Magic runs out for Sikeston, falls to Cardinal Ritter in Class 5 quarterfinal

HILLSBORO, Mo. – The Sikeston Bulldogs were hoping for one more magical night.

After Monday’s upset victory over the No. 1 state-ranked Cape Central Tigers that can only be described as miraculous, the Bulldogs attempted to catch lightning in a bottle one more time against No. 2 ranked Cardinal Ritter.

However, the magic ran out on the Bulldogs on Friday night at Jefferson College as Cardinal Ritter withstood a second-half rally by Sikeston and pulled away in the fourth quarter to win 62-45.

The Lions advance to the Class 5 semifinals against Pembroke Hill in Springfield.

Sikeston’s season ends at 22-8.

“I’m really proud of our players’ effort,” Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield said. “We had such a huge game Monday night. Our kids did all they could to respond and prepare for Cardinal Ritter. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out for us.”

Cardinal Ritter (26-4), a long-time dominant program in Missouri with nine state championship banners hanging in its gym, hurt the Bulldogs with offensive rebounding and an aggressive defense that took away the 3-point line.

Sikeston, normally a solid 3-point shooting team, only hit 4 of 19 (21 percent) from beyond the arc, although several of those came late during desperation.

“I thought they were as good as any defensive team we’ve seen this season. They had great length and they did a really good job of helping,” Holifield said.

When Sikeston did find room to penetrate the paint, the Bulldogs had trouble finishing against the Lions’ superior height inside.

“We were using our spread, back-cut offense and we were putting ourselves in position to score and we missed a lot of shots inside -- shots we normally make,” Holifield said. “You have to give them credit. They were causing issues around the rim.”

Sikeston found themselves down by 16 in the third quarter, the same deficit that they faced on Monday against Cape Central before rallying back.

The Bulldogs put together a run in the third quarter once again, starting with a 3-pointer by Creighton Sarakas and a conventional 3-point play by Tristan Wiggins to trim the lead to 41-31 with four minutes left in the third.

Wiggins then hit two more free throws, followed by a basket by the Lions’ 6-foot-5 junior Nashwan Davis to keep the lead at 10.

Wiggins then hit a 3-pointer followed by a drive to the basket by freshman Kobe Thomas to cut the lead to 43-38 with 40 seconds left in the third quarter and bringing the loudest roars of the night from the huge contingent of Bulldog fans in attendance.

Thomas’ basket completed a 13-2 run by the Bulldogs.

“We were pressing and trapping and our guys were doing a great job,” Holifield said. “We were right there. Credit to our guys for not quitting and fighting back.”

The Lions quieted the Sikeston crowd with a bank shot in the paint by DeMontrel Jones to extend the lead to 45-38 just before the buzzer.

The shot seemed to energize the Lions in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs hung around through the early part of the quarter with a basket by Wiggins and a pair of free throws by Dontrez Williams, keeping the score at 49-42.

The Lions then scored five straight points including a dunk plus the foul by Davis, but he drew a technical foul for taunting.

Sikeston did not capitalize on the technical free throws or the ensuing possession.

Sikeston’s final basket of the game came from a deep 3-pointer by Sarakas to cut the lead to 54-45 with 4:25 left in the game.

The Bulldogs wouldn’t score again as Cardinal Ritter finished the game on an 8-0 run.

“It’s just one of those things, give them credit, they are a great defensive team,” Holifield said. “We missed some shots that we normally make, but they were a big reason for that.”

Sikeston started the game well, taking the first lead of the game on a drive to the basket by sophomore Lekereon McCray and then also leading at 4-2 on an offensive putback by Wiggins.

Cardinal Ritter took control from there and never relinquished the lead as they held a 16-15 advantage after one quarter of play.

The Lions started the second quarter on a 14-2 run to open up a 30-17 lead before Williams stopped the run momentarily with a steal and slam dunk with 1:40 left in the half, but Cardinal Ritter’s James Porter tacked on a basket just before the half to lead 32-19.

Sikeston was led by Wiggins with 16 points, scoring 12 of those in the third quarter during the Bulldogs’ big run. He also had six rebounds.

Williams attracted much of the Lions’ defensive attention and finished with a season-low nine points, five rebounds, and three blocked shots.

Thomas chipped in with eight points off the bench.

Sikeston did force the Lions into 15 turnovers while committing just 13 turnovers themselves against their relentless pressure, but it was Cardinal Ritter’s work on the offensive glass and the Bulldogs’ poor shooting that proved to be too much to overcome.

The Bulldogs shot just 16 of 46 (35 percent) from the field and grabbed just 19 rebounds in the game.

“They really hurt us on the boards,” Holifield said. “I think it was a big part of the game. We just didn’t rebound as well as we should’ve.”

Cardinal Ritter, winners of 24 of its last 25 games, was led by Davis’ 16 points.

The Bulldogs’ point of emphasis heading into the game was to contain the Lions’ top two guards Derrick Rivers and Clayton Jackson-Hudson, who average close to 30 points per game between them. Rivers scored 27 points in the Lions’ district championship game.

Sikeston’s defense achieved its goal, holding Rivers to 10 and Hudson-Jackson to four points.

“We worked really hard all week on coming up with a plan to contain those two, who are both outstanding players,” Holifield said. “We actually did some great things defensively, especially in containing both of those players. But when you do that, sometimes you can get hurt in other areas.”

This Sikeston team will be noted for its youth as Holifield started four underclassmen for most of the season, including three sophomores and also utilizing the freshman Thomas -- at a mere 14-years-old -- who garnered significant playing time.

Next year, Holifield is also hoping to receive help from members of a junior varsity team that finished undefeated at 16-0 this season.

“It’s unbelievable what our young guys did – we played a lot of sophomores and freshmen and if they continue to work and improve we have a really bright future,” Holifield said. “I’m just so proud of all of our players this season. We had some great victories. We won a tournament, a district tournament and we won 22 games. I couldn’t be more proud of our players and our team.”

Holifield finished the game by putting his seniors on the floor for one final time with 1:30 left in the game.

Seniors Sarakas, Harrison Arndt, Morgan McCauley and Quemariae Gray all took the floor to an appreciative ovation from the Bulldog fans.

“Our seniors are great guys and I really enjoy being around them,” Holifield said. “They did a great job of contributing to our team this season. I’m going to miss them and their leadership and I know they will go on to do great things with their lives.”

__CARDINAL RITTER 62, SIKESTON 45__

Cardinal Ritter 16 16 13 17 -- 62

Sikeston 15 4 19 7 -- 45

CARDINAL RITTER (62) – Nashwan Davis 16, Ryan Atkins 11, Derrick Rivers 10, Mekhi Barringer 7, James Porter 6, DeMontrel Jones 4, Clayton Jackson-Hudson 4, Quenton Parker 2, Oscar Patterson 2. FG 28, FT 3-7, F 13. (3-pointers: Rivers 2, Barringer 1. Fouled out: Davis).

SIKESTON (45) – Tristan Wiggins 16, Dontrez Williams 9, Kobe Thomas 8, Creighton Sarakas 6, Lekereon McCray 4, Chris Artis 2. FG 16, FT 9-13, F 12. (3-pointers: Sarakas 2, Wiggins 1, Williams 1. Fouled out: none).