Sports headlines of 2006

Jan. 31 -- Andrais Thornton was arrested when the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team returned home from a road game at Austin Peay. Thornton was charged in a 2003 rape case from his junior college days in Kansas. His basketball season ended, and he later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.

Feb. 4 -- Southeast women's basketball senior Natalie Purcell set a team record with seven 3-pointers against Tennessee-Martin.

Feb. 8 -- Bell City 6-foot-10 junior Will Bogan made a verbal commitment to Memphis, but he did not sign in November in the early signing period.

Feb. 10 -- The Ohio Valley Conference and Southeast released statements acknowledging that Southeast's women's basketball team is being investigated for potential NCAA violations. The investigation was being conducted by the OVC commissioner's office at the request of university president Dr. Kenneth Dobbins.

Feb. 10 -- Meadow Heights made 36 of 73 3-pointers in a 131-66 victory against Marquand to set a national high school record for 3-point field goals made in a game. Those converting the shots: Michael Collier (eight), Terry Wagner (seven), Heath Fulton (six), Anthony Bullinger (five), Nathan Revelle (four), John Long (three), Dusty Davis (three).

Gary Garner spoke at a news conference last spring shortly after Southeast Missouri State officials announced that Garner's contract would not be renewed. (Diane L. Wilson)

Feb. 11 -- Notre Dame senior Jameson Kuper finished seconmd in the 200 freestyle and third in the 100 breaststroke at the high school boys state swimming meet.

Feb. 14 -- Delta boys basketball player Terrence Below set a school record with 55 points in an 89-87 victory over Chaffee.

Feb. 18 -- Jackson senior wrestler Kamden Rampley completed a 54-0 record by winning the 215-pound division at the Class 4 state tournament.

Feb. 22 -- Gene Bess, an Oak Ridge native, Southeast alum and former Oran boys basketball coach, became the first college basketball coach to reach 1,000 victories with Three Rivers Community College's victory.

March 1 -- Southeast Missouri State elected not to renew the contract of men's basketball coach Gary Garner following the team's 7-20 campaign. In nine seasons, Garner led Southeast to a 126-132 record and its only NCAA tournament berth.

Southeast Missouri State's Miles Smith finished seventh in the men's indoor 400 meters at the NCAA championships on March 11 but pulled a hamstring at the outdoor championships. (Fred Lynch)

March 4 -- The Southeast women's basketball team defeated Tennessee Tech 71-50 to win the Ohio Valley Conference and earn the program's first NCAA tournament berth.

March 11 -- Southeast's Miles Smith finished seventh in the 400 meters at the NCAA indoor championships.

March 12 -- Southeast softball coach Lana Richmond surpassed 700 career victories in a doubleheader sweep.

March 18 -- The Southeast women's basketball team lost 72-45 to Stanford in the NCAA tournament.

March 18 -- The Bell City boys basketball team lost 74-61 to unbeaten Jefferson in the Class 1 championship game. Delta won the Class 1 girls third-place game, and the Advance boys had finished third in Class 2 one day earlier.

March 30 -- The second-biggest crown in Southeast baseball history -- 2,917 fans, some attracted by free food and beer -- watch the Redhawks post a 3-2 win against Missouri on Daniel Schuh's walk-off home run.

April 8 -- The Missouri State High School Activities Association announced the penalties against Scott County Central boys basketball coach David Heeb, who is prohibited from coaching games in the second semester of the 2006-07 season. The association found Heeb had exerted undue influence in trying to lure players at his former school, Bell City, to attend Scott County Central.

April 13 -- Scott Edgar was introduced as the Southeast men's basketball coach, beating out other finalists Rod Barnes and Jay Spoonhour for the job.

April 15 -- Bell City grad Dominitrix Johnson was named a junior college All-American at Three Rivers. He eventually enrolled at Illinois State.

May 6 -- The Southeast men's and women's track teams swept the outdoor titles at the OVC meet. The women's program won the outdoor title for the fourth straight year.

May 17 -- The Central baseball team lost 2-1 to Farmington in district play while several of the Tigers' top players sat out due to suspension for attending a camp at which coach Steve Williams was an instructor.

May 20 -- Central junior Hannah Kinder finished second in the 50 and 100 freestyle events at the high school girls state swimming meet.

