Worth County School Board Minutes for February 18th, 2010

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Jeff Andrews, Paul Tracy, Terry Green, Richard Mullock, Karen Fletchall, Jubal Summers, Sherri Runde (10:15).

I. Call to Order by President Summers at 7:32.

II. MOTION by Mullock, second by Tracy to approve the agenda as printed. Motion carried 6-0.

III. Pledge of Allegiance.

IV. Reading of the District Mission Statement.

V. No citizens' comments.

VI. No committee report.

VII. CTA Report

Kelley Ross teaches 6th grade and her class is reading The Rats of NIMH, working with the new math series, studying ancient Greece and Rome. In science, they have built a giant Oreo cookie.

Jackie Carlson has taught hunters' education; she has students building bird houses, a new ball cage, hay trailer, and cattle panels. She has a class that is now starting the greenhouse. FFA has done many fundraisers and a number of field trips and are working on getting ready for competitions.

VIII. MSBA Board Report, unable to view.

IX. MOTION by Green, second by Andrews to approve the consent agenda:
a. Minutes of 1/21/2010 meeting.
b. Financial report, monthly bills.
c. Administrator reports.
d. Approve program evaluations -- activities, governance.
Motion carried 6/0.

X: Administrative Requiring Action.

a. MOTION by Mullock, second by Green to approve the second reading of the following policies:
Policy 0530 -- Policy Implementation
Policy 1110 -- Religious Expression
Policy 1300 -- Equal Opportunity
Policy 1310 -- Civil Rights, Title IX, Section 504
Policy 1320 -- Nondiscrimination and Freedom from Harassment on the Basis of Sex
Policy 1405 -- Parent/Family Involvement in Education
Motion carried 6/0.

b. First Reading of the following policies:
Policy 1410 -- Relations with Law Enforcement Authorities
Policy 1420 -- Community Use of School Facilities
Policy 1425 -- School/Community Relations
Policy 1430 -- Visitors to Schools
Policy 1431 -- Code of Conduct -- Adults
Policy 1432 -- Prohibition against firearms and weapons
Policy 1440 -- Research requests

c. MOTION by Green, second by Tracy to approve and accept, if awarded, the vocational grants.
Motion carried 6/0.

d. MOTION by Tracy, second by Mullock to approve the budget revisions as printed for the 2009-2010 school year.

e. Discussion of budget reductions.

XI. Items for Future Meetings
a. Policy Review
b. Program Evaluations

XII. MOTION by Fletchall, second by Tracy to go into closed session at 9:18 after a five minute break pursuant to Section 610.01, 610.021, 610.022 RSMO to discuss personnel matters (subsection 3 & 13). 6/0 Roll Call Vote.

MOTION by Fletchall, second by Runde to end closed session at 10:55. 7/0 Roll Call Vote.

MOTION by Andrews, second by Fletchall to add Ronnie Supinger to the support staff substitute list. Motion carried 7/0.

XIII. Next regular board meeting 3/18/2010 at 7:30 p.m.

XIV. MOTION by Fletchall, second by Mullock to adjourn at 11:02. Motion carried 7/0.

Northeast Nodaway School Board Minutes for February 18th, 2010

Present: Presiding Officer Kenny Runde, Cecilia Gallagher, Chris Redden, Julia Judd, Bruce Wiederholt, Dan Schmitz, Superintendent Dr. Jeff Mehlenbacher, Secondary Principal Jeremy Covey, Elementary Principal Linda Mattson.

Meeting was called to order by Kenny Runde at 7:00 p.m.

MINUTES & WARRANTS
Motion to approve the minutes and warrants as presented made by Bruce Wiederholt. Seconded by Chris Redden. Vote: 6-0.

Chris Oelze arrived at 7:08 p.m.

NEW BUSINESS
A. Professional Development APR Review
Mr. Covey presented APR information to the board.

B. Migrant Program Evaluation
Mr. Covey presented the Migrant Program Evaluation for approval. Motion to approve the program evaluation as presented made by Chris Redden, seconded by Bruce Wiederholt. Vote: 7-0.

C. Proposed 2010-2011 Start Date
Motion to approve the start date of August 19th for the 2010-2011 school year made by Julia Judd and seconded by Dan Schmitz. Vote: 7-0.

D. Proposed 2010-2011 Calendar
Motion to approve the 2010-2011 calendar as presented made by Chris Redden and seconded by Bruce Wiederholt. Vote: 7-0.

REPORTS
A. Transportation
Dr. Mehlenbacher reported on the repairs made to the buses.

B. Enrollment
Enrollment at the Elementary is 122 and Secondary enrollment is 98.

C. CTA Report
No report this month.

D. PTO Report
The 5th and 6th grade basketball tournament will be held on February 20th. Sub sandwich fundraiser proceeds were $952. The PTO has purchased a smart board for an elementary classroom. McTeacher Night at McDonalds will be from 4-8 p.m. on March 2nd.

E. Elementary Principal's Report
See below.

F. Secondary Principal's Report
Mr. Covey presented the bell schedule for the 2010-2011 school year for approval. Motion to approve the schedule as presented made by Cecilia Gallagher and seconded by Chris Redden. Vote: For 6, Against 1.

G. Superintendent's Report
1. Dr. Mehlenbacher updated the board on levy planning.
2. MSBA Regional Meeting will be held on May 3rd in St. Joseph.

Break @ 8:05 p.m.

EXECUTIVE SESSION
Motion to go into executive session to discuss principals' evaluations and contract offering. Motion made by Julia Judd. Seconded by Chris Redden. 7-0 Roll Call Vote. Time: 8:15 p.m.

REGULAR SESSION CONTINUES
Motion to offer Elementary Principal Linda Mattson a contract for the 2010-2011 school year made by Cecilia Gallagher. Seconded by Bruce Wiederholt. Vote: For 6, Against 0, Abstaining 1 (Dan Schmitz).

Motion to offer Secondary Principal Jeremy Covey a contract for the 2010-2011 school year made by Chris Oelze. Seconded by Chris Redden. Vote: 7-0.

Motion to adjourn the meeting made by Dan Schmitz, seconded by Chris Redden. Vote: 7-0.

Time: 8:51 p.m.

ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Our child care license has been renewed for two more years.

School Counselor Week was February 1-5. We honored Mrs. Staples with a banner, carry-in dinner, flowers, and recognition at an assembly.

The 100th day of school was February 2nd. Each class did various projects to celebrate such as drawing a picture of how they would look when they were 100 years old, making a list of 100 endangered species, bringing 100 items to eat, activities with 100 pennies, and 100 Fruit Loops.

The Mic-O-Say Dancers performed for our Honesty Character Assembly on February 5th. The following people were recognized as students of the month: Noah Pierson, Lane Dack, Levi Burch, Levi Boulting, Nathan Schieber, Brea Miller, Jana Walker, Will Boswell, Brittany Moran, Mitchell Sherry, Rory Bredlow, Dakota Auffert, Hayden Emery, Keltan Munns, Jill Spire, and Allie Runde.

Peyton Weir and Alec Brown will represent our school at the County Spelling Bee on February 22nd. Alternates are Shelby Linville and Tanner Wilcox.

All but six parents made contact during parent-teacher conferences.

Four Hit Double Figures on Senior Night for NEN Girls

Northeast Nodaway's girls used a balanced scoring attack with four players hitting double figures to down North Nodaway 59-23 on Senior Night last Tuesday. "We started off slowly, but once we got going, we did well," said Coach Ryan Davis. "We were a little overaggressive on defense at times, but other than that, we did well on defense." Most coaches worry about their teams playing too tentatively, so if overaggression is all that Coach Davis has to complain about, then the Bluejay girls are in good shape for districts.

Northeast started off slowly as Morgan Wood opened the scoring with a shot from the left wing for North Nodaway and the Bluejays didn't get on the board for almost two minutes. But then their outside shots started falling, and that opened everything else up. Hallie Oelze (12 points) opened the scoring with a 3-pointer at the 6:13 mark and then Jacquline Schulte's (14 points, 5 assists) 3-pointer off an inbounds play off a feed from Michelle put the Bluejays up for good at 6-3. Ali Ramsey scored from the left wing for the Mustangs, but then Kristin Sherry pushed it up the floor to Blair Schmitz (14 points) for a layup. Jacqueline Schulte then connected twice from the left wing to make it 12-5, which opened everyone else up for the rest of the game.

Wood got a putback for North Nodaway, but then got in foul trouble as Hallie Oelze hit a pair of free throws and then Blair Schmitz blew past two defenders and got two more as a reward. Emily Bryant then hit Michelle Schulte (11 points) at the top of the key for Northeast's third 3-pointer of the period and then Kristin Sherry got a steal off the press, fed Blair Schmitz, who hit Hallie Oelze for a layup at the buzzer to make it 21-7.

Jessica Redden made one of those plays that doesn't show up in the stat chart, but had a big effect on the game as she cut hard to the ball on a pass inside and drew Morgan Wood's third foul as a result. Consequently, North Nodaway could not get any kind of offense going as their whole game plan revolved around getting the ball into Wood at the high post. Also, Wood, who had four points in the first period, didn't score the rest of the game as she saw extended time on the bench with her foul trouble.

Michelle Schulte opened the scoring in the second period with a steal and drive and scored again as Blair Schmitz got a steal and got her the ball. Following a Mustang miss Jacqueline Schulte got a steal and threw a quick outlet to Blair Schmitz, who went coast to coast for another score to complete a 16-0 run that left Northeast in control at 28-7. Nikki Larabee ended the run with a pair of free throws, but then Jacquline Schulte got a free throw after a drive, rejected a shot by a taller player on the other end, and then found Taylor Dougan open on the left wing. Blair Schmitz added a free throw and then Jacqueline got a steal and reversed it to Kenzie Waldeier for another free throw that left it 33-9.

Both Jacqueline Schulte and Blair Schmitz came out for a break and North Nodaway got two free throws and a steal from Larabee to cut it to 33-13 at the 2:37 mark, but they came back in to start another 16-0 run for Northeast. Jacqueline got a steal and fed Michelle for a layup, then followed with a steal and drive of her own. Blair Schmitz then got the ball in the post, faked to the right, and then went hard to the left for a layup in the post; Schmitz added a steal to give Northeast a 40-13 lead at the break.

The run continued to start the second half as Jacqueline Schulte found Hallie Oelze open on the left wing for Hallie's second 3-pointer of the game and was rewarded for sharing the ball as she got a feed from Hallie on the left wing for an open jumper in transition on the next play. Schulte then got a drive against Wood and got on the line for two free throws; Kristin Sherry added a steal and drive to complete the run with Northeast up 49-13. Ali Ramsey got a putback with 2:51 left to cut it to 51-18, but then Kristin Sherry found Blair Schmitz open in the post for a 3-point play and Taylor Dougan found Hallie Oelze inside. Hallie Oelze then kicked one out from the post to Rachel Runde on the left baseline to make it 58-18 and Kristan Judd got a rejection on the defensive end before the running clock took over in the fourth.

Student manager Lauren Buholt along with ten basketball players were recognized in ceremonies before the game along with their parents. Playing in their last regular season home game were Hallie Oelze, Kenzie Waldeier, Jacqueline Schulte, Jessica Redden, James Burns, Tyler Davis, Chad Messner, Tanner Scroggie, Brad Stoll, and Bobby Welch.

Bluejay Boys Can't Contain DeMott, Mustangs

Northeast Nodaway's boys could not contain Jason DeMott or the rest of the North Nodaway boys as they dropped their Senior Night contest 50-48 last Tuesday. "Things didn't work the way we wanted them to, and we didn't come in with the right mindset," was all Coach Charley Burch would say about the game.

The defensive woes that plagued the Bluejay boys in their loss to CFX surfaced again. They knew coming into the game that Jason DeMott would be the main scoring threat for the Mustangs. Yet time and time again, they would leave him unguarded, letting him score 29 points on the night. And on the other end of the floor, despite facing one of the smallest teams in the area, Northeast would get away from their game plan of getting the ball inside to one of their three big men and settle for outside jump shots, frequently resulting in fast break layups on the other end of the floor.

The trouble started right off the bat when DeMott scored off a steal and then hit back to back NBA 3-pointers right off the bat as nobody came out and guarded him. Bryce Farnan finally answered with a putback, but then DeMott connected again, this time from the left wing at the 4:29 mark. At that point, it was DeMott 11, Northeast Nodaway 2.

The Mustangs maintained their 7-9 point lead until late, when Northeast finally scored nine points in a 1:14 span to tie it up. Colby Wiederholt started it off with a fast break, followed by a kickout from Tyler Davis to Aaron Patton at the top of the key for a 3-pointer. Following a James Burns block, Colby Wiederholt got a putback and then went coast to coast and drew a foul, connecting on both free throws to tie it at 15 with 14.1 seconds left. But then, another defensive lapse followed as nobody matched up on DeMott, who got an uncontested layup at the buzzer to put North Nodaway up 17-15.

The game settled into a contest that was much lower-scoring than one might expect from two high-octane teams. The only two baskets either team managed in the first four minutes of the second quarter were a drive from DeMott that gave him 17 of North Nodaway's 19 points at that point and a lob from Tyler Davis to Bryce Farnan inside that made it 19-17. Free throws from Jesse Birkenholtz were answered by two from Colby Wiederholt and a 3-point play from James Burns on a fast break that gave Northeast its first lead at 22-21. But late free throws from Trey Adamson and DeMott gave the Mustangs a 27-24 halftime lead.

Northeast finally came out like they were going to follow their game plan of getting the ball inside to their three big men. Tyler Davis opened the scoring, followed by a driving layup from Colby Wiederholt. Davis then lobbed into Bryce Farnan to give Northeast its biggest lead of the game at 30-27. But then Adamson drove into the paint for North Nodaway and DeMott scored off a fast break and a steal as Northeast returned to settling for jump shots instead of working the ball inside. The game was tied at 33, 35, and 38 before a drive from Curtis Jones and a free throw from DeMott put the Mustangs up 41-38 after three quarters of play.

Once again, Northeast started off the quarter strongly, only to get sidetracked by a defensive lapse. Bobby Welch lobbed the ball inside to Bryce Farnan and then a drive from Colby Wiederholt resulted in two free throws that put Northeast up 42-41 at the 6:58 mark. But then nobody guarded DeMott from outside again, and his 3-pointer put North Nodaway back in front 44-43. Trey Adamson added a putback to make it 46-42. Northeast came back to tie as Bobby Welch hit a pair of free throws and Colby Wiederholt scored off a fast break. But another defensive lapse followed, this time of the bizarre variety, followed as Tyler Davis somehow got matched up on DeMott. DeMott took full advantage, going to the basket for two free throws with 2:15 lead to make it 48-46.

