Cape Central boys basketball team dumps Charleston for second consecutive win over regional power

~ The Tigers won 61-53 to end the top-ranked Bluejays' winning streak at 21 games

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Just call the Central Tigers the late-season giant killers of Southeast Missouri.

The Tigers took down their second basketball heavyweight in four days when they stunned host Charleston 61-53 in front of a packed house Tuesday night.

"It was crazy," Central senior forward T.J. Tisdell said. "I've never beat either one of those teams."

Tisdell also was referring to Sikeston, the defending Class 4 state champion that lost to Central on Friday night.

Central´s T.J. Tisdell protects the ball from a pair of Charleston defenders during Tuesday’s game in Charleston, Mo. (Sikeston Standard Democrat)

Charleston entered Tuesday's matchup ranked No. 1 in Class 3 after reaching the state's final four a year ago.

The Bluejays had their 21-game winning streak snapped and fell to 22-2.

"Not many people believed in us," Central senior guard Vance Toole said. "Inside that locker room, we knew we could do it.

"I'm proud of everybody. It feels good to beat a great team like this. I think they'll have a good chance to win state in their class."

Central (18-6) also handed Charleston its first SEMO Conference loss of the season. Both teams are 5-1 in league play.

The Tigers can clinch at least a share of the conference title by winning their regular-season finale at Dexter on Friday night. Charleston finishes at Poplar Bluff.

"That would be great," Toole said. "I don't know the last time Central won the conference."

The Tigers already had lost twice to Charleston this season, but both were competitive affairs.

Games don't get much more competitive than what took place Tuesday on Charleston's senior night.

The Bluejays led most of the first half but never by more than eight points. Central cut the deficit to 26-25 at halftime to set up a thrilling final two quarters.

The lead changed hands nine times over the first five-plus minutes of the second half when Toole hit a shot that put the Central ahead for good.

It was a 3-pointer that banked in to give the Tigers a 37-35 lead with about 2 minutes, 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

"I'm not going to comment on whether I meant to bank it," said a smiling Toole.

Toole followed with another basket, and fellow senior guard Ross McClanahan's bucket with 57 seconds left in the period capped a 7-0 run that put Central up 41-35.

Central led 43-37 after three quarters.

Sophomore forward Jamal Cox scored inside early in the quarter to give Central its biggest lead to that point at 47-40.

Charleston, with its home crowd in a frenzy, cut the deficit to 52-50 on senior guard Aaron Cassell's basket with just more than two minutes to play.

The Bluejays had a chance to either tie or go ahead after a Central turnover, but they failed to convert.

"We had our chances," Charleston coach Danny Farmer said.

Tisdell, who is having an all-state caliber season, scored on a strong move inside to put the Tigers up 54-50 at the 1:21 mark.

After a Charleston miss, Central junior guard Garan Evans made both ends of a one-and-one for a 56-50 lead with 1:07 left.

The Bluejays committed turnovers on their next two possessions. Toole hit four straight free throws in one-and-one situations to make it 60-50 and seal the victory.

"It's something we work on a lot in practice," Toole said about foul shots. "It's nice to be able to hit them when it counts."

The 6-foot-6 Tisdell led all scorers with 18 points, while the 6-5 Cox followed with 16. The taller Tigers dominated play inside.

"Our guards gave us the ball where we were comfortable," Tisdell said. "I'm proud of all my guys. We stepped up."

Toole scored all 13 of his points in the second half, including eight during the third quarter when Central grabbed the lead for good.

"It was a great atmosphere," Toole said. "The crowd was one of the loudest I've been in."

Central shot 55.6 percent from the field (25 of 45), thanks in large part to the inside play of Tisdell and Cox, who has come on strong during the last few weeks.

"Jamal is like a sponge. He's got a great future ahead of him," Central coach Drew Church said. "I couldn't be more proud of our kids. They battled.

"This is a tough place to play against a great team. We had a toughness to us I really liked. Our kids never stopped believing."

Senior guard Jamaul Gray led the Bluejays with 16 points.

All-state senior guard Greg Tucker scored just nine points on 4-of-15 shooting, although the Bluejays shot a solid 47.8 percent (22 of 46).

Tucker, who injured his thigh several weeks ago, recently reinjured it and Farmer didn't even know if his top player would take the court Tuesday.

"He was on crutches Sunday. We didn't even know if he would play, but we don't want to make excuses," Farmer said. "Cape's a much improved team. It was a thriller."

Central 8 17 18 18 -- 61

Charleston 14 12 11 16 -- 53

CENTRAL (61) -- Ross McClanahan 4, Vance Toole 13, Tim Booker 4, Garan Evans 6, T.J. Tisdell 18, Jamal Cox 16. FG 25, FT 9-14, F 8. (3-pointers: Toole 2. Fouled out: none)

CHARLESTON (53) -- Aaron Cassell 7, Ryan Parham 11, Michael Hull 5, Greg Tucker 9, Jamaul Gray 16, Krushon Scott 5. FG 22, FT 3-8, F 16. (3-pointers: Cassell 1, Parham 1, Hull 1, Tucker 2, Gray 1. Fouled out: none)

JV -- Charleston won 64-44.