Jackson's big challenge- chasing third straight title

Winning three straight championships has only been done four times in the 60 years of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament.

Charleston, this year's top seed, won four titles from 1982 to 1985 and three from 1991 to 1993. Oran (1964 to 1966) and now defunct Morehouse (1952 to 1954) are the other two teams to do it.

Jackson, the No. 2 seed, will try to become the fourth school to join the club this week.

The Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament will begin 9 a.m. Monday with Charleston facing No. 16 Oak Ridge at the Show Me Center.

The finals are set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

Jackson coach Darrin Scott said while the team's main goals revolve around winning in the playoffs, bringing home another Christmas Tournament title would be a great accomplishment.

"Our biggest goal is still to be playing our best basketball at the end of the year, but having won two in a row, it's some added incentive to compete," he said.

Jackson is 9-1 heading in its second season under Scott, with the Indians' lone loss coming to Doniphan in the championship game of the Farmington Tournament. Last year at this time, Jackson was unbeaten and the top seed en route to a 22-4 season that ended with a loss to eventual Class 5 state champion Poplar Bluff. The Indians' accomplishments last season put a target on the team's back.

"I think we've kind of underestimated that," Scott said. "When we played Doniphan, [we underestimated] how big a win for them that was when they beat us."

The Indians had not won the tournament since 1988 before knocking off rival Central in the 2003 tournament. The Indians have been in the finals four of the past five years.

Scott said he looks forward to his team playing in front of large crowds of the Show Me Center and the pressure that accompanies the tournament.

"You can get a feel for how your team will handle those situations," Scott said. "A close game in the Christmas Tournament is worth five close games in the regular season."

His team won a close game in the championship last year, beating Kelly in overtime.

The field included three teams -- Notre Dame, Charleston and Bell City -- that reached the final fours of their state tournaments.

Bell City, the No. 3 seed this year, didn't crack the top six in the Christmas Tournament last year before finishing fourth in Class 1 state tournament.

The Cubs are trying to become one of the rare small-school winners. Advance was the last small school to claim the tournament title, winning in 2000. The Cubs (6-1) have a win over Class 5 Vianney among their six wins to this point.

"If we get the opportunity we'd love to get to represent the small schools," said Bell City first-year coach Brian Brandtner. "We think we can compete with anybody."

Will Bogan, a 6-foot-10 junior, has helped key Bell City's early success. The Cubs were already talented without Bogan with four starters returning from last year's team.

"We're definitely not one dimensional," Brandtner said. "We won the Oran Tournament against a good Twin Rivers team pretty much without Will. We're definitely not a one-man team, but he makes the other guys a lot better. He gets the other guys shots, good looks. Will's a great passer."

Central (5-3) rounds out the top four seeds and is coming into the tournament having won five of its last six games. The Tigers have lost to rival Jackson each of the past two years at the Christmas Tournament.

"We like the tournament atmosphere," Central coach Derek McCord said. "To get into the playoffs, you have to do well in the tournament atmosphere. The Christmas Tournament is probably as close as you can get to duplicating a district tournament, or sectional atmosphere."

The Tigers are a young team, with several sophomores playing key roles. Junior forward Darnell Wilks (6-8) and senior forward David Deisher (6-4) are the leading scorers.

Central opened up with a 1-2 start at the Farmington Tournament with losses to Doniphan and Cardinal Ritter, but bounced back with a third-place finish at the Mobil On the Run Classic.

"We're a work in progress with all our youth as far as handling the ball," McCord said. "These guys each of them are stepping up at different times."

Among the more intriguing early matchups include a possible Central-Notre Dame meeting in Tuesday's quarterfinal round. Notre Dame (7-1), the fifth seed, recently sufferde its first loss, at home against Sikeston.

Also, the semifinals could bring a matchup of 6-11 senior Aaron Redecker of Jackson and Bogan.

"When is the last time the tournament had two guys over 6-foot-8?" Scott asked. "That would be a pretty nice matchup if both teams can advance."

Charleston, which owns the most Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament titles (15), will try to claim its first title since 2002. The Bluejays lost in the quarterfinal round last year, and have not made it to the finals the last two years. Charleston has only been in the finals twice since 1999.