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SportsMarch 5, 1997

The Perryville Pirates basketball team has developed a Rodney Dangerfield-type complex. They don't seem to get any respect. Although the Pirates have had a remarkable season, holding the No. 8 ranking in 3A with a 27-2 record, in the four tournaments they've participated in the Pirates have never received the No. 1 seed...

The Perryville Pirates basketball team has developed a Rodney Dangerfield-type complex. They don't seem to get any respect.

Although the Pirates have had a remarkable season, holding the No. 8 ranking in 3A with a 27-2 record, in the four tournaments they've participated in the Pirates have never received the No. 1 seed.

Oddly enough the Pirates have won all four of those tournaments including last Friday's district championship win over top-seeded North County in the District 2 final at Park Hills. Perryville was seeded second.

So for all of the Pirates' accomplishments this season, their next opponent will be the top-ranked 3A team in the state.

The defending 3A state-champion Charleston Blue Jays (25-3) will square off against Perryville tonight in Poplar Bluff at approximately 8:15 p.m. The Blue Jays return four starters from last year's championship team and will likely be looked at as the favorite against Perryville.

Pirates' coach Rick Francis said he respects the tradition and success of the Blue Jays, but doesn't want to sell short the Pirates' chances for victory.

"Charleston has the tradition and experience of being here but I do not consider our team an underdog," Francis said during a telephone interview Tuesday. "I know they're the defending state champs and they have four returning starters. I just feel we have the kids that are capable of playing in big games and playing well."

Although atop the 3A rankings, Blue Jays' coach Bobby Spencer isn't ready to crown his team as a favorite going up against the big and tall bodies of the Pirates.

"No, we don't feel like the favorite because there's 16 teams left and 15 of those are wanting to take over the No. 1 spot," Spencer reasoned.

Perryville opened the season by winning the Woodland Tournament as the second seed. Later in the year, the Pirates, as the ninth-seed, rolled through the 16-team field at the Country Day Holiday Tournament and then in January won the eight-team Chester (Ill.) Invitational as the fifth seed.

Francis said his team's seedings in the latter two tournaments were upsetting to him and his players, but the Pirates turned the bad seeds into "upsetting experiences" for the competition.

"At first the team took (the high seeds) as a slap in the face," Francis said, mentioning the Chester and Country Day tournaments. "But now they have the attitude of `let them seed us wherever they want. It's not going to make a difference because we still have to win all the games anyway.'"

And that's exactly what the Pirates did. In fact, during the tournament at Country Day, the Pirates beat three eventual district champions -- Bishop DuBourg, Jennings and St. Charles -- on the way to the tournament title. Those schools are three of only 16 teams still in the hunt for the 3A title.

The Pirates, who feature 6-foot-11 center Bruce Weinkein (13 ppg) and 6-8 forward Scott Kassel (18 ppg) on the inside and 6-6 Paul Weinkein and 6-4 Matt Meyr on the perimeter, have certainly caught the attention of Spencer.

"They are big and we're going to have to match up with them somehow," Spencer said, noting the tallest player on his roster is 6-3. "We're going to have to play a good ball game in order to beat them and hopefully they'll have a bad one."

Francis said he was most concerned with how physical Charleston can play, noting the play of Rashad Oliver (17 ppg) and Larico Coleman (14 ppg).

"We'll have to contain Oliver on the inside and make sure to find Coleman on the outside and stop their penetration," Francis said. "To me its all boils down to defense and boards, and if it's close, free throws could also be a factor."

If Perryville is looking for respect, a win over the defending state champs and current No. 1 team in 3A should do the trick.

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"They may be ranked No. 1 and we may not have gotten any respect all year, but it hasn't stopped us from winning," said Francis. "I'm looking forward to (tonight). I think we can play with them.

"I think in the past teams have been intimidated by Charleston because of their tradition, but I hope we're not, and I don't think we are. I think (the players) feel like its just another step to get to the Final Four and that's where we're going."

Charleston

vs.

Perryville

Class 3A sectional

(in Poplar Bluff)

Game time: 8:15 p.m.

Coaches: Charleston -- Bobby Spencer

Perryville -- Rick Francis

Record: Charleston -- 25-3

Perryville -- 27-2

State Rankings: Charleston -- No. 1

Perryville-- No. 8

Winning Streak

Charleston -- 12

Perryville -- 5

Top Players: Charleston Rashad Oliver, 6-3 Sr. (17 ppg), Larico Coleman, 5-8 Jr. (14 ppg)

Perryville -- Scott Kassel, 6-8 Sr. (18 ppg), Bruce Weinkein, 6-11 Sr. (13 ppg)

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