Davis cut inside to tie it at 48 with 2:01 left and then North Nodaway threw the ball away to give Northeast a chance to take the lead. Northeast ran over a minute off the clock and then Tyler Davis got a good look from the right baseline, but his shot went in and out and North Nodaway had a chance to run out the clock and take the last shot. Jason DeMott got tied up with 8.1 seconds left, but the possession arrow pointed to North Nodaway and they were able to keep the ball. Northeast tried to trap DeMott just inside the halfcourt line to take the ball out of his hands and make someone else try to win it, but Chad Messner fouled DeMott with 6.6 seconds left and DeMott made both free throws to put North Nodaway up 50-48.

Northeast had to go the full length of the court to try for the tie or win with two timeouts left, and they inbounded it first to the halfcourt line and then to the frontcourt. At that point, there were 2.8 seconds left. Tyler Davis caught the ensuing inbounds pass about 25 feet away from the basket and had a good look, but his shot was well short of the basket.

Plans for Downtown Renovation Proceed

Plans proceeded for the new sidewalk around the square as part of the Downtown Renovation Project that is being paid for by a Federal appropriation. One modification made to the plan was that the sidewalk on the southeast corner of the square, which had been planned to go at an angle, will now get put in at a 90 degree angle like the other three sidewalk corners. All sidewalk corners would be made compliant with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).



Economic Developer Charity Austin relayed two concerns from people. One was that the sidewalk on the northeast corner had already been repaired and that the work would simply tear up the sidewalk. Austin said that her understanding of the ADA was that if they city were to fix one corner, they had to fix them all. The other concern that she relayed was that the jackhammers would break windows. She said that these sorts of projects had happened all the time without breakage and that the contractors for the project would be licensed, insured, and bonded. Initially, the plan had been to simply patch the sidewalks where needed. However, Austin said that was not possible because of the ADA; Presiding Commissioner Kevin Austin said that it would not look uniform if they did not do the whole thing.



Mayor Debbie Roach said that since people did not come to the meeting Wednesday to voice their concerns, the project would proceed as planned. The city will put in policies for snow removal for the new sidewalks and give recommendations on ice melts to use; the city will send a letter to building owners along the square explaining city policies regarding snow removal.



The council approved the use of one side of the square on June 5th for a Relay for Life Fundraiser. There will be a street dance, Redneck Relays, and teams will set up booths. Proceeds will go towards Worth County's nationally recognized Relay for Life.



Grant City Fire Chief Ben Fletcher addressed the council regarding efforts of the Fire Department to become compliant with state statutes in various areas. The Fire Department will undergo training with the city and the Rural Water District regarding the proper maintenance and operation of fire hydrants as well as steps to avoid damage to water lines during a fire emergency. For instance, the Fire Department can't reduce water pressure below a certain rate. The city signed a usage agreement with the Fire Department regarding the use of their water systems.



Fletcher reported that the architects in charge of the new Firehouse at the old City Hall told him that the siren would need to be moved because it would be in the way of the new structure. It would need to be moved 30-40 feet north, and KCP&L would put in a pole at no cost. The Fire Department will wait for the architect to finish his specifications before bidding out the project. Construction would start this April.



The new building would house both the Fire Department and Ambulance. Presiding Commissioner Kevin Austin said that the reason that there is no law enforcement center was because the county did not have funds to match for the project. He said that having a center in which all emergency services would be under one roof was everyone's dream but that given massive state budget cuts, funding for everything was drying up. He said that the budget for this year would be OK, but that next year would be tough for the county and that at a recent conference, he had not heard a lot of positive things about upcoming years.



Economic Developer Charity Austin reported on Great Northwest Days held in Jefferson City. The event is an annual event in which local officials lobby legislators about concerns of Northwest Missouri residents. Another goal is to meet with other communities and find common threads. She said that there was a lot of one on one time with legislators and experts. Kevin Austin reported that he had talked with the Missouri Tax Commission about efforts to get a recreational tax for this area so that out of county people would pay taxes for their use of the area for hunting. Austin said that one possible idea was adding $10 to the current hunters' fees for out of state hunters that would be returned to the counties so that they would reap the benefits of their being there. He said that currently, out of state hunters were taking money away from local businesses as well as the county.



The city voted to hire Holly Baxley to work on the county website.



City Attorney David B. Parman addressed the council regarding the Yetter Building. He said that the building problem would get worse over the next ten years as he feared that other buildings on both the west and south sides of the square would follow suit; he said that the two worst buildings were the Yetter Building and the one between G.C. Auto Parts and Blaino's Antiques.




Presiding Commissioner Kevin Austin reported that he had met with Donnie Waldeier of Hy-Vee and had worked on the wording of the sign and that there would be a "No Loitering After 9 p.m." sign posted on both Hy-Vee and Country Corners. Once the signs are ordered and posted, it will give officers the authority to enter the parking lots and enforce laws related to trespassing and underage drinking.



The city will look into updating the Broadband system that it owns through the use of grants as well as finding ways of lowering the price on it.



Public Works Director Carl Staton reported that city crews were involved with lots of snow removal as well as miscellaneous equipment repairs. Repairs were made on some pipes by the old railroad tracks. On the 25th, the city will replace the batteries in the siren for $350. He reported that repair costs for the 1989 Champion grader would run to an estimated $8,000; he will shop around and see if he can find a lower price. Councilwoman Cathy James asked about snow removal on Sundays, saying that High Street was down to one lane that morning. Mayor Roach said that sometimes, the snow was plowed but that it drifted back. Clerk Ayvonne Morin said that the roads in the city and county were some of the best-kept in the area as far as snow removal was concerned.



The council voted to solicit a bid for a new city auditor to complete work on the city finances for this year.



The council voted to give city employees a 2% Cost of Living increase for this year. Cathy James opposed, saying that the vote should happen with Linda Phipps present and that a 2% increase was not feasible in the current economic climate.



Clerk Ayvonne Morin reported that the water fund was $200,000+ in the hole and that much of that was due to water breaks in the system. She estimated that it cost $7,500 - $8,200 for every nighttime break and $5,000+ for every daytime break.



Councilman Dennis Downing relayed two letters from David Snow to the council. The first letter related to what Snow called the micromanagement of the city; he proposed that the city form more committees so that specialization would maximize the success of city projects. Mayor Debbie Roach said that there were a lot of areas that the mayor and council had to oversee because they were elected by the people and that a committee would not be. She said that there were some areas for which there were separate boards, such as the Planning and Zoning Board as well as the Park Board. But she said that in many other areas, committees would not be feasible because they would not be familiar with the city's procurement policies.



Downing relayed another letter from Snow requesting the use of the equipment formerly used by the city police officer for the City Marshall's office as well as the money previously spent on Grant City Police Chief Dennie Mildfeldt's salary for the office. Snow said that he would forego any personal salary as City Marshall and that he would work with other law enforcement to address what he saw as a skyrocketing petty crime problem in the city. Mayor Roach said that a City Marshall would have no enforcement powers and no job description and that state law does not allow city marshalls to perform duties without certification. She said that there was no money in the budget to purchase equipment or pay any funds for that position and that it was simply a title. Roach said that the city already has a Code Enforcement Officer in Patsy Worthington and that the reason the city went that route was because no certification was necessary for that position. She said that the current law enforcement was adequate and that the current Sheriff's Department was prompt in responding to calls.

