Bobcats get another chance to upend Jackson

Delta lost to Jackson in the first round of the Christmas tournament a year ago, then made it all the way to the consolation championship.

They were 1.8 seconds away from winning that game in regulation, then they lost in overtime.

This year in the seMissourian Christmas Tournament the Bobcats are seeded No. 14 -- again -- and play Jackson in the first round -- again.

Coach Robert Stein welcomes the second chance to make a first-round statement.

"Our goal last year was to play on championship day, and we did," Stein said. "We would really like to duplicate that."

But like last year, Delta is struggling to find its offensive identity early.

"When they stick to the game plan they do OK. It's when they deviate from it that they struggle," Stein said.

Stein points to several games the Bobcats could have won. He saw his team squander a two-point lead in the closing seconds against Woodland in the first game of the season. Delta went on to lose by a point. Stein said his team was flat in its loss to Zalma.

But there is hope. The Bobcats are led by 6-foot-4, 225-pound center Joey Keys with 18 points and about 14 rebounds per game.

Derek Helderman is the team's second-leading scorer with 11 points per game. The junior averages four assists for every three turnovers.

Stein will bring a handful of sophomores up from junior varsity before the tournament begins, and he is confident they will aid the offensive effort immediately.

"Our sophomores can really fill it up. I know they will be impact players," Stein said.

Guard Brent Menz averages 20 points per game with the JV team. Kevin Bartles is a forward who averages about 15 for the JV squad, and guard Cody Crowden scores about 10 per game.

Stein said he isn't worried about the sophomores' inexperience playing in front of what could be thousands of fans in the final round at the Show Me Center.

"That's just part of the fun of the tournament,"he said.

"We're just going to go out there and play the way we play and see what happens. Hopefully, the ball will bounce our way," Stein said.