No stopping Sikeston as Bulldogs feast on Blue Jays

SIKESTON — Another box was checked and another hurdle was cleared as Sikeston dismantled Charleston 89-43 at the Field House on Friday, Jan. 5.

The Bulldogs (12-0) victory ends a four-game drought against the Blue Jays (8-6), lifting a weight from the shoulders of both players and fans.

“We did a lot of good things,” said Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield. “We shared the basketball and applied tough pressure. Our guys were working hard to force turnovers and get easy points. It’s such a big rivalry and getting the win means a lot to everyone. We always try to take it day-to-day and game-by-game, and today was no different, but rivalry games are always fun, especially when you play well.”

Sikeston's Kobe Thomas (5) shoots during an 89-43 win at the Field House on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

Three rapid strikes - a DeShaun Henderson 3-pointer, an Owen Willis inside score and a Ko’Terrion Owen drive — powered the Blue Jays to a 7-0 advantage early in the contest.

However, Sikeston's experienced squad remained composed and answered with some highlight reel plays, including a steal and dunk by Dontrez Williams, to even the score 9-9 with 4:51 left in the opening quarter.

The Bulldogs gained their first lead of the game, 13-11, with less than three minutes remaining after Williams connected with J’Kwon Applewhite on an outlet pass for a fastbreak bucket.

Sikeston's Chris Artis (2) passes during an 89-43 win at the Field House on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

Charleston narrowed the lead to 18-17 when Owens scored the opening basket of the second quarter but Sikeston responded with the next 16 points of the game to balloon the lead to 34-17.

“Our pressure picked up and we started creating some points off turnovers,” Holifield said.

The Bulldogs’ defensive pressure remained suffocating in the second quarter, converting more turnovers into easy scores in transition and extending the lead to 50-24 at halftime.

Sikeston's Lekereon McCray (23) defends Charleston's Ko'Terrion Owens (45) during the Bulldog's 89-43 win at the Field House on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

The halftime break barely cooled Sikeston's fire. Williams erupted from the locker room, powering in back-to-back layups that increased the lead to 30 points and sent a thunderous message – the Bulldogs weren't letting up.

Not done yet, Williams electrified the crowd with a 360 slam, raising the score to 68-31 with 2:24 left in the third quarter.

Williams poured in a game-high 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Sikeston's Isaiah Jimmerson-Patterson (33) defends Charleston's Shilyn Henderson (24) during the Bulldogs' 89-43 win at the Field House on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

“He is such a talented player and capable of doing a lot of great things,” Holifield said. “He didn’t force anything and really played well. He let the game come to him and attacked the glass hard. We all know good things are going to happen when he plays like he did tonight.”

In the fourth quarter, Malachi Davis grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back to give the Bulldogs their biggest lead, 86-39.

Sikeston had another impressive game from outside, making 10 3-pointers. It was the fourth time this season the Bulldogs have made 10 or more shots from beyond the arc in a game (an average of 6.9 made 3-pointers per game).

Sikeston's PJ Farmer (24) drives during an 89-43 win at the Field House on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

“All of these guys work hard at it,” Holifield said. “Coach [Will Holifield] does a great job with drills and having these guys get a ton of shots up. It carries over into the games.”

PJ Farmer flirted with another triple-double, racking up 10 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Sikeston’s other top performers were Kobe Thomas with 12 points; Tristan Wiggins with 10 points; Chris Artis and Lekereon McCray with six points each; Isaiah Jimmerson-Patterson with five points, Davis and Applewhite with four points; and Trace Sadler with four points and four blocks.

Sikeston, ranked No. 1 in Class 5, will host Farmington (9-3) on Tuesday, Jan. 9.

“They have a good team,” Holifield said. “It boils down to being able to guard, pressure the ball, create points off of turnovers and rebound. If we do those things the offense will come and good things will happen.”

Owens finished as the Blue Jays’ top performer with 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

“[Sikeston] is a great team,” said Jamarcus Williams. “We knew for us to have a chance we would have to play a fantastic and phenomenal game on all cylinders and they had to play subpar. Things started getting away from us when they got hot from the perimeter and we went cold.”

The Blue Jays had a quick turnaround and fell 83-62 at McCracken County (Kentucky) on Saturday, Jan. 6.

Against the Mustangs (10-3), Owens led the team with 31 points, on 11-of-15 shots. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and three steals.

Charleston, Class 3 No. 8, will host the Class 3, No. 1 New Madrid County Central on Tuesday, Jan. 9.

__SIKESTON 89, CHARLESTON 43__

Charleston 15 9 13 6 — 43

Sikeston 18 32 27 22 — 89

Charleston (43) — Ko’Terrion Owens 11, Zachyran Thomas 8, Tayshon Clark 7, Owen Willis 6, Deshaun Henderson 5, Gavarian Johnson 5, Treshaun Schandon 1. FG: 14. FT: 13-26. F: 15. (3-pointers: Johnson 1, Henderson 1. Fouled out: Clark, Henderson).

Sikeston (89) — Dontrez Williams 29, Kobe Thomas 12, PJ Farmer 10, Tristan Wiggins 9, Chris Artis 6, Lekereon McCray 6, Isaiah Jimmerson-Patterson 5, Malachi Davis 4, J’Kwon Applewhite 4, Trace Sadler 4. FG: 37. FT: 5-16. F: 23. (3-pointers: Williams 3, Thomas 3, Wiggins 2, McCray 1, Jimmerson-Patterson 1. Fouled out: None).