of chances to make its mark.

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While the Southeast men have recently gotten going, the women continue to roll, as they have posted seven straight wins, four in league play.

The Redhawks (10-4, 5-1 OVC) are a solid second place in the conference, and they'll have a chance to move into a first-place tie Monday when they visit league-leading Murray State.

That game figures to be mighty interesting.

While the Redhawks have reloaded after last year's run to the NCAA tournament, the Racers are off to their best OVC start.

Murray State has simply mauled all six of its conference opponents so far, with its closest league game being decided by 14 points.

The Racers feature one of the nation's best offensive teams, while the Redhawks are the OVC's top defensive squad and also rank among the nation's top rebounding clubs.

Something will have to give -- and it should be quite a matchup.

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Like all freshman, Roderick Pearson is going to have his ups and downs.

But there is no question Southeast's point guard has been brilliant since moving into the starting lineup six games ago because of Paul Paradoski's knee injury.

Knock on wood, but that's one important position that looks to be in good hands for the future.

If Pearson continues to improve at a normal pace, he could be a Michael Stokes-type player down the line.

That is major praise, because Stokes -- one of the stars of Southeast's NCAA tournament team in 1999-2000 -- ranks among the top point guards in school history, and maybe even No. 1.

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The Bloomfield boys basketball tournament did a neat thing at its recent event by announcing a tournament All-Half Century Team at halftime of the title game.

The leading vote-getter for the squad was former Southeast assistant coach Anthony Beane, the former star guard at Bernie who went on to play at Three Rivers Community College and Kansas State.

Also on the team -- and its oldest member -- was former Advance and Southeast star Carl Ritter, who still ranks as the all-time leading scorer at Southeast.

Another ex-Southeast player, Brett Hale from Dexter, was chosen as well.

Other members of the elite squad were Robert Ison and Louis Shurn of Malden; the father-son duo of Mark Lance and Michael Lance of Twin Rivers; Portageville's Jamie Booker and Antonio Sykes; Puxico's Brian Blackburn; and Bloomfield's Mike Wise.

Selected as the coach of the team was Malden's Randy Scott, who won tournament championships in 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1988.

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The BCS national championship game has yet to be played -- that will be Monday, between Ohio State and Florida -- but what a bowl season it has been.

There have been great games galore, but Boise State's 43-42 overtime win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has to top the list.

The overall game might not go down as one of the best in college football history, but the finish certainly has to.

It was a show for the ages, with Oklahoma first rallying from a 28-10 deficit for a 28-28 tie, then returning an interception for a touchdown in the final moments to seemingly foil Boise State's upset bid.

Then the old hook-and-ladder play with just seconds remaining netted Boise State the tying touchdown.

And, after Boise State fell behind in overtime only to answer with a touchdown, the old "Statue of Liberty" play -- set up on an incredible fake pass by quarterback Jared Zabransky -- produced the winning two-point conversion.

Simply incredible.

As for Monday's title matchup, I expect Ohio State to be too strong for Florida.

But the Buckeyes and Gators will have to put on quite a show to even come close to what Boise State and Oklahoma gave fans.

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Rams supporters are no doubt disappointed their team didn't make the playoffs.

But at least there appears to be hope for next year after the squad finished the season strong.

The Rams still have to shore up some holes -- specifically on defense and special teams -- but there is certainly cause for optimism.

And what a season Steven Jackson had as he emerged as one of the NFL's top running backs.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.

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