Doin' God's Work for February 17, 2009

God has blessed us this week, assuring us that winter is not over. He showed his powers in Washington, DC and the east and west coasts, making me thankful to be in the Midwest. Temperatures dipped below my preference, but He brought them back up to help melt some snow. Yes, a challenging winter almost any place you look. I personally feel He is shaking the earth to wake us up and make known His awesome powers. HE is in full control of all of the elements that surround us.

There are a few days left before Lent begins. What changes do you think HE may be desiring for you to make? How can we become a better person and serve the one true God? Starting Ash Wednesday and lasting until May 23rd, let us spend 90 minutes of service to God. Caring for our neighbor, writing notes or phone calls of encouragement, etc.; sometimes, the little things mean a lot. Giving of our time is Doin' God's work.

February 14th to March 2nd, the church will be collecting gifts to send to soldiers in Iraw. They may include magazines, reading materials, snack foods, toiletries, and money donations to help with the postage to mail them. I'm sure they are doing way more than 90 minutes of service for protecting our freedom to worship freely.

Bible study turned into prayer time as many were absent due to health issues. There are many who need His divine touch. We will open the Bible to Genesis Chapter 2. Hopefully, everyone will be physically and spiritually desiring to seek His word Thursday morning at 9:30. Hope to see you there in the Word.

Pastor Sue was at the pulpit Sunday with a sermon on God's radience and awesome power. HE is the light of the world! In these troubled times, it is good to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Join us 8:30 Sunday and 6 p.m. Wednesday in church.

After church, some attended the baby shower for Tim and Jenni Wall. It was good fun, good food, and fellowship by all who attended. We pray for them a healthy baby to arrive in a few short weeks. May God continue to bless them and those whose lives they touch. May God also bless and keep you healthy and strong this week as we serve God.

Obituary: Todd Jason Scott 1963-2010

Todd Jason Scott, 47, of Excelsior Springs, died Sunday morning, February 7, 2010 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was the son of Ross and Bunnie (Ewart) Scott. He was born January 11, 1963. He attended schools in Liberty and in California and was a lifelong member of the Liberty Methodist Church.

He was an outdoorsman who loved to fish and hunt quail and pheasant. He learned all the tricks of fishing by the hands of his dad and his grandpa Scott. Also, he was quite a skilled marksman. He started hunting with his dad at an early age, carrying only a play gun. He a young boy, he loved going to visit Grandpa and Grandma Ewart on the farm, where he could drive the tractor, work with the animals, and go fishing in farm ponds. He also loved going to Grandma Scott's for her homemade chicken and noodles. As he got older, some of his loves were riding motorcycles, working on computers, rock and roll music, and playing guitar and bass. He looked forward to spending time during the summer, boating with Dan at Table Rock Lake. His life here was too short, but he's in a better place, free from pain.

Those left to cherish his memory are his parents; two sisters, Suzanne Scott of Excelsior Springs, Judy Heiffus of Independence and niece Stephanie (Mike) Egger of Independence; his special cousins Dan (Doreen) Ewart of Placentia, CA; Godparents Frank and Marianne Maudlin of Liberty; two cousins in Bedford, Bill (Peggy) Ewart and Rick (Louann) Ewart; and special friend, Rev. Bob Shane of Excelsior Springs and many other friends and relatives as well as his little dog Heidi.

Preceding him in death were both sets of grandparents and his beloved uncle Bill Ewart from Bedford.

Polley Funeral Home of Excelsior Springs is in charge of cremation arrangements. There will be a memorial at a later date with interment in the family plot at the Blockton Cemetery. Todd wanted memorials to go to Liberty Hospital Hospice, 2525 Glenn Hendren Drive, PO Box 1002, Liberty, MO 64069-1002.

Todd will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

Opinion: Green Acres

by Mickey Floyd
Sheridan West

When I visited Sheridan for the first time, back in the '80's, I was advised not to mention the TV show "Green Acres" because some of the local folks felt that it depicted an unsophisticated (hillbilly) lifestyle. And it was a slap in the face to the integrity of rural living. It had been by chance that I first came to this area, but it was by choice that Retha and I decided this was where we would live. Days turned to weeks, then months, then years, all the time reinforcing our decision and for more than a dozen years, I never told anyone that I once watched the show.

One afternoon last week, as I was setting at my desk, looking out at "acres" of CRP land covered with snow and hearing the sounds of the wind chill making a liar out of our already too low thermometer, I rembered why I was here. If I had still been in California, I would be looking at fences and rooftops. And the sounds I would be hearing would be the cars, trucks, and busses on the 60 freeway. I let my mind go back to an earlier time of the Green Acres incident. I wondered, "Why would anyone ridicule a place like this?" Then, an unexplored thought came to me, what if this is not an act of ridicule, but in reality, it was a show of envy?

Our local news is mostly about our kids doing well in school, sports, and just becoming good citizens while the metro news talks of gang shootings, drug deals, and children killing children*. Their news tells of thugs taking advantage of defenseless seniors, women, and children. Scamming the poor so they can buy high-dollar watches, luxury cars, and drugs. If someone here hits a rough spot in the road, they don't get robbed again when they need help. They get a helping hand fron neighbors. Not a "hand-out" but a "hand-up," and this is done so matter of fact that it's hardly even news-worthy. It's just one more way of neighbor helping neighbor. Local news seldom has a felony to bring to our attention, while in the "up-class" citified areas, if they print just half the felonies, there's no space left for the misdemeanors.

Not that we are without our own brand of homegrown idiots. Jerk pods who like to kill pets** and those who let their pets run loose and unattended are one class of neighbor I could do without. I have often thought if I needed to have a transfusion, please, top me off with a pint of blood type K9 and not any of the reclaim stuff who kill and/or neglect their pets. I have suggested before that when a jerk defiles our lifestyle he, or she, should be sentenced to do at least a six-month incarceration in LA. This might just give them a better sense of the true value of living in rural Missouri.

Green Acres was not entirely different from here; they had pretty girls, we have pretty girls. They helped one another, we help one another. Their phone system didn't work all that great, much like my cell phone. Their most valuable asset was the love of the land and each other. No difference there. Having evaluated these thoughts in my mind, I am now sure that Green Acres was written by writers who have never felt the spring grass growing under bare feet, they had never experienced the smell of hay being harvested, and they had darn sure never been to an Old Defiance Days Celebration. They were, in fact, envious of the rural lifestyle.

February is Boy Scout Month. There is a new troop forming locally. Do what you can to help out. This is a great way for boys to become young men and helping them will make you feel almost as good as if you had thanked a veteran. Hey, I just had an idea -- do both!

The opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Sheridan Express or its advertisers.

*When our young people sight a target, it is with a license, adult supervision, and it usually puts meat on the table.
**There is still a reward outstanding for getting this one off the streets.

Biggest Win of Coach Ryan Davis' Career

In what was the biggest win of Coach Ryan Davis' career, the #6 Northeast Nodaway girls, behind 16 points from Jacqueline Schulte, knocked off #4 Jefferson 39-36 in the Platte Valley Conference showdown last Tuesday. Coupled with Northeast's subsequent 57-42 win over DeKalb, the win means that Northeast is nearing a Platte Valley Conference Tournament title for the first time in 10 years; conference games with Elwood and Stewartsville remain.

Northeast came in as the underdogs in the fight; the Eagles, despite losses at the North Platte Tournament and to Maryville, had not lost a regular-season game to a Class 1 school besides South Nodaway in almost three years. Jefferson had graduated a ton of seniors from last year's team which finished third in the state, but Chelsea Merrigan and the Eagles still knocked off Northeast by 8 last year in summer action even though Northeast had made strides in that game. And the Eagles, after relying on Kendle Schieber and Chelsea Merrigan all year, showed signed of diversifying their attack in Tuesday night's game.

But this time Northeast was up to the challenge, turning back Jefferson's third quarter comeback bid. In many of their close games this year and last summer, they used some last-second heroics. However, this time, they made some critical defensive plays at the right time to preserve the win as Coach Davis' emphasis on defense came full circle. And the most important stat was on the other side of the ledger -- Northeast held Chelsea Merrigan to an unheard-of five points. The critical difference was this -- Northeast had won twice when Jacqueline Schulte was held to 4 points as her teammates were able to make up the difference. But Jefferson could not put up enough points to make up for Merrigan's lack of scoring Tuesday. There was little celebration on the part of the players after the win -- Northeast and Jefferson will likely play again in the district championship game on the same court. The challenge now for Northeast will be to elevate their game in the same way Jefferson does -- the Eagles have wiped out many teams over the last 20 years in both basketball and softball districts who had beaten them during the regular season. Northeast will be helped by the return of Kristin Sherry from an illness; she subsequently returned to action in Friday's win over DeKalb, providing them with valuable ballhandling which they needed badly Tuesday night. And not only did Northeast beat a tough Jefferson squad, they had to play against the officials, who blew all sorts of calls against both sides.

Blair Schmitz scored inside off a drive from Rachel Runde and then Jacqueline Schulte hit a pair of free throws after drawing a foul on Chelsea Merrigan, who came over too late on the help to make it 4-2 at the 5:18 mark. Rachel Runde then scored from the right baseline off a Schulte kickout to make it 6-4. But then the Bluejays began to struggle against the vaunted Jefferson press and a couple of bad calls by the officials did not help. Ashley Merrigan beat the Northeast press and then Ashley Chor hit a shot from the top of the key to put Jefferson back in front at 9-6. Then, the referees, who were obviously missing a good game, were not paying attention as Coach Ryan Davis was trying to call timeout as Northeast turned the ball over. On the very next play, Blair Schmitz had a perfect take on Chelsea Merrigan and drew the foul on her, only to have the refs fall asleep on the play and not call the obvious foul. Jill Henry's free throw capped the 6-0 run and gave Jefferson its biggest lead of the night at 10-6.

Despite a little more help from the officials for Jefferson, Northeast managed to cut the lead to two after one quarter. Hallie Oelze found a cutting Jacqueline Schulte to make it 10-8, and then the refs gave the ball back to Jefferson even though it was obvious that the ball had gone out of bounds off Kendle Schieber; however, no harm was done and Northeast was still very much a part of the game.

And then Michelle Schulte took over, turning around yet another game for Northeast and putting them in control. Jacqueline Schulte found Michelle on a long outlet and she beat the Eagle defense down the court for a fast break to tie it at 10. Despite more interference by the officials -- this time, a non-call on a Jefferson player obviously over Hallie Oelze's back on a rebounding situation -- Blair Schmitz took Chelsea Merrigan to the rim and converted it into two free throws. As Jefferson began turning the ball over, Michelle Schulte got loose in transition again and then fed Hallie Oelze for two free throws to make it 16-10.

Jill Henry cleaned up on a steal for Jefferson to break the 10-0 run. Jacqueline Schulte countered with a pair of free throws but then Kendle Schieber countered with two of her own to make it 18-14 with 2:01 left. But then Michelle Schulte made a free throw, Jacqueline Schulte had a driving layup, and Blair Schmitz connected from the left baseline following a steal by Emily Bryant to make it 23-14 at the half.

But then Jefferson turned to Ashley Merrigan to get them back in the game, and she started off the scoring with a step-thru move. Then, Ashley Merrigan went to the rim and Jacqueline Schulte had a perfect block from behind. However, the officials, who let Chelsea Merrigan block shots from behind all night long, called Schulte for a foul and Ashley Merrigan hit two free throws. Then Ashley Chor became a disruptive force on defense, collecting some steals and scoring off a shot from the right side and a steal. Ashley Merrigan then followed with a shot from the high post as Jefferson wiped out Northeast lead in just under three minutes and went up 24-23 at the 5:23 mark.

But then Chor became overly aggressive and got into foul trouble; she picked up her third foul shortly afterwards. Jacqueline Schulte then got a drive to the rim and Blair Schmitz hit a pair of free throws after a step-thru move to put Northeast back in front at 27-24. Schulte's shot from the top of the key made it 29-26, but then Chelsea Merrigan finally got loose, turning a cut inside into a 3-point play to tie it at 29 and drawing Blair Schmitz's 3rd foul in the process. But then Ashley Chor picked up her 4th as Jacqueline Schulte took her to the rim and turned it into two free throws; Blair Schmitz picked up two more after a drive to put Northeast up 33-29 after three quarters.

It looked like Northeast was in control at that point, having pulled off many of these games, but then Sarah Kemper, who had been quiet all night for Jefferson, suddenly hit a 3-pointer from the right baseline to make it a one-point game. Hallie Oelze caught Jefferson napping as she flew down the court for an easy layup to make it 35-32, but then Ashley Merrigan worked the high post for a shot to make it a one-point game. For the next 2 1/2 minutes, neither side could take care of the ball and the score was stuck at 35-34, but finally, Chelsea Merrigan got loose on the boards and put Jefferson up 36-35 with 4:10 left to go. Hallie Oelze then missed a 3-pointer and Jefferson had the chance to take control as Sarah Kemper got an open look from downtown with 3:10 left, but her 3-pointer went astray and Blair Schmitz worked a perfect high-low play to Jacqueline Schulte to put Northeast back up 37-36 with 2:54 left.

Jefferson worked the ball into Ashley Merrigan in the high post once again, but this time, her shot from that area, which had gone in all night, rimmed out and Northeast got the ball back with a chance to run clock. But Chelsea Merrigan got a steal and Jefferson had a 1 on 1 opportunity at the other end. But Hallie Oelze stuffed Ashley Merrigan and the ensuing jump ball arrow went to Northeast with 2:11 left.

It was now Northeast's ballhandling against Jefferson's pressure defense and the Bluejays were able to run the clock all the way down to 1:12. But finally, Kendle Schieber got a steal for Jefferson, giving them a chance to take the lead. But then with 52 seconds left, Jefferson tried to throw the ball inside and nobody was there but Michelle Schulte for Northeast. Emily Bryant then cut backdoor and drew a foul; she hit both free throws to make it 39-36 with 47.7 seconds left.

From there, Northeast could not put it away and Jefferson could not get the shot to tie or cut the lead. First, Bryant stole an inbounds pass with 39.1 seconds and was fouled and couldn't hit the 1-1. Then, Ashley Merrigan lost the ball out of bounds for Jefferson, but Blair Schmitz couldn't convert from the line with 25 seconds left. Kendle Schieber then missed an 8-foot floater in the lane that would have cut it to one, but Hallie Oelze couldn't make the front end of a 1-1 for Northeast after Jefferson fouled her. Finally, Jefferson got a look at a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied the game, but Kendle Schieber was 1-2 feet behind the arc and her shot was rushed and long as time expired.

Last Second Shot Sinks Polo Boys 51-49

Worth County's boys built up an 11-point lead early in the second half, only to watch it dwindle away to nothing. But finally, Zach Harmening hit a last-second shot at the buzzer to give the Tigers their fifth GRC win this year, a 51-49 nailbiter over Polo and salvage a win at Courtwarming.

Bryce Ross, who had been carrying the Tigers during their recent run, sprained his ankle the day before during practice and did not suit up; that meant that the Tigers had to find someone to take his place in the scoring column. It initially looked like he would not be missed; however, as the second half progressed and shot after shot from the Tigers fruitlessly clanked off the rim, it became obvious that they will have to find someone to replace Ross' baseline jumper if they are to continue their form.

There were six lead changes in the first three minutes of the game until J.J. Mullock had a monster stuff which seemed to give the Tigers life and Eli Mullock followed with an inside shot off a feed from Alex Harmening that gave Worth County a 6-5 lead. Dalton Rardon countered with a floater in the lane, but then Dylan Kinsella scored off a fast break after Zach Harmening went coast to coast to spark a 10-0 run that left Worth County in control. Eli Mullock drove down the left baseline, Garrett Hawk scored inside off a pass from Eli, Kinsella connected from inside again, and Zach Harmening scored off a steal and drive to cap the run at 16-7.

Polo checked in Dillon Hufford, a 6'4" ballhandler, whose driving layup seemed to spark the Panthers and stop the run. Dalton Mills' free throw capped a 7-2 Polo run that brought them to within 18-14 at the start of the second quarter. Zach Harmening then cut backdoor to stop the run and put Worth County back up by six; a putback by Kinsella and a steal and drive from Harmening that turned into a 3-point play kept the game between 5 and 8 points.

Dylan Kinsella took a charge at the 3:03 mark that helped left Worth County to an 11 point lead early in the third quarter. Zach Harmening and Wyatt McClain also took charges during the span; Todd Harding got a drive to the basket, Garrett Hawk got a backdoor layup off a feed from Harding, and Dylan Kinsella scored after Todd Harding tipped a pass. Zach Harmening found a cutting Eli Mullock at the start of the second half for a backdoor layup which gave the Tigers their largest lead of the night at 33-22.

But then they failed to convert on some easy shots in the third quarter and Polo turned the game into a track meet as they were able to climb back. Toby Poje's drive and buckets from Dalton Mills cut it back to 33-29. Alex Harmening's fast break and Eli Mullock's feed of J.J. inside made it 37-31, but a pair of buckets from Ashton Shelton and a putback from Poje tied the game at 37 before Garrett Hawk found Dylan Kinsella inside with five seconds left to make it 39-37.

Polo tied it again at 39 before J.J. Mullock scored from inside to make it 41-39. Zach Freeman hit a free throw to close to within 41-40 and Polo had two chances to take the lead, but J.J. rejected a shot and Dalton Mills collided with Zach Harmening and traveled with the basketball. Eli Mullock lobbed inside to J.J. to make it 43-40. Ashton Shelton countered with a pair of free throws, but Zach Harmening scored off a drive, Dalton Rardon missed a runner, and Harmening found J.J. in transition to make it 47-42.

But then the game began to be more frantic as the final minutes ticked down. Dalton Mills hit a free throw and then Dalton Rardon and Toby Poje scored off drives to tie it at 47 at the 2:55 mark as Worth County could not burn precious time off thanks to a pair of dropped passes. Finally, Zach Harmening cut backdoor at the 2:21 mark to put Worth County back up 49-47. But then Garrett Hawk missed a layup following a stop on defense to give Polo new life. They threw a long pass down the court on the ensuing rebound, which was tipped around before Dylan Kinsella was called for a foul. Dalton Mills missed both free throws, but Ashton Shelton got the ensuing carom. But Dalton Rardon missed the ensuing drive attempt and Worth County had the ball with a chance to run the clock.

But then Todd Harding was called for offensive charging and Polo took advantage to tie it again as Ashton Shelton scored from inside to make it 49-49 with 1:09 left. Harding drove the lane with 32 seconds left and threw up a floater, but missed and Polo got the defensive board with a chance to win in regulation. But then Harding atoned for his previous mistakes with a pair of huge plays as he stripped a Polo player with 22 seconds left to give Worth County the ball back. Worth County got the ball into halfcourt and called timeout with 10.8 seconds left.

The Panthers had a pair of fouls to give and they used them to stop Worth County from getting into the lane and force them to inbound the ball from the left sideline with 2.1 seconds left. However, sometimes, the most dangerous player on inbounds situations is the inbounder and Polo fell asleep at the switch. Zach Harmening inbounded the ball to Todd Harding just to the left of the top of the key and then cut backdoor to the basket. Harding threw a strike to Harmening, whose shot at the buzzer was ruled good by the officials. Subsequent replays showed that the ball was still in Harmening's hands as the buzzer sounded, but there are no replays in High School Basketball in these situations -- the only time replays are permitted in these situations are during state championship series contests. In regular high school contests, it is the judgment of the officials which matters, meaning that Harmening's shot counted.

NEN Boys Lose Ugly; Fans Leave in Droves

Northeast Nodaway's boys hung with Jefferson at the start of the game. They still had a chance to catch the Eagles even though they were down 15 at halftime. But a 27-point third quarter for Jefferson triggered a mass exodus from the gym by fans of both schools, who had seen enough of the constant layup drill by the Eagles as Jefferson won the boys game 61-25. So, are the Eagles back to where they were the last few years, in which they won over 50 consective regular season games against 1-A schools? Coach Charley Burch said no -- "They are not that good and we are not that bad," was all he would say after the game. "We played about as bad as it was possible for us to play."

Both teams got off to a ragged start at the beginning of the game. But a telling sequence was one right after the opening sequence, in which Jefferson outworked Northeast and got seven offensive boards before Northeast finally got the ball back. That seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game.

Northeast seemed to struggle against the press and got worse as the game wore on. They got a couple of good looks early -- Bryce Farnan got a feed from Chad Messner in the post to tie it at 2. Later, Farnan beat the Eagle press for a layup to cut Jefferson's lead to 7-4. But the struggles got worse instead of better as instead of getting the ball to the middle of the floor and creating 3 on 2 opportunities, Northeast was dribbling without a purpose against the Eagles and wasting possessions towards the end of the first period, resulting in a steal and drive by Gilbert Henry. Finally, Clayton Schieber burned Northeast twice in a 35-second span, getting a backdoor cut and then a tipin at the buzzer to leave the Eagles up 13-4 after one period.

Zach Jermain hit a 3-pointer to cap the 10-0 run and put Jefferson up 17-4. Northeast finally got going as Colby Wiederholt beat the Jefferson press and Kevin Stoll cleaned up on a miss in transition to make it 17-8. But then Jermain hit his second 3-pointer of the quarter during a 6-0 run that kept Jefferson up 15. The Eagles would lead 30-15 at the break.

Northeast had every reason to think they could make a game of it, as they had nearly erased a 15-point deficit against Jefferson in summer ball. However, all the fight was gone from the Bluejays at the start of the third as Jefferson turned that stretch into a 16-0 layup drill as Coach Charley Burch benched both his post players as well as most of his starters and began putting his third string in at around the 4-minute mark of the third quarter.

Tiger Girls Crash and Burn at Courtwarming

One of the Greek myths involved a character named Sisyphus, a king who was regarded as one of the craftiest of all men. For thinking that he was more craftier than the gods and thinking of himself as one of their peers, he was condemned to spend eternity pushing a rock up a hill. But just as the rock almost got up to the top, it would come crashing down again and Sisyphus would have to start all over again.

The season of the Worth County girls has been very similar to this figure -- just as they have been about to push the rock over the hump and get their first win of the year, it would come crashing down again. Recent efforts against King City (16 points), North Nodaway (13 points) led to the Albany game, where they were ahead at halftime and within six as late as the fourth quarter. But just as they thought it might all be leading up to their first win against Polo for Courtwarming, the rock came crashing down and the Tigers were handed a 53-15 thrashing against Polo.

Worth County had every reason to expect a competitive game against the Panthers -- North Nodaway had beaten them by 10 in the Albany Tournament, compared to 13 for the Tigers. And Polo came into the game with a 3-13 record, meaning that they were beatable. However, the Tigers were done in by fouls as they would play evenly with the Panthers when their starters were in but give up big runs to the Panthers when their starters were on the bench with foul trouble.

Ashley Reynolds drove down the right side to put the Tigers up 2-0 right off the bat, but then a banked 3-pointer by Alex Templeton that made it 5-2 Polo was an omen that this would just not be Worth County's night. Shortly afterwards, Ashley Reynolds and Jessica Garrett went to the bench with two fouls in a 13-second span and Polo was off to the races in between the constant stream of whistles and fouls on Tiger players. By the 3:53 mark of the first quarter, the Tigers were already up to their 7th foul. The layup drill continued until the end of the first quarter, when Polo took a 13-2 lead into the second quarter.

Worth County was able to stop the run for the first three minutes of the second half as the starters checked back in. But the constant stream of whistles and fouls continued as Brooke Gilland and Jessica Garrett picked up their third fouls in the first three minutes of the second quarter. Ashley Reynolds drove from the half-court line to the rim against the Polo press at the 4:35 mark to make it 15-4, but then picked up her third foul of the game and sat down and the Polo layup drill resumed; this time, they used a 7-0 run to make it 22-4. Worth County finally got into the bonus and got free throws from Lauren Null, Carli Jackson, and Kiley Reynolds late in the first half. But that only slowed the Polo run as the Panthers led 31-7 at the half.

The Tigers showed some life at the start of the second half as Brooke Gilland hit a shot from the right side off a feed from Ashley Reynolds and Jessica Garrett followed with a putback to make it 31-11. But then the steady stream of whistles, fouls, and the parade of Tiger players going to the bench with foul trouble resumed as Jessica Garrett and Ashley Reynolds both picked up their fourth foul each and Brooke Gilland hit her head on the floor and was shaken up. The only other basket that Worth County mustered in the period was a drive and pullup jumper from Lauren Null as Polo led 40-13 after three quarters.

The Panther layup dril continued even during the running clock as Worth County overextended trying to get some kind of run going and left Panther players all alone for layups; the only basket that Worth County managed was Ashley Reynolds scoring off a cut in the period.

NEN Girls Run Past Depleted Trojan Squad

Sixth-ranked Northeast Nodaway's girls ran past a depleted Nodaway-Holt squad, beating them 75-26 in their final match before the showdown with #4 Jefferson Tuesday. For the second consecutive night, everyone scored for the Bluejays against the outmatched Trojans. Nodaway-Holt was playing without one of their six-footers, who was not listed on the program for the game. Consequently, they went from being post-oriented to guard oriented and having to relearn everything while Northeast was clicking along despite not having Kristin Sherry (illness) for the second straight week.

Whitney Keith hit a baseline shot with 7:41 left to put Nodaway-Holt up 2-0, but that was the only lead that they would get. Jacqueline Schulte, who had "only" 14 against West Nodaway as younger sister Michelle went off on the Rockets, nearly matched that in one quarter of work as she had 13 points in the period and 19 for the game. Normally, if Jacqueline gets her shots to fall early, they will do so the rest of the game and that was the case against the Trojans as Emily Bryant found her on the left baseline to start a 20-0 run; Jacqueline had eight points during the stretch. Blair Schmitz (11 points, 12 rebounds) followed with a steal and then Hallie Oelze got a steal and hit Blair Schmitz, who hit a pair of free throws. The shots continued to fall for Jac as Blair Schmitz found her open on the left wing and she banked one home; Hallie Oelze then got a rebound and long outlet to Schulte, who knocked down a floater.

The long run continued for Northeast as Blair Schmitz grabbed a putback on one of her many offensive rebounds for the night. Rachel Runde then took a charge and then found Michelle Schulte (12 points) open from the high post and Blair Schmitz inside. Michelle Schulte then scored from the right side off an inbounds play and then Jacqueline Schulte capped the run by blowing past two defenders on the left wing for a layup to make it 20-2.

Jodi Holmes then scored off a steal, but then Northeast got going again, this time using a 27-0 run to make it 47-4 late in the second. Jacqueline continued to have the hot hand as Emily Bryant found her open on the left wing for a 3-pointer in transition and Rachel Runde's long outlet found Schulte open for a layup with 10 seconds left in the first to make it 25-4. As Nodaway-Holt was futilely throwing up 3-pointers, Northeast was grabbing the defensive boards and pushing it up; Blair Schmitz opened with a free throw and then Hallie Oelze's long outlet found Michelle Schulte for a 3-point play. Blair Schmitz then got a steal and found Kenzie Waldeier for a layup and then Michelle Schulte got a steal and 3-point play.

Northeast continued to put on a passing clinic during the run as Kenzie Waldeier found Blair Schmitz inside, Jacqueline Schulte found Hallie Oelze open on the right side, and then Blair Schmitz found Emily Bryant on the break for a layup. Jacqueline Schulte then threw a long pass to Bryant for a layup and then was rewarded for sharing the ball as Bryant subsequently found her open for her second 3-pointer of the night on the right wing. Hallie Oelze then drove down the right side and made both foul shots after drawing contact to cap the run.

Nodaway-Holt used a 3-pointer by Alycia Keith and a drive by Darcy Brown to close to within 49-9 at the half, but then Northeast began stealing the ball away at the start of the second. Emily Bryant opened with a steal and found Hallie Oelze for a layup; Blair Schmitz then got a steal and found Jacqueline Schulte for a layup. Schulte drew a hard foul on the play from Whitney Keith, but she knocked down the ensuing free throw before coming out for the game shortly after. Blair Schmitz then found Emily Bryant open on the right wing to cap the run with Northeast leading 56-9.

Nodaway-Holt managed a pair of frives from Amanda O'Riley and a 3-pointer from Alycia Keith to make it 58-16, but Northeast outworked the Trojans on the offensive glass and got free throws from Jessica Redden, Emily Bryant, and Kenzie Waldeier. Jodi Holmes scored from the right side, but then Kenzie Waldeier converted a 3-point play after getting one of many offensive caroms for Northeast in the period and then Taylor Dougan, normally a gunslinger, found Rachel Runde for her first career 3-pointer, an NBA special from deep in the left wing to make it 67-18.

Hallie Oelze and Runde each added free throws in the fourth quarter during the running clock as the only tense moment was whether Northeast would get everyone in the scoring column. They managed that in the last few minutes as Kenzie Waldeier got a quick outlet to Rachel Runde, who found Kristan Judd all alone for a layup and then Jessica Redden kicked one out to Taylor Dougan to get everyone in the scoring column.

