Central rolls past Northwest

T.J. Tisdell has gone from seeing limited varsity action to being among the area's leading scorers.

That's how much the Central High School junior has improved since last season.

"He's really come a long way," Central coach Drew Church said.

Tisdell, a 6-foot-5 forward, continued his strong play Tuesday night during Central's 75-42 rout of visiting Northwest-House Springs in the Tigers' home opener.

Tisdell scored 24 points and 6-5 senior forward James Lane led the way with 29 points as the Tigers improved to 8-3.

Tisdell increased his team-high scoring average to 17.5 points per game. Not bad for a guy who spent most of last season playing junior varsity basketball.

"I am surprised," Tisdell said of his stellar start to the season. "But I knew hard work would pay off eventually."

Tisdell said he spent plenty of time on the court over the summer and has received plenty of encouragement and advice from Central's coaches.

Central's T.J. Tisdell drives past Northwest's Caleb Greenwalt during Tuesday's game at Central. Tisdell scored 24 points for the Tigers.

"Thanks to my coaching staff helping me become a better player. They're on me all the time in practice about the little stuff so I can play to the best of my ability," Tisdell said. "I'm being more aggressive toward the basket, trying to score every time I can."

Tisdell has been solid all season but he had a coming-out party of sorts during last week's Southeast Missourian Christmas tournament when he was the event's No. 4 scorer with 85 points to earn all-tournament honors.

"He's been a very good player for us," Church said. "He played some AAU ball in the Springfield area and that helped him get well-rounded. He's not just a post player, he can handle the ball.

"More than anything he's strong. He's matured."

Added Church: "We expected him to help us. I didn't necessarily expect him to do what he's done."

Lane said Tisdell's play has not been a surprise to him.

"I was expecting him to do this good," Lane said. "He's gotten taller, stronger. He worked hard."

Lane, Central's No. 2 scorer with a 15.5 average, and Tisdell make a strong inside combination for the Tigers.

"He's like the second half of me," Lane said with a laugh. "He picks up where I leave off."

Said Church: "James is playing well. They work well together. It's a good combination. They're both tall and athletic."

Central was hardly challenged by the Lions (4-6), who never led and were tied just once at 4-4.

The Tigers scored 11 straight points and rolled from there. It was 43-24 at halftime and 65-35 after three quarters. Church was able to play his reserves most of the final period.

"It was a good game for us. It was a very unselfish effort. We shared the ball," Church said. "They're a district opponent and you always want to do well in those games."

Central returns to action Saturday in its annual Tiger Shootout, an eight-team, four-game competition.

The Tigers play Francis Howell North at 4:30 p.m. in the final contest. Other matchups feature Charleston vs. Berkeley at noon, Notre Dame vs. Parkway South at 1:30 p.m. and Jackson vs. McCluer North at 3 p.m.

"It should be a really good event," Church said.

Central players cheer on teammates from the sideline during the fourth quarter of a game against Northwest on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011, at Cape Central High School. Central won 75-42. (Kristin Eberts)

Northwest 6 18 11 7 -- 42

Central 21 22 22 10 -- 75

NORTHWEST (42) -- Caleb Greenwalt 8, Caleb Day 10, Cody Swift 4, Cody Davis 6, Hayden Koke 4, Zach McKenney 6, Christian Lamborn 2, Andrew Hughes 2. FG 16, FT 4-4, F 17. (3-pointers: Greenwalt 2, Day 2, McKenney 2. Fouled out: none)

CENTRAL (75) -- Ross McClanahan 3, Vance Toole 2, Andrew Williams 9, T.J. Tisdell 24, James Lane 29, Kendal Steele 3, Ramsey Scott 1, Zach Boerboom 4. FG 29, FT 13-20, F 11. (3-pointers: McClanahan 1, Williams 3. Fouled out: none)