PERRYVILLE BOYS APPROACH LAST HURDLE TO FINAL FOUR

The Perryville boys' basketball team has won all four of the tournaments they've played in this season.

The only tourney remaining is the 3A state tournament, and if the Pirates are going to win it, they'll have to do it like they have in every other tournament -- beating teams seeded or ranked higher.

After knocking off Charleston, the defending state champion and No. 1 team in the state in Wednesday's sectional, the Pirates face the No. 2 ranked Sullivan Eagles in tonight's quarterfinal game at the Civic Center. Sullivan brings a 26-3 record into the 8:15 p.m. contest.

The winner advances to the Hearnes Center in Columbia for the Final Four and will play at 4:45 p.m. Friday against either Jefferson City-Helias (ranked fourth) or Webb City (ranked ninth).

"We're very proud of what we've accomplished, but we have another big step to make before we're where we want to go," said Perryville coach Rick Francis. "We know (at this point in the season) once you make it past one team, there's another tough one waiting for you."

The Pirates, ranked eighth in 3A, can't seem to catch a break when it comes to their schedule. But the rugged competition they've faced this year has hardly slowed them down.

Perryville, at 28-2, has already set school records for most wins in a season and earlier in the year strung together an 18-game winning streak to break another school mark.

Individual records have also fallen for the Pirates. Bruce Weinkein, a 6-11 center on his way to the University of Akron, has earned the single-season shot-blocking and dunk records at Perryville this season. He also averages 13 points and eight rebounds a game.

Scott Kassel, a 6-foot-8 senior enjoying one of the finest individual seasons in Pirate history, smashed the season mark for rebounds with a current total of 304. The old record was 254 set by Jim Taylor in 1968-69.

But Kassel also has his sights set on the single-season scoring mark of 588 points set by Paul Taylor in the 1988-89 season. Kassel, averaging 18.5 points a game, is just 27 points from the record with a total of 561 entering tonight. Kassel's numbers have gotten the attention of recruiters at several junior colleges and also OVC schools Austin Peay and Southeast Missouri State.

"Scott's been solid for us all season; he's so consistent," Francis said. "When he gets his hands on the ball, he's so strong and so tall, in his mind he's going to score.

"He's just a good ol' farm boy that enjoys the game and stays focused on what his job is and what he needs to do."

Although the Pirates will still maintain a height advantage they have used all year with Kassel and Weinkein, along with 6-6 junior Paul Weinkein (7.5 ppg) and 6-4 senior Matt Meyr (11 ppg), Sullivan has a few big bodies of its own with 6-5 seniors Scott Gawer and Doug Cuneio.

Gawer leads the Eagles offensively, averaging nearly 16 points a game. Cuneio adds almost 14 points and leads the team in rebounds with eight per game.

"They look to run when they can and their big kids run the floor hard," Francis said of the Eagles. "That's my main concern. We don't want them to dictate the tempo of the game."

Francis said the Eagle he's most concerned with is senior guard Sean Adams.

"I hear Adams is dangerous in the open court," Francis said. "He has a real good vision of the floor. We're going to have to get back on defense. If we don't, we're going to pay the price."