Our Opinion: Time to turn the page to winter sports

As fall turns to winter and football, soccer and volleyball seasons come to a close, Athletes, coaches and sports fans move indoors and turn their attention to other kinds of competition.

At the high school level, basketball, wrestling and girls swimming and diving are taking center stage. Collegiately, add gymnastics to the mix.

The Southeast Missouri State University Redhawks men’s and women’s basketball teams are off to slow starts in the early season.

Brad Korn is in his fifth season as coach of the men’s squad, and they stand at 3-6. With six transfers and one freshman on the team, it may take a while for them to work things out.

Briley Palmer is the women’s new coach, and her hardwood roots run deep in the region. A Farmington native who led her high school team to the final four in the state tournament, Palmer came to SEMO from Mineral Area College. The team has started the season 1-6.

Both teams may be able to get their footing during an upcoming four-game homestand at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. For the men: Saint Mary of the Woods, 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15; Eastern Illinois, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19; Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, 3:45 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21; and Westminster, 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 29. The women: Missouri State, 11 a.m., Monday, Dec. 16; Eastern Illinois, 5:15 p.m., Dec. 19; SIU-Edwardsville, 1:30 p.m., Dec. 21; and William Woods, noon Tuesday, Dec. 31.

Ashley Lawson is in her seventh year as head coach of the Redhawks gymnastics program. The teams have been competitive regionally and nationally under her guidance. Their season kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 3, at Mizzou.

This time of year is chock full of high school basketball tournaments, and one that’s particularly important to us is the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. Every year, the tournament kicks off the day after Christmas at the Show Me Center and features a week of intense games among 16 area teams. This year, Jackson earned the top seed, followed by Cape Girardeau Central, Charleston and Notre Dame. We look forward to seeing you there all week, from tip-off on Thursday, Dec. 26, through the final games Monday, Dec. 30.

We wish for successful and safe seasons for all our area teams and look forward to visiting as many gyms as we can get to over the next few months.