Foul trouble hurts Central boys basketball team in loss to Sikeston

Heading into Friday night, the race for the top seed in Class 4 District 1 appeared to be wide open among three teams: Central, Notre Dame and Sikeston.

The picture has cleared up somewhat following Sikeston's 67-52 SEMO Conference win at Central, marking the first time the Bulldogs have beaten the Tigers on their home floor since 2008.

The Bulldogs (17-3, 5-2 SEMO Conference) needed a big second half to break a tie game to pull away from the Tigers (10-10, 2-3 SEMO).

"I thought we really played well in the second half," Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield said. "We sustained and did some good things. I thought our defense really improved in the second half and I thought we did a good job on the boards. I thought it was a total team effort. It's a difficult place to play. They're a very talented team and we know how hard they are to beat. It's great to go up there and get a win."

With the score tied 32-32 at halftime, Sikeston turned up the intensity level on defense in the second half, and on offense began taking the ball right at the teeth of the Tigers' defense.

Central head coach Drew Church gives instructions from the bench in the second half of the Tigers' 67-52 loss to the Sikeston Bulldogs Friday, Feb. 14, at Central High School in Cape Girardeau. (Adam Vogler)

The strategy worked as the Bulldogs began racking up foul trouble on Central's standout big men, 6-foot-7 senior Jamal Cox and 6-6 junior Andre Statam.

"It's one of the most physical games I've seen," Central coach Drew Church said. "We got in a lot of foul trouble. We had four guys with four fouls. We had to play a lot of the third quarter with two freshmen in and their inexperience kind of showed. They were able to get some points off turnovers."

With the Tigers trailing 41-38, Cox picked up his fourth foul with 3 minutes, 35 seconds left in the third quarter to send him to the bench. It resulted in a 9-2 run by the Bulldogs to close out the period to lead 50-40.

Cox returned in the fourth quarter and scored on consecutive baskets to trim the Bulldog lead to 50-44, but that was as close as the Tigers would get.

Sikeston all-state senior J.T. Jones hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key on the following possession. Central got no closer than seven the rest of the way.

With the Tigers fouling on purpose in the final two minutes, the Bulldogs did not close out the game well from the charity stripe, only going 6 of 11 in the fourth quarter, but it proved to be more than enough for the win. The final margin marked Sikeston's biggest lead of the night.

"Either we need to get more aggressive and get more fouls or we need to play a different way," Church said. "They shot 36 free throws and we shot 10. That's a huge margin, and that's the difference in the game. Either we weren't aggressive enough or they really know how to play well and not use their hands."

The Tigers did not help themselves on offense. Central turned the ball over 21 times against Sikeston's pressure defense and misfired on all nine of its 3-point attempts.

Sikeston only had nine turnovers and drained eight 3-pointers.

"They're a great team," Church said about the Bulldogs. "They played well. They play hard. Their press will get you going. They try to make you play fast, and we kind of bit into that a little bit."

The entire first half was tight.

Sikeston led 5-0 to start the game only to see the Tigers respond with six straight points. There were five lead changes and two ties in the first quarter alone, but the Tigers took a 17-15 lead on an offensive putback by Statam to end the period.

The second quarter was similar with six ties and five lead changes, but a pattern was developing as the Tigers routinely sent the Bulldogs to the line on shooting fouls. Sikeston had 13 free throw attempts in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs' Zach Harrison hit a 3-pointer from the right corner to give Sikeston a 32-29 lead, but Cox tied the game on a conventional 3-point play with one second remaining in the half.

"They hurt us early in the game. We didn't do a good job of getting back and we had some foul difficulties," Holifield said.

With Jones in foul trouble for most of the first half, Sikeston was carried in the first half by sophomore guard Dominique Dyes, who scored 15 of his team-high 17 points before halftime.

Jones, who was held scoreless in the first half, scored 14 points in the second half to go with his eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.

Front-court mate Reese Porter added 12 points with six rebounds and three steals.

Harrison tallied 10 points to also reach double figures.

Sikeston's bench outscored the Tigers' 24-2.

"They have a complete team," Church said. "They have three or four guys that can shoot the ball. The Porter kid and Jones inside complement each other well inside."

Sikeston controlled the boards against the bigger Tigers team, outrebounding them 31-25.

Mikey Jones led Central with 18 points. Cox finished with 16 points while Statam added nine.

The Tigers' inability to make perimeter shots allowed the Bulldogs to double-down on Cox and Statam in the paint.

"You've got guys that are collapsing like that," Church said. "We've got to be able to be strong and either make a quick move or find somebody cutting to the basket or kick it outside. I hope that we get the chance to see them again sometime."

Sikeston improved to 5-1 against district opponents, owing its only loss to Notre Dame early in the season, which it avenged a week later.

Central is 2-2 against district opponents.

Sikeston 15 17 18 17 -- 67

Central 17 15 8 12 -- 52

SIKESTON (67) -- Dominique Dyes 17, J.T. Jones 14, Reese Porter 12, Zach Harrison 10, Chris Scott 7, Jairius Ray 4, Marqese Parks 3. FG 11, FT 21-36, F 15. (3-pointers: Dyes 3, Harrison 2, Scott 1, Parks 1, Jones 1. Fouled out: none)

CENTRAL (52) -- Mikey Jones 18, Jamal Cox 16, Andre Statam 9, Al Young 5, Jalen Reddin 2, Tay Nunley-Bell 2. FG 23, FT 6-9, F 24. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none)