Cape Central, Jackson boys preparing for thrilling Friday night conference fight

One of the most storied rivalries in all of Southeast Missouri – the ever-back-and-forth battle between Cape Central and Jackson – has produced some incredible tales over the years. One more could be in the cards this weekend.

Friday night’s showdown between the Tigers and Indians at Cape Central has some serious SEMO Conference implications as both clubs enter undefeated in conference play.

Cape Central's Al Young drives past Jackson's Blake Reynolds to shoot for two points in the first quarter Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015 in Jackson.Glenn Landberg

Despite the dominance of New Madrid County Central and Sikeston, both teams still control their own destiny.

Cape Central, now nearing full healthiness after regaining most of its staff over the holidays and coming into the game with a 10-3 record, has made an incredible season already with some towering wins over its rivals in Jackson and Notre Dame.

The Jackson Indians, 10-6 with their biggest win of the season on Jan. 12 against the then-undefeated Ladue Horton Watkins Rams, recently regained Blayne Harris and have maintained a different offense since.

Recently, the two schools’ boys basketball teams haven’t produced the most exciting affairs on the hardwood.

Jackson's Cameron Hester blocks a shot by Cape Central's Chauncey Hughes during a game on February 12, 2018 at Cape Girardeau Central High School.Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian

With the dominance of Cape Central and a seemingly endless pool of talent fostered and led by coach Drew Church, the Tigers have won 17 of the past 18 games against their archrival after snapping a four-game Jackson winning streak in 2015.

While Jackson finally got back in the win column in 2021 with an electric 44-36 victory in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sledding since.

The Indians have lost five straight against the Tigers since, holding an average margin of defeat of 13.4 points.

Despite holding late leads against Cape Central multiple times last season, Jackson’s biggest Achilles’ heel appears to be the Tigers.

Cape Central's Chauncey Hughes drives to the basket during the Tigers' win over the Jackson Indians in the finals of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament at the Show Me Center on December 29, 2018.Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian

With a chance to win the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament three weeks ago, the Tigers throttled the Indians 75-48 to claim their second consecutive championship in a rematch of the 2022 title game.

Cape Central coach Drew Church talks to his team on the bench during the Tigers' 75-48 win over Jackson in the 2023 Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament championship on December 30, 2023 at the Show Me Center.Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

One has the right to believe Friday night’s title between Cape Central and Jackson could be an instant classic on the heels of Jackson’s big upset victory over Ladue a week ago.

But with the Herculean scoring talent of the Tigers, it’ll undoubtedly take a concerted effort to keep the Indians within reaching distance of grabbing their first road dub against Cape Central since February 2014.

Jackson's Clayton Ernst puts up a contested shot against Cape Central's Cameron Williams in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament semifinals on December 29, 2021 at the Show Me Center.Aaron Palmer ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian