Bell City is on a roll through its '08 schedule
Contender or pretender?
On a cold, starry night in Annapolis, the one thing South Iron proved was that Bell City was 12 points better.
Once Bell City went ahead early in the second quarter, South Iron looked like a team playing from behind, not a good sign for a team that had won 18 straight games heading into its biggest test of the season.
But Saturday's game could be one that puts both teams on track for a late-season push into the playoffs. South Iron won't see many teams this season with the intensity and the confidence that Bell City showed Saturday, and Bell City needed a win like this one to beef up its nine-game winning streak (which follows a 1-2 showing in its Christmas tournament).
And with South Iron's first loss in the books, and a decisive loss by No. 1 Jackson at Charleston last week, we're back to square one looking for Southeast Missouri's best boys basketball team.
Jackson's claim is a lopsided win Jan. 22 against Sikeston. But that doesn't help the memory of losses to Salem, Holt and Jefferson City (plus two to Charleston) go away.
South Iron, No. 2 last week, owns cornerstone wins over St. Clair and Farmington on the way to winning its Christmas tournament at Farmington. A loss to Bell City already has doubters standing in line to say its schedule lacks a punch and puts it a notch below teams with more losses, including SEMO Conference leaders Charleston, Notre Dame and Sikeston.
Sikeston, No. 3 last week, lost to Jackson by 25 points just two weeks ago. Wins over Kelly, Portageville and Poplar Bluff in the days since have put the Bulldogs back on a winning streak.
Notre Dame, No. 4 last week, hasn't lost since a two-point defeat to Jackson on Jan. 11. Among its January wins was a 25-point defeat of Charleston, plus a squeaker over Cape Girardeau Central.
Scott County Central, No. 5 last week, has had a more consistent January than any team in the region, but its only test since its Christmas tournament was a nine-point game against Scott City. A game Friday against NMCC was postponed.
The rest? No. 6 Charleston is unpredictable, while No. 7 Thayer is on a roll and turned a potential showdown with Salem into a blowout Friday. Doniphan and Bell City are next, and neither has lost in January. Hayti rounds out last week's top 10.
We'll have our new poll posted by midday Monday. And so far, No. 1 is anybody's guess.
36 comments:
Oh Jamie someday you will realize that it doesn't matter what teams are ranked in your poll. It's what they do in the post season.
Sorry, and the way things go for your blogs this will be the only comment.
No, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter where teams rank in any poll, whether it's a local poll or state poll. The same goes for any poll, whether it's college sports or anything else.
But at least I did prove you wrong about yours being the only comment. Mine makes two.
Sounds like somebody is a little upset because his or her team isn't doing too well in the Semo Sports Web poll. The only time anyone complains about polls is when their team isn't where they think they should be.
By the way, this makes 3.
Too bad the Bell City and Scott City game was canceled, i was ready to see the rams put another hurtin' on the cubs.
Polls are for fun, for the fans' enjoyment. Your team must be ranked lower than you think they should be, or you wouldn't be whining and criticizing a blogger about it.
Rumor is the Rams won't reschedule. Sounds to me like they don't want another loss on their resume...
Looks like anonymous was wrong. This is the 7th comment.
Jamie- Love the site and the poll. And this makes the 8th comment.
Yet, I will be the first one to challenge the poll a little. I don't really see any main problems in it. I think the top 3 are kind of up for grabs. Yet, I'd like to see your reasoning behind Sikeston jumping back up to #1. After a 20 point loss to the hands of Jackson, seems a little tough for them to jump back up. Also, a five point win over ND w/o Willen isn't impressive at all.
Personally, I like Jackson and Notre Dame as 1 and 2 followed by Sikeston. Any other thoughts anyone?
Haha, Sikeston may not be number one, but we beat ND twice, so theres no way they can be ahead of us. Sicne Jaxon has lost 2 times the amount that sikeston has, i say
Jackson
Sikeston
ND
you could throw J-Town and Sikeston around....
No possible way nd is over siekston, with more than 2 times the amount of losses, not to mention, a very lopsided one....
tipoff, I agree that the top three (or more) spots are up for grabs, but based on the fact that Jackson lost to Charleston last week in a game that wasn't really close, Jackson loses its credibility as the area's No. 1 overall team, at least right now.
Sikeston has won convincingly in its three games since the Jackson loss, including big ones over Portageville and Poplar Bluff. Sikeston is probably playing a slight notch better than everybody else.
