TIGER SHOOTOUT RETURNS TO CENTRAL GYM

The second annual Tiger Shootout -- one game bigger and perhaps even a bit better overall -- will be held Saturday at Cape Girardeau Central High School.

Central athletic director Terry Kitchen is excited about the four-game event, which features one girls game and three boys contest. Last year's first-ever Tiger Shootout consisted of three boys games.

"We had a really good response last year and we're looking forward to our second one," said Kitchen. "We feel like adding a girls game will be a big plus. And we like the idea of matching some of the teams from our area against some of the better teams from surrounding areas."

Tipping things off will be the girls game between host Central and Carbondale at 1 p.m. The three boys games will follow, featuring Notre Dame vs. Carbondale at 2:30, Jackson vs. DeSmet from St. Louis at 4 and host Central vs. St. Louis University High at 5:30.

DeSmet, off to a 15-1 start, is considered a prime contender for the Class 4A state title in Missouri this year, led by 6-foot-9 Matt Baniak, who has signed with St. Louis University. The Spartans are ranked third in the state.

St. Louis University High has struggled some this year, but the Junior Billikens are coached by Cape Girardeau native Don Maurer, formerly the coach at Notre Dame.

The third boys team from outside the area, Carbondale, has a solid team that was 5-4 entering weekend action. The Terriers recently lost by six points at Central and played that game without standout Joshua Cross, who signed early with Southern Illinois.

Among the local boys teams, Cape Central is off to a big start at 10-3, having won nine of its last 10 games, while Jackson has gotten off to a 10-4 start. Notre Dame is 5-5.

"We think it will be a great day of basketball," Kitchen said.

For ticket information, call the Central athletic department at 335-8467.

Haynes reaches milestone

Charleston senior Talisha Haynes recently became the first female basketball player in the school's history to score 1,000 career points.

Said Charleston coach Bev Wright of her 5-foot-3 guard, "We've had girls basketball here for 21 years and nobody had ever scored 1,000 points. That's quite an accomplishment. She's really been a tremendous player for us."

Haynes reached the milestone when she scored 11 points during a loss to Doniphan on Jan. 4.

Perryville boys ranked

Perryville's girls are used to being in the state rankings. After all, the Lady Pirates have been one of the state's most successful Class 3A programs over the past decade.

But for Perryville's boys, it's a whole new deal. The Pirates, off to a 12-1 start, broke into the 3A rankings this past week at No. 9.

"It's a big honor for our program," said Perryville coach Rick Francis.

This has certainly been a season of firsts for the Pirates. Earlier this year, 6-11 senior Bruce Weinkein signed a letter of intent with Akron. Weinkein is believed to be the first Perryville male basketball player to receive a Division I scholarship.