ND, Sikeston fans scramble for tickets

~ District final was pushed back to Saturday, and tickets will not be available at the gate.

Tickets for the Class 4 District 1 boys basketball championship game between Notre Dame and Sikeston are not easy to obtain for the general public.

Just ask anyone who stood in line Thursday at Sikeston High School waiting for two hours to purchase tickets.

Sikeston and Notre Dame were given 600 tickets apiece to sell, while Perryville High School, the district host school, has 300 tickets to sell.

Sikeston sold out Thursday, while both Notre Dame and Perryville will hold their ticket sales today.

"We gave the [high school] kids and parents of the kids [cheerleaders and players] the first chance at tickets, and then from there we opened it up to the general public, and they went quick," Sikeston athletic director Brent Keefer said. "We opened our doors at 3:30 p.m. for people to start standing in line, and then we didn't go on sale until 5:30 p.m. And it took about 15 to 20 minutes to sell the tickets. They went fast and furious, and I think we just about covered everybody that was there."

Notre Dame plans to put its tickets on sale to students today at 1 p.m. Each student can purchase one ticket. Then at 2:30 p.m., ticket sales will open to the public. Each person can purchase three tickets.

Perryville will start selling to the general public today at 8 a.m.

The price is $4 per seat.

No tickets will be sold at the gate before the game.

Due to the inclement weather, the game was rescheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday at the Perry Park Center. It originally was scheduled for tonight.

Notre Dame athletic director and boys basketball coach Paul Hale said after the tickets for the students and families of the players have been sold, he estimates about 300 will remain for the general public to obtain on a first-come, first-served basis.

Perryville athletic director Jeff Steffens said people interested in buying tickets must go to the main office of the high school to purchase them.

The title game between the two schools is a highly anticipated contest, as Notre Dame and Sikeston are both state ranked. The two squared off in the finals last season, with Notre Dame winning on a buzzer-beating 3-point shot.

The game also features two of the top boys basketball players in Southeast Missouri -- Notre Dame 6-foot-8 center Ryan Willen and Sikeston 6-6 junior Michael Porter.

Willen, who has signed to play basketball at Lafayette College next year, is averaging 23.5 points per game this season, while Porter has combined to score 52 points in two wins against Notre Dame this season.

Willen sat out both losses with a stress fracture in his ankle.

Girls bracket

Class 4 District 1 girls semifinal action also has been rescheduled.

The semifinal game between Notre Dame and Fredericktown, which was supposed to take place Thursday, has been rescheduled for today at 7:30 p.m. at the Perry Park Center. The other semifinal contest between Dexter and Perryville has been moved to 6 p.m. today at the Perry Park Center.

The girls championship game will take place Saturday at 2 p.m.

Class 5 District 1 finals

The Class 5 District 1 boys basketball championship game between No. 1 Jackson and No. 2 Poplar Bluff, originally scheduled for Thursday, has been moved to 6 p.m. today in Jackson. The girls title game between No. 2 Jackson and No. 1 Poplar Bluff will follow the boys game.