The top 3 really could go either way, with each of the 3 teams very capable of being considered #1. Jackson beat Sikeston twice but are still ranked below them, even with no "quality" wins in the last couple weeks. I think SCC should get a shot at #1. The SEMO Conference does not have a clear-cut top team, they just beat up on each other. SCC's only two losses were close games with state ranked teams, and they haven't lost in over a month.
um excuse me sikeston1213, but do you happen to remember who was out in the first victory you had over notre dame. I think i do, the names might have been Austin Greer and Ryan Willen. And I remember the 2nd game also where Ryan Willen was also out. Nothing against the rest of the Notre Dame team, they are a very good team. But you cant forget the inside presence Ryan Willen has. And you were right it was a 5 point victory. But, im no expert but if Ryan Willen were playing he might have had more than 5 points in that game. Just a hunch. I would love to see another Notre Dame vs. Sikeston district final.
I don't give a damn. Did we ask Willen not to play?
Either way, Feb 22................
Way to stay classy sikeston.
I love this season simply because there is no dominant team in the area. It's exciting. Making a poll for Southeast Missouri is tough, and it could go several ways. I like Jackson at No. 1 because I think they're the best team in the area, despite the pounding from Charleston. I would pick ND over Sikeston in a head-to-head matchup, but it's hard to put ND ahead of Sikeston in the poll because Sikeston has beat them twice. It's really a toss up. On any given night, there are four or five teams in the area that could beat any of the others.
Scott City's only losses are to state ranked teams also. Why would scott city be "scared" of another loss in their record when they have already beat them once?
It's hard to stay classy when you hear the same excuses every day. We got killed by Jackson, and we make no excuses. BTW, did you ever think that maybe we played bad that game? Or how about the fact that Grier won't shoot 20 plus times when Willen is there, so he woudlnt have scored 30 plus. And i can justify that, because he hasnt taken over 14 shots in a game with Ryan in....
Either way, what everyone can agree on, is that the game on the 22nd will be one to remember....
Matchups....it's all about matchups.
Some teams match up better against some teams than others do; that's why some teams have lost to teams that have lost to teams that you have beaten, if you can follow that logic. Anyway, sure does make it nice for the fans.
Sikeston1213, you are awfully cocky about a team that hasn't proven to be "all that" so far this season. You better hope that Notre Dame doesn't bring their A or B game, bc if they do, Sikeston is in for a long night. ND by at least 10.
Also when did you become the statistician for the ND team?
Its called reading. Ha, their B game? Tell them to bring that, and we'll be happy, we're just startin to click from downtown, and mike is better than ever......
I dont see ND winning this one. Unless siketon shoots bad, il take the boys in red
22nd comment..
Notre Dame by 16 over Ste. Gen...
Woah, theres a curve ball for ya.
When it happens, dont say I didnt warn you.
Has Notre Dame even played Ste. Gen.?
sikeston, it sure is tough to get that outside shooting going against that suffocating Oran and Caruthersville defense. How has it been against quick teams?
Seeing as how our top 3 point shooter missed a few games agaist the better teams due to surgery, I wouldnt know..........
well when you said "we're" starting to click i assumed you were referring to the team, not one player.
Sikeston: I'm assuming you are talking about Matt Ritch and from my research he hit only one three against Jackson and two against Notre Dame the second time they played.
So that should give you an indication....
My point exactly.
Sikeston will probably just fold it in on Feb. 22nd because they realize that they don't have a snowball's chance in Hell to hang with ND. With Willen back, ND could beat the Boston Celtics by 10+.
On a more serious note, the arguing and bickering is pointless and the game should be another instant classic. There are good points and good reasons on both sides as to why one or the other could win. I'm a huge Sikeston fan, but I'm intelligent enough when it comes to basketball to know that when tip-off arrives on Feb 22nd, it's anybody's guess as to who comes out with the 'W'.
You said it yah-yah, fans can come up with a hundred reasons why one team or the other could win it, but anybody who has seen both teams play at full strength this year knows it should be a great game. For someone to say there is a favorite says to me one of two things: they are very biased towards one team to the point of having blinders on, or they just don't know basketball.
Any yah-yah, you know Willen would DOMINATE KG if we played the Celtics, lol.
Yeah, Garnett only has 3 inches on Willen...so, they'd probably matchup well...haha.
And, it looks like this is the 31st comment...sorry, anonymous (9:14 PM, February 03, 2008).
The best thing about having several strong teams in Southeast Missouri in the various classes is that the teams that make it through districts will have played some tough competition prior to going into the state playoffs. That cannot be said for most parts of the state outside of STL and KC. I forget the year, but around 20 years ago I seem to remember that Southeast Missouri boys and girls teams won around 5 state championships in the same year.
Il take Mike over Willen, but maybe I am biased, as you say. All I can say is that you better leave in about 2 hours if you wanna get a seat :)
But for real, Feb 22, will be a classic.....
That girl I blogged about last week could beat them both.
Maybe if they got shot the day before the game..........
or, maybe if they got stabbed 5 minutes before the game like maximus did before fighting commodus in the movie 'gladiator'...
Post a Comment