Hatchett relishes chance to savor win

Bobby Hatchett couldn't seem to wrap his mind around the concept.

Asked if he was surprised at his Scott County Central Braves' margin of victory over the Sikeston Bulldogs, Hatchett had a simple answer.

"Am I surprised?" he asked not long after his team's 70-51 victory Wednesday at the Show Me Center. "I wasn't surprised."

It was just a day short of a year since Sikeston handed Scott County a heartbreaking 86-85 loss at the Show Me Center in the first meeting between the schools on the basketball floor in decades. And Hatchett had heard about it ever since.

"All them are like my folks, so we're talking back," Hatchett, said referring to his friendships with his opponents. "Me and [Sikeston guard Janeil] Hatchett we just got haircuts last night. We were battling over the game, so we were all amped up. We was just ready."

Sikeston's Darryl Howard loses control of the ball as Scott County Central's Bobby Hatchett attempts a steal during Wednesday's game at the Show Me Center. (Fred Lynch)

Scott County grabbed a 22-19 lead to close a back-and-forth first quarter and never trailed again.

Hatchett, a senior, finished with 14 points but he got plenty of help from his teammates on the perimeter.

"I'm the type of person I'm not going to rush nothing," Hatchett said. "I'm not going to try to do too much. I let my game come, and tonight I didn't have to have 20 points, so they helped me out and that's how we got the 'W.'"

Dominique Porter, who was just a freshman JV player in the stands during last year's classic, provided much of the assistance. He scored 17 points.

"It was an experience for me because it was like my first time," Porter said. "It's my first time on varsity, so it was a new experience for me."

Scott County Central's Bobby Hatchett soars for a layup during the third quarter.

Porter said he was happy when he learned last month that the Braves would be playing Sikeston this season. He wasn't so much looking to avenge a loss from last season that he didn't take part in as he was looking to make up for a loss from earlier this season.

"We was ready because we just got done losing to Notre Dame," Porter said, "So we were pumped up to play them."

Scott County coach Kenyon Wright agreed that the Jan. 26 loss stuck with his players.

"I'm sure in the back of their minds they're thinking that," Wright said. "We played Notre Dame and Charleston and New Madrid. We're playing the teams that can play basketball and get after it and that's what I like about it. The kids get out and do it. Hopefully they can keep it going and hopefully they can keep doing it."

In all, Scott County Central got 31 points from sources other than stars Hatchett and Otto Porter, something it hasn't been able to do regularly this season.

"They're starting to listen and figure it out," Wright said when asked about the performance of the rest of his roster.

"Well I say that," he said with hesitation. "No I didn't say that. Scratch that out. I didn't say that. I've been trying to tell them to step up and do it. Hopefully they do it. I don't know, but we're going to find out if they keep doing it or not. Hopefully they keep doing it.

"Where's some wood?" he joked. "I've got to knock on it."

Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield noticed the contributions.

"They had a total team effort," he said. "Coach had them well prepared."

On Wednesday, the Braves just played better than the Bulldogs.

"I thought our kids' effort was good, but tonight Scott Central played great," Holifield said. "There were some things we need to do better, but you just can't take away from what they did."

Hatchett, who like Wright, said he hoped Sikeston had success in the postseason.

"One of us have to win," Hatchett said. "That's it. We not too much better than them."

Of course, that's easier to say now that Hatchett can look forward to conversations with his friendly counterparts.

"I've got to go back down there and see them," he said. "I can talk stuff now."