May 20 -- The Saxony Lutheran boys track team finished second in the Class 1 state meet, led by Brandon Etzold's wins in the 800- and 1,600-meter runs as well as wins by the team's 3,200 and 1,600 relay teams.

May 27 -- Central sprinter Nicole Jackson won the girls 200-meter run at the Class 4 state track meet.

May 30 -- The Oran baseball team committed six errors and lost 6-2 to Sedalia Sacred Heart in the Class 1 semifinals. Oran beat Silex the next day to finish third.

June 9 -- Southeast's Miles Smith, who had the second-best time among 26 runners in the 400-meter preliminary heats at the NCAA championships, pulled a hamstring in a semifinal heat, ending his national title bid. He still made the coaches association All-America team.

June 30 -- A preliminary report conducted for the Ohio Valley Conference by The Compliance Group found seven areas of violations by the Southeast women's basketball program and recommended a handful of sanctions, which the university accepted and implemented. Among the sanctions was a reduction in scholarships for 2006-07 from 15 to 12. The men's program also accepted a $12,6000 for providing travel to games for transfers who were not yet eligible to travel with the team.

July 20 -- Diane Fowler and Harriette Myers won the Lassies Classic for the seventh time, extending their record by rallying from five shots down over the final nine holes.

Aug. 7 -- The Plaza Tire Capahas were eliminated from the NBC World Series tournament after winning three consecutive games in the losers bracket to tie for 13th place. They finished the year 24-11.

Aug. 14 -- Cape Girardeau teen Susan Beth Scott earned a spot on the U.S. team for the International Paralympic Committee world championships in South Africa in December. She qualified with her performance at the national championships and was the youngest member of the U.S. team.

Sept. 1 -- The Chaffee football team ended its 34-game losing streak with a 43-14 victory at Grandview in the opening game of the season. Chaffee ended up with three wins, the most for the program since 2000.

Sept. 9 -- Barry Knight won the Coors Light Trail of Tears Triathlon for the 11th time in the event's 16 years.

Sept. 11 -- Dalhousie Golf Club was named as a host site for an American Junior Golf Association tournament for June 2007.

Sept. 12 -- Scott County Central boys basketball coach David Heeb filed a lawsuit against Bell City and MSHSAA alleging a conspiracy that led to his suspension on charges of undue influence.

Oct. 6 -- The 100th football game between Central and Jackson was won by the host Indians, 24-14. Despite its fourth straight win in the series, which dates back to 1912, Jackson still trails 56-37-7.

Oct. 20 -- The Kelly girls softball team lost 1-0 to Westran in nine innings in the Class 2 state semifinals.

Oct. 29 -- New Salem Baptist's girls volleyball team completed a 24-0 season by winning the state championship in the Missouri Christian Schools Activities Association state tournament.

Nov. 4 -- The Bell City girls volleyball team finished fourth in the Class 1 state tournament.

Nov. 4 -- The boys cross country teams from Saxony Lutheran and Notre Dame came back with third-place finishes from the state meet. Saxony placed third in Class 1; Notre Dame was third in Class 3.

Nov. 5 -- The Southeast women's soccer team beat Morehead State 2-0 to win its first OVC tournament title and claim an NCAA berth.

Nov. 9 -- Southeast women's basketball coach B.J. Smith was placed on paid leave two days before the team was to open its season at Tulsa.

Nov. 10 -- The Southeast women's soccer team lost 2-0 to nationally ranked Illinois in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Nov. 11 -- The Notre Dame boys soccer team defeated St. Dominic 2-0 to capture the Class 2 state championship and finish the year at 26-1.

Nov. 13 -- St. Vincent lost 14-7 on a late touchdown by top-ranked Marionville in the Class 1 state quarterfinals. The Indians finished 7-5 after a 2-4 start.

Nov. 18 -- Southeast finished its first football season under coach Tony Samuel with a 4-7 record.

Dec. 6 -- Southeast Missouri State and coach B.J. Smith released a joint statement that announced Smith's resignation, effective Dec. 1. Smith had made Southeast the OVC's the most successful program during his four-year coaching stint that included one NCAA title.

Dec. 7 -- Lachelle Lyles grabbed an OVC record 32 rebounds -- the fourth-best single-game performance in NCAA Division I history -- in a win at Tennessee State.