Saturday prep roundup: Hoops, wrestling, swimming

HOOPS

The Clearwater Tigers moved to 7-8 overall and got ready for the opener of the Black River League tournament Tuesday with a resounding 71-46 win over Gideon during the second game of a tripleheader held at Three Rivers College on Saturday.

Charles Robbins scored 24 points while directing the Tigers offense and Keegan Gracey equaled that performance with two dozen points himself to set the pace for the victory.

“We really enjoyed playing a game in my hometown and here at Three Rivers College,” Clearwater head coach Zac Moore said. “It was a great experience for the team to get a chance to play on a college floor.

“We didn’t play well in the first quarter, but once we got out focus back we were able to force turnovers and play in transition. It was great to get back into the win column as we turn our attention to the BRL tournament.”

Clarkton boys 68, Bell City 20

Clarkton opened up play at Three Rivers College with an emphatic win sparked by Owen Morgan (18 points), James Johnson (16 points), and Bryant Redden (11 points).

Clarkton (8-7) will hope to keep the ball rolling Tuesday against North Pemiscot.

Park Hills Central girls 62, Dexter 44

The Lady Bearcats fell 62-44 against Park Hills Central at the Jackson Lady Indian Showcase.

Caitlin Giles finished with 17 points and Maddie Glaus and Kate Nicholls both contributed eight points apiece for Dexter (10-6) in the defeat.

Saxony girls 52, Neelyville 46

The Lady Tigers took a rare loss, dropping a decision at the Jackson Lady Indian Showcase.

Layni Dobbins scored 15 points and Parker Ernst chipped in 10 points to lead Neelyville.

“Early foul trouble hurt,” Neelyville head coach Becky Hale said. “We finished strong in the second half, but the damage had already been done. We have to figure out how to put four quarters in a row together if we want to be successful.”

Neelyville trailed 33-23 at halftime.

WRESTLING

The Poplar Bluff boys wrestling team finished second at the 27-team St. Charles Invitational over the past weekend as Lucas Robertson (150 pounds), Logan Hite (165), and Hudson Matthews (215) brought home individual titles.

Robertson defeated the state’s second-ranked wrestler in Class 2 (Bishop Rush) to win his title match, 4-1. Hite took down the top-rated grappler (Jackson Sapp) in Class 3 to record his championship victory. Hite also beat Andrew Peppin who is No. 4 in Class 3.

Jack Ernest (157) and Daine Dugas (175) finished fourth in their respective weight classes, Dace Wisdom (144) finished fifth and Caden Hambrick (126) ended up sixth.

Zoe Freeman (170) took the title with a win over the No. 2 ranked wrestler in Class 1 girls (Caelynn Huff), coming away on the better end of a 6-2 decision. Kayleigh Dazey (105) and Maddie Hayman (140) finished second in their brackets and Kylee Hayman (155) ended up third for the Lady Mules as they ended up seventh out of 20 teams.

“It was a great day of wrestling with some big wins,” Poplar Bluff head coach Kelton Thompson said. “Hite stepped up and followed the game plan and won two big matches in his first tournament at 165. Lucas and Zoë also took out top-ranked kids by wrestling really tough start matches. Hudson wrestled through some adversity and picked up some great wins.

“Overall, the team's positioning was much improved and we wrestled really hard. We will continue to learn and build from this weekend toward districts.”

Dexter grapplers finish third in Owensville

Ryan Young (144 pounds) and Kasen Forkum (150) took second place in their respective weight classes to help Dexter finish third in the Owensville Invitational over the weekend.

“Ryan worked well with his takedown and did better riding out his opponents,” Dexter head coach Cody Boyer said. “Kasen hit an ankle pick and a few nice double-leg takedowns. He worked better moving on the bottom trying to get reversals.”

SWIMMING

The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules swim and dive squad finished second out of seven teams at the West Plains Lady Zizzer Invitational Saturday, scoring 228 points in the process.

Lily Wilson captured the 6-dive meet title, breaking the event’s top score of 170.70. Taking second place was the 200-medley relay team of Lily Gregory, Ava Richardson, Keira Willis, and Kinsley Gibbs.

Gregory took fourth in the 200 freestyle and Willis finished in the same position in the 200 IM.

The Poplar Bluff coaches felt the solid performance at Thursday’s SEMO Conference Recreational Relays may have helped push their girls to another level over the weekend.

“They swam with heart today,” Lady Mules head coach Beth Lewis said of her girls. “The year was the first Zizzer Invitational which made it very exciting to be a part of. The team as a whole continues to drop time and improve one race after another.

“They are truly beginning to understand the sport.”