High marks for Arcadia Valley, memories for South Iron

Arcadia Valley's girls basketball season ended in the sectional round last week, but its list of accomplishments this season were impressive.

First, the Tigers were 10-0 in the MAAA's small division. Its 23-5 overall record landed it as high as No. 3 in the state rankings.

And a standout individual accomplishment: Senior Kassie Walker became the first girls basketball player from the MAAA in 18 years to score 2,000points in her high school career.

Walker reached the mark on a layup just before halftime against Grandview in the district tournament.

• A story in Saturday's Daily Journal spotlighted South Iron's inspired drive to its first Class 2 final four since 1995. If you see a "42" stitched into players' socks, ironed onto fans' shirts or painted onto faces, it's part of the dedication to teammate Ethan Riggs, who died in a car crash Sept. 22. Read the Journal's full story here, and see 40 game and celebration photos from the Panthers' win Saturday on our photo page here.

• With South Iron and Scott County Central still going strong in the boys state playoffs, we'll post Southeast Missouri's season-ending Top 25 poll Monday, March 17. We'll also end a great season for area girls teams (Delta is the region's final team still competing for a title) with our first girls basketball rankings, which will continue regularly next season.

And on the subject of polls, look for our first-ever SEMO high school baseball rankings next week. The spring sports season will start Monday across the region, weather permitting.