Michelle Schulte Hits 16 in Second to Spark NEN

Northeast Nodaway's girls used a 16-point outburst from Michelle Schulte in the second quarter to put West Nodaway away and win 62-27 last Tuesday. Last year, Northeast beat West Nodaway 65-27 at the Northwest Missouri Tournament, only to have the Rockets rally late and make a game of it in their regular-season encounter later that year. It looked like the game would follow script in the first quarter as West Nodaway managed to hang around Northeast for a while. Northeast was playing solidly on the defensive end but was struggling on the offensive end, missing a ton of shots. Finally, as she has done many times in the past, Michelle Schulte turned the complexion of the game around with her outburst. "She was on fire," said Coach Ryan Davis. "She had a really good practice the day before, knocking down four 3-pointers in a 10-minute scrimmage." She did her usual lights-out job on the press as well, adding eight steals.

Northeast got a couple of quick scores early as Jacqueline Schulte converted a 3rd-chance putback and then found Emily Bryant alone in transition with a baseball pass to make it 4-2. But the Rockets hung around for the rest of the quarter as Northeast got their share of baskets close to the rim, but they did not get any of their outside stuff to fall despite plenty of open looks. For the rest of the quarter, Northeast managed a 3-point play from Jacqueline off a steal; Jessica Redden came off the bench and found Blair Schmitz open inside twice. West Nodaway countered with Kassie Jones, who banked a shot home from the wing right off the bat and then grabbed a carom and put it back in for the quarter. At the start of the second, Northeast was up 11-8 and in need of a spark. But Michelle Schulte had given a premonition of things to come as she took a charge towards the end of the first quarter.

Michelle opened the scoring in the second with a steal at the 7:52 mark. Jones countered with a fast break against Northeast's press, going all the way in from half-court, but then Rachel Runde found Michelle open for a 3-pointer from the right wing as her teammates began to sense that she had the hot hand that night. Schulte then got another steal and then Tessa Lightner picked up her third foul. West Nodaway tried to leave her in, hoping she would spark the team, but the move backfired on them. Runde then found Hallie Oelze alone on the top of the key for a 3-pointer and then Michelle Schulte stole the ensuing inbounds pass, drawing Lightner's fourth foul in the process and sending her to the bench and hitting both free throws.

West Nodaway hit a pair of free throws to stop the run, but then Emily Bryant hit a free throw after a steal and later found Michelle Schulte open for her second triple of the quarter. Jones' driving layup made it 27-14, but Michelle got a steals on consecutive plays. On her second steal she fed Blair Schmitz, who fed a cutting Jacqueline Schulte on the break to make it 31-14. Jacqueline followed with a steal of her own to make it 33-14. West Nodaway got a baseline jumper, but Michelle hit one from the top of the key and then Jacqueline got in on the act at the end. Michelle's pressure forced West Nodaway to throw the ball out of bounds with five seconds left, plenty of time for the Schulte sisters to team up; this time, Michelle found Jacqueline alone for an NBA 3-pointer from the left wing at the buzzer to put Northeast up 38-16 at the half. The long looks and slumped shoulders said it all -- the Rockets were a beaten team at that point.

The entire second half was dominated by Tessa Lightner against the world as West Nodaway quit running their normal half-court sets and Lightner kept trying futilely to take it to the basket, only to be turned away time and time again as she only managed three points in the half. In the meantime, Northeast continued to pull away as Blair Schmitz had a pair of free throws. Jacqueline and Michelle Schulte then each got steals before they were done for the night and the rest of the team continued to outplay West Nodaway. Kenzie Waldeier then found Rachel Runde open on the right baseline and then Blair Schmitz found Hallie Oelze open on the left wing for a 3-pointer to make it 49-18 at the 2:59 mark. Lightner countered with a free throw, but Hallie Oelze threw a long outlet to Rachel Runde, who got behind the defense to make it 51-19. West Nodaway closed out on a 4-0 run, but then Blair Schmitz found Jessica Redden open on the left baseline to make it 53-23 and trigger the running clock for the rest of the game.

As Rachel Runde was playing tight defense on Lightner, denying her repeated attempts to drive to the rim and kill the running clock, everyone got into the scoring column for Northeast. Schmitz found Taylor Dougan open on the left side, Kristan Judd found Jessica Redden open inside, and then Judd found Kenzie Waldeier open on the break for a 3-point play. Finally, Judd got everyone in the scoring charts with 48 seconds to spare as Taylor Dougan kicked the ball out to her on the right wing; Runde had a monster stuff on Lightner in the closing seconds on the other end for the exclamation point.

NEN Boys Must Win Twice vs. Rockets

Northeast Nodaway's boys came roaring right out of the gate against West Nodaway, seeking to put them away early. Then, they went cold against them for the next two quarters and gave away most of their lead. Then, they won it all over again in the fourth quarter, which has usually been their forte this year, putting away the Rockets 64-43 last Tuesday night. They managed the win without leading scorer Tyler Davis (ankle), but managed to pack enough scoring punch to make up for it.

Chad Messner found Bryce Farnan open inside to open the scoring for Northeast as they opened the game with a 13-0 run. James Burns then found Messner open on the right baseline for a 3-pointer and then followed it up with a blocked shot on the other end. Farnan then got a driving layup, Colby Wiederholt added a pair of free throws and a steal, and Bryce Farnan added a drive and floater in the lane to cap the run at the 4:42 mark.

West Nodaway followed their lead from the first meeting between the two teams, trying to create points off of second-chance opportunities. They kept the game around 13 points for the next four minutes while Northeast continued to work the inside with James Burns; Kevin Stoll came off the bench and contributed some scoring punch inside as well. Finally, Stoll hit a pair of free throws and then Burns found Chad Messner open in the corner to push Northeast's lead up to 27-10 after one. Messner then found Bryce Farnan open inside to make it 29-10 at the start of the second.

But then West Nodaway began chipping away, working the inside themselves and getting a putback to cut it to 29-16. Farnan hit a baseline floater and then worked the high post to put Northeast back up 33-16, but then Northeast went cold for the next four minutes, only managing an inside shot from James Burns as West Nodaway continued to chip away on the boards and at the line, coming to within 35-25 at the half.

The Rockets continued to outwork Northeast for much of the third quarter, cutting it to 37-30 at one point before Josh Wideman got a putback for Northeast and James Burns got a steal and fed Chad Messner to make it 41-32 at the 4:22 mark. But West Nodaway continued to chip away, finally getting to within 41-35 at the 3:35 mark and visions of the epic collapse against Trenton were coming to mind.

In what Coach Charley Burch admitted was a desperation move, he benched both his big men and put in a five-guard lineup, including little-used Alec Scroggie, hoping to capitalize against West Nodaway's weaker guards. The move initially didn't work as West Nodaway stayed within 43-37 entering the final minute of the period. But then Northeast scored 6 points in the last 19 seconds to reestablish control. First, Josh Wideman hit Kevin Stoll on the baseline; following a Rocket turnover, Aaron Patton drove down the right baseline for a layup. Then, Wideman stole the ensuing inbounds pass and made a layup at the buzzer to put Northeast back up 49-37 and kill the momentum.

Burch put James Burns back in at the six-minute mark of the fourth and Bryce Farnan came back in shortly afterwards. West Nodaway stayed within 51-41, but then Northeast used a 3-point play to spark a 13-0 run that put the game away. Colby Wiederholt made the front end of a free throw situation and missed the second, but Bryce Farnan was there for the putback. Farnan then cleaned up on an Aaron Patton miss following a Colby Wiederholt steal. James Burns then found Colby Wiederholt alone inside and then Bryce Farnan lobbed a pass to Burns for a layup. Colby Wiederholt followed with a steal and drive and then Kevin Stoll capped the run with an inside shot with 1:10 left to go.