Jackson succumbs 60-32 to top-ranked Sikeston

~ The Bulldogs improved to 17-0 with their second win against the Indians

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Jackson took a patient approach to try to slow down Sikeston's juggernaut boys basketball team.

It worked relatively well for a while Tuesday night.

But the Indians ultimately became just another lopsided victim run over by the state's top-ranked Class 4 squad.

The deep, talented and experienced Bulldogs used a dominant third quarter as the springboard to a 60-32 romp.

Sikeston improved to 17-0 with its 44th consecutive home-court victory. Jackson fell to 12-7.

"I thought they played really well," Jackson coach Darrin Scott said. "They're a really good team."

Jackson was routed at Sikeston 70-36 on Dec. 7. Scott thought the Indians' best chance at pulling off an upset this time would be to slow the pace offensively in order to get the best shot possible.

"Our biggest thing, we wanted to spread them out so their quickness wouldn't be as much of a factor and it would allow us to get some angles," Scott said. "I thought in the first quarter we were very patient, looking for the shots we wanted."

The Indians milked the clock during every first-quarter possession. They got some decent looks but went scoreless for the first 7 minutes, 40 seconds.

"We were trying to take our time, see if we could find an opening," Jackson 6-foot-8 junior John Meyer said. "We weren't able to knock down the shots we had."

Sikeston scored the game's first 10 points, but Jackson got two baskets over the final 20 seconds of the opening period and trailed just 10-4.

The Bulldogs were able to speed up the pace a bit in the second quarter, outscoring Jackson 21-12 to lead 31-16 at the break.

"I knew they wanted to try and control the tempo," Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield said. "I thought they did a really good job in the first half."

Senior Brad Clary and Meyer scored in the opening seconds of the third quarter to pull Jackson within 31-20.

Jackson had a chance to cut its deficit to single digits on the next possession but missed a contested layup.

"We came out very aggressive in the third quarter and had our chances," Scott said. "We got some looks. If they could have went, we could have kept it close."

But Sikeston is a team that thrives on big spurts, and the Bulldogs unleashed one on Jackson that turned things into a blowout.

The Indians had only 15 turnovers in the game -- very respectable against Sikeston's constant pressure -- but seven came over the final five minutes of the third quarter.

Throw in the fact that Jackson made just 1 of 7 field goals in the period after starting out 2 of 2, and it became an ugly scene for the Indians.

Sikeston outscored Jackson 23-8 in the quarter, 23-4 after the Indians' early flurry. That made it 54-24 entering the final period.

"They're tough to slow down," Scott said. "They always have one big quarter. All it takes is a two- or three-minute stretch."

Sikeston's biggest lead was 58-26, and a good part of the last quarter was played with a running clock used when one team leads by at least 30 points.

"I thought our kids did a really good job of picking up the tempo and the pace," Holifield said about the third quarter.

Meyer led the Indians with 11 points and seven rebounds.

"I thought it was one of his better games," Scott said.

Senior Zach McDowell added 10 points for the Indians.

Junior Eldridge Gibson paced Sikeston with 14 points. Senior Corey Porter added 10.

"They're tough," Meyer said. "They're always hard to keep up with."

While Jackson shot 40 percent from the field, Sikeston sizzled at 55 percent.

Jackson 4 12 8 8 -- 32

Sikeston 10 21 23 6 -- 60

JACKSON (32) -- Zach McDowell 10, Bobby Clark 6, Caleb Newcomer 3, John Meyer 11, Brad Clary 2. FG 12, FT 6-8, F 12. (3-pointers: McDowell 1, Newcomer 1. Fouled out: none)

SIKESTON (60) -- Eldridge Gibson 14, Janeil Hatchett 7, Darryl Howard 5, Caleb McGee 7, Vashawn Ruffin 8, Terry Jamison 3, Keldon Warfield 6, Corey Porter 10. FG 23, FT 9-14, F 14. (3-pointers: Howard 1, Ruffin 2, Jamison 1, Porter 1. Fouled out: none)

JV -- Sikeston won 56-54