Stories from Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Trailing by five in the final minute, the South Pemiscot Bulldogs got the turnover they needed, but Poplar Bluff's Stacy Gipson made sure it didn't amount to a comeback. Gipson blocked Glen Jackson's layup from behind and the Mules sank four straight free throws to seal a 55-46 win Monday night...

PIEDMONT -- Clearwater senior Austin Ayers poured in a game-high 24 points, including his 1,000th career point as the Tigers topped Arcadia Valley Monday night, 60-41. Ayers knocked down two 3s and had seven 2s. "We came out of the gates a lot better than we've been playing lately," Clearwater coach Louis Bell said. "We had a lot more energy. Wish we could have seen that last week. It was a lot better game for us."...

BROSELEY -- The Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament championship party came to an end Monday night for Twin Rivers and the harsh reality of its road ahead kicked in. In a preview of their first-round matchup with Malden in the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 bracket this coming Saturday, the Royals and Malden battled until the Green Wave pulled away late in the fourth quarter and took a 60-51 win...

PIEDMONT -- Clearwater's Lexi Morris outscored the entire Van Buren team Monday. The Lady Dawgs got within four in the third quarter, but like most teams, struggled to find an answer for Morris as the Lady Tigers pulled away to win 53-36. "We lost our concentration a little bit," Clearwater coach Darren Garrison said. ...

DEXTER -- It was nip and tuck between Dexter and the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules in first half Monday night. The second half, however, belonged to the state-ranked Lady Bearcats. Dexter scored the first eight points in the second half and led by double digits the rest of the way to beat Poplar Bluff 70-48 in a SEMO Conference game...