Act your age - not your shoesize

The people down at Bloomfield have done a great job with this year's Christmas Tournament and it has continued its successful tradition of bringing fans in Stoddard County some of the best basketball of the year.

So far, there has been some great basketball played, a lot of food eaten, pictures taken, stories written sleep lost and way too many fans abusing the officials.

As a writer, I take note of the entire environment of a game, the sights the sounds and the water bottles being thrown.

As a fan, I too sometimes do not agree with the officials' calls, but I also realize that I have a different vantage point than the men in stripes and most of the time I have some sort of vested interest in the game - no I did not say invested.

But seriously folks, what kind of classless act is it to throw stuff at officials? What does it accomplish, other than a complimentary escort to your vehicle?

And, oh, how quickly it can tarnish the reputation of not only the school, but its fans.

When you commit a classless act I am sure it is embarrassing to the school which you support - it's not like nobody can tell who you're rooting for.

Another point, what if it was your child on the court who was hit and inadvertently injured due to some "stupid" fan throwing things onto the court?

So please - for the love of the game and respectable fans everywhere - conduct yourself like a grown up.

Twin Rivers - Dexter

Two years ago it was Dexter and Twin Rivers in the semi-finals that gave fans the game of the tournament.

Last year was filled with anticipation of a Dexter - Twin Rivers matchup from a regular season game. The result was a blow-out.

This year the Royals have a new coach and a new star, and have turned it up a notch with the win over East Carter.

The last time Twin Rivers won the tournament, sophomore Michael Lance was a seven year-old first grader.

If Twin Rivers is able to upset the Dexter Bearcats, it would snap a 41-game winning streak at the Bloomfield High School Gymnasium.

Domination

Dominitrix Johnson has time after time proved he is the premiere player in Southeast Missouri.

As of Monday, Johnson had score 108 points in a span of three games at the SeMissourian Christmas Tournament in Cape.

Johnson dropped in 47 on the first night and then lit up Jackson for 43.

Monday's game saw Heeb hold Johnson back as he only scored 18 - attempting to push other players to score.

The Cubs still advanced against Notre Dame.

The Rumor Mill

Rumor has it that Poplar Bluff superstar Tyler Hansboro was never hurt.

I have recently received reports from a reliable source that agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity that linked Hansboro's father to a dispute with Bluff head coach John David Patillo.

According to the source, Mr. Hansboro - a doctor - was upset with Patillo and held a healthy Tyler out with his own diagnoses.

The source indicated that, "Hansboro's father wanted to show [Patillo] that Poplar Bluff couldn't win without Tyler."

The views expressed in this column are that of the writer's and are not necessarily those of The Daily Statesman. Josh Hester is the Sports Editor at the Daily Statesman and may be reached via e-mail at jhester@dailystatesman.com