Sports digest 1/7/02

SEMO gymnastics team loses opener

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Southeast Missouri State University's gymnastics team began its 2002 season Friday night by finishing last in a triangular meet hosted by national power Florida.

Florida, ranked seventh in the nation, won easily with a score of 194.175, followed by Central Michigan (189.375) and Southeast (187.150).

Sophomore Ashley Godwin was the Otahkians' lone event winner as she captured the vaulting competition with a score of 9.70.

The Otahkians will return to action Sunday as they visit Illinois State.

Charleston favored in Scott-Miss tourney

Charleston is the top seed for the annual Scott-Mississippi Conference girls basketball tournament that begins today at Scott County Central High School.

Kelly is the No. 2 seed, followed by Delta, Scott City, Oran, Scott County and Chaffee.

Today's first-round pairings feature Scott City vs. Oran at 5 p.m., Kelly vs. Chaffee at 6:30 and Delta vs. Scott County at 8. Charleston has a bye.

The semifinals are Thursday night, with the championship game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

The JV portion of the tournament, which also had Charleston as the top seed, will hold its title contest at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Jack Buck undergoes another surgery

ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals broadcasting legend Jack Buck was recuperating in a St. Louis-area hospital over the weekend after undergoing surgery for the second time in a month.

Buck, 77, had surgery for lung cancer in December. He underwent an operation Friday to remove an intestinal blockage, his son Joe Buck told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for a story Sunday on the newspaper's Web site, stltoday.com.

"This was completely unrelated to the last procedure," Joe Buck said. "It's so fluky that it happened so close to the other one. It's stunning it happened so close."

Buck said his father's prognosis is good.

-- From staff, wire reports