THE LATEST LINE: SCOTT CITY, KELLY PUT ON QUITE A SHOW

There are many reasons why I absolutely love this job and regard myself as one of the most fortunate people alive to be able to basically watch sporting events for a living.

This past Tuesday night was definitely one of those reasons.

When I arrived at the Scott City High School gymnasium almost an hour before the scheduled tipoff and saw the stands already packed, I sensed that something special was in the air.

And what transpired when the Rams and visiting Kelly Hawks -- two local Class 2A teams who have built up quite a fierce basketball rivalry over the last few years -- tipped it off only confirmed my suspicions.

The Rams and Hawks hooked up in a classic confrontation that featured a little bit of everything and rocked the gymnasium that was filled with fans of both teams.

When the last buzzer had finally sounded -- an overtime buzzer, no less -- Scott City had squeezed out a magnificent 77-74 victory that wrapped up a fourth straight Scott-Mississippi County Conference championship for the Rams.

Just moments after Kelly standout Jim Hulshof's long 3-pointer was a bit off the mark in the closing seconds to end the Hawks' hopes, I shook my head, wiped my brow and let out a huge sigh. I had only sat and watched intently, but I felt plenty drained nonetheless.

A lot of things made the game remarkable, including the fact that a bunch of small-town, hard-working kids had just laid it all on the line playing a game they dearly love, cheered on by community members who really get behind their teams. For a second, I could have been watching the movie `Hoosiers.'

Then there were the individual performances. Kelly stars Hulshof and Jason Glastetter, both playing with an extreme passion, combined for 58 points and almost refused to let their team lose.

They probably would have -- if not for the dazzling play of Scott City senior guard Jon Beck, arguably the top player in Southeast Missouri and also one of the state's best.

Beck, who was recently nominated to the prestigious McDonald's All-American Team, put on a show that made me ever so happy I was there to witness it. He scored 44 points, hitting eight 3-pointers and scoring in just about every way imaginable.

Sure, the classy Beck -- what a fine young man he is -- is going to have his work cut out for him once he steps up to the Division I level at Arkansas State next season.

But nothing I saw in Scott City's steamy, jam-packed gym made me believe that he won't be able to handle it.

* Congratulations to the Meadow Heights basketball team for recently picking up its first two wins of the season.

The Panthers no doubt work and try as hard as the area's more successful squads and their efforts finally paid off on the scoreboard.

* Believe it or not, SEMO's baseball team is just about to ready to open the 1999 season.

The Indians, the defending OVC Tournament champions, begin the new campaign Saturday when Creighton comes to Capaha Field for a doubleheader.

It figures to be another extremely exciting season of SEMO baseball.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian