Tom Rackers is sports editor at the News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @tjrackers.
Tipton girls use big second half to beat Clark County
It figured to be a matter of when, not if. The Tipton Lady Cardinals were 0-of-10 on 3-pointers through 2 1/2 quarters in Saturday afternoon's Class 3 quarterfinal game against the Clark County Indians. The Lady Cardinals are too good a shooting team for that drought to carry on much longer.
Mar. 7 2021 @ 12:40am
Lucas leads St. Elizabeth boys back to Class 1 Final Four
Thomas Jefferson Independent was content to hold for the last shot of the first half. But they never got that last shot as the Hornets forced a turnover with :06.6 showing on the clock. That was just enough time. Brock Lucas drained a long 2-pointer from near the top of the key to beat the buzzer to give the Hornets a 31-30 lead at the break. St. Elizabeth then scored nine of the first 12 points in the third quarter on its way to a 67-53 victory.
Mar. 6 2021 @ 12:30am
Lady Jays win district title 65-30 vs. Lady Cavaliers, Nilges scores 1,000th point
Hannah Nilges knew she was close. But she wasn't sure how close. "I was kind of aware, but I wasn't sure of exact numbers," the Jefferson City senior guard said Thursday night as she reached the 1,000-point mark for her career as the Lady Jays captured the Class 6 District 9 Tournament title with a 65-30 victory against the Capital City Lady Cavaliers at Fleming Fieldhouse.
Mar. 5 2021 @ 12:35am
St. Elizabeth boys top Golden City in state playoff rematch
St. Elizabeth was just 2-of-9 at the stripe in the first 24 minutes of Tuesday night's Class 1 sectional game against the Golden City Eagles at Camdenton High School and held a tenuous 34-30 lead with one quarter to play.
Mar. 3 2021 @ 12:35am
Capital City girls get past Smith-Cotton for first-ever district win
It wasn't the prettiest of wins, but it was a historical victory. The Capital City Lady Cavaliers defeated the Sedalia Smith-Cotton Lady Tigers 48-40 in the semifinals of the Class 6 District 9 Tournament on Monday night at Capital City High School to pick up the first postseason win in the history of the two-year program.
Mar. 2 2021 @ 12:35am
Helias wrestling has strong showing, qualifies 10 for state tourney
Jack Lage and Nikolai Careaga took different roads in the wrestling postseason. But the Helias teammates ended in the same spot — sectional champions. Lage and Careaga were two of five Crusaders to claim individual titles, while five other Helias wrestlers advanced to state Saturday in the Class 2 sectional tournament at Rackers Fieldhouse.
Feb. 28 2021 @ 12:55am
Press Box: The new MSHSAA basketball playoff format is one to keep
For most of the last 12 months, we've been forced to figure out a way to make things work. The Missouri State High School Activities Association has come up with a new system for the basketball postseason. And I like it. In the past, a single school would host the boys and girls tournaments in their respective districts. That meant for at least four days, volunteers and school officials would be required to handle all of the duties required to host the tournament.
Feb. 28 2021 @ 12:35am
Rock Bridge girls surge past Helias
The Helias Lady Crusaders opened the fourth quarter with a basket on their first possession. Unfortunately for the Lady Crusaders, it turned out to be their last basket of the game.
Feb. 26 2021 @ 12:35am
Surge in second half leads Blair Oaks girls past Hallsville
The Blair Oaks Lady Falcons didn't dwell on it. The Hallsville Lady Indians closed the final 1:49 of the first half on a 7-0 run to take a 29-20 lead into intermission against the Lady Falcons. The Lady Falcons then spent less than four minutes in the locker room before coming out to warm up for the second half.
Feb. 23 2021 @ 12:30am
Steals turn into points as Helias girls defeat Capital City
The work in practice paid off during the game. The Helias Lady Crusaders have stressed turning defense into offense and it definitely showed Thursday night.
Feb. 19 2021 @ 12:45am
With five individual champs, Jays take second in district tourney
When you come up just short of a district wrestling title, there is always a match or two that you can look back at making a difference. For the Jefferson City Jays, there were more than one or two.
Feb. 14 2021 @ 12:30am
Capital City sending seven wrestlers to sectionals
The wrestling was tough Saturday. It was another learning experience for the Capital City Cavaliers. The Cavaliers had seven wrestlers finish in the top four spots in their respective weight classes to advance to the sectional tournament later this month.
Feb. 14 2021 @ 12:30am
Lady Jays get past Lady Cavaliers in first meeting
The weather has kept nearly everyone inside in recent days. Staying inside was big Tuesday night for the Jefferson City Lady Jays. The Lady Jays scored 22 points in the paint in the first quarter on their way to a 78-18 victory against the Capital City Lady Cavaliers in Central Missouri Activities Conference action at Capital City High School.
Feb. 10 2021 @ 12:45am
Press Box: Learning to deal with it
I guess two times in a row is one time too many for some people. There's already national talk of Kansas City Chiefs fatigue. Allow me to respond. Huh?!?!? The Chiefs won their first Super Bowl title in 50 years last February after losing in overtime in the AFC Championship Game the year before. Success breeds fatigue, I guess. Even if it's just a couple of years.
Feb. 7 2021 @ 12:35am
Helias' Johanns joining Missouri football program
It didn't take long to say yes. "I was sold as soon as they told me they were offering," Helias senior Damon Johanns said Wednesday morning as he signed as a preferred walk-on to play football at the University of Missouri during a ceremony in the school library. It's a dream come true. It's a great opportunity."
Feb. 4 2021 @ 12:35am
Jays wrestling beats Rock Bridge to finish 6-0 in CMAC
If they're going to give you the opportunity to compete for a conference title, you might as well win it. "It's nice for the kids," Jays coach Phil Cagle said after Jefferson City completed an undefeated duals run through Central Missouri Activities Conference foes with a 63-15 victory against the Rock Bridge Bruins at Fleming Fieldhouse.
Feb. 3 2021 @ 12:30am
Blair Oaks girls get refocused, get past Linn
A little more than a minute had ticked off the clock Monday night before the Blair Oaks Falcons called a timeout. Aushara Hostetler's second 3-pointer of the game had barely found its way through the net for the Linn Lady Wildcats before Blair Oaks coach Brandon Moore called timeout with 6:42 remaining in the first quarter. It was time to chat.
Feb. 2 2021 @ 12:35am
Jays claim first of two CMAC wrestling crowns
The Jefferson City Jays are going to have to find some room on their letter jackets. First, for the Central Missouri Activities Conference Tournament title they won Saturday. Then they can wrap up the CMAC season title with a victory Tuesday night in a dual against the Rock Bridge Bruins.
Jan. 31 2021 @ 12:30am
Helias dominates in lower weight classes in tourney
As the championship matches got rolling Saturday, Helias coach Weston Keleher made himself comfortable in his chair next to the mat. With wrestlers in eight of the first nine individual championship matches, he didn't have anywhere to go.
Jan. 31 2021 @ 12:30am
Cavaliers looking for boost in confidence after tourney
Capital City coach Mitch Werdehausen believes the Cavaliers can be a talented team. Now it's a matter of convincing the Cavaliers of that.
Jan. 31 2021 @ 12:30am