Porter delivers in game filled with stars

Rematch? Can we do it again?

The first meeting between Scott County Central and Sikeston since 1971 lived up to the billing.

These are the top two teams in Southeast Missouri, and they played like it Wednesday night before 7,121 people packed into the Show Me Center.

"This was an enjoyable game," Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield said. "I turned to my assistant coach with 20 seconds to go and I said, 'Win or lose, this is a heck of a game.' It just came down to the last shot, and I'm sure the fans got their money's worth tonight."

They seemed to enjoy everything from Neal Boyd's national anthem to the starting lineups to Blake DeWitt's recognition at halftime to the fantastic finish.

Braves center Otto Porter scores Wednesday night.

The Bulldogs held on for an 86-85 victory with a defensive stand on Scott County Central's last possession that will have fans debating for another 38 years. Braves junior guard Bobby Hatchett ended up with the ball on the left side of the lane and was not able to get off a clean shot against the Bulldogs defense from Niquavious Dixon and Juqualin Wiggins.

"Bobby got fouled, there wasn't no doubt," Scott County Central coach Ronnie Cookson said. "They just weren't going to blow the whistle with 1 second on the clock. He got fouled."

Great games can have those controversies, especially when it surrounds a great finish.

As far as high school games go, this was a pretty good one, played at a rapid-fire pace with big shots and outstanding performances.

Top of the list is Sikeston's Michael Porter, who led all scorers with 33 points, scoring 24 in the second half. He scored the last nine points for Sikeston in the final 2 minutes, 18 seconds, scoring the game-winner with 18 seconds to play after fighting for a rebound on the ground under the basket from his cousin, Otto Porter, and throwing in a reverse layin.

"All I could think about is ... I just wanted to win," Michael said. "That's all, I just wanted to win."

"That's Michael Porter," Holifield said. "He's just a winner. That's what he is more than anything else -- a winner. He's been a great player for us and just what a wonderful person, too."

He was joined by four teammates in double figures, as Sikeston held its own against Scott County Central's pressure. The Bulldogs even tossed in seven 3-pointers.

The Bulldogs went nearly basket-for-basket with Scott County before the Braves went on a 9-4 run to close the half with a 44-38 lead -- a total that fell just two points shy of the total in Saxony Lutheran's 45-39 win against Oran that preceded the marquee game.

Scott County Central sophomore Otto Porter was the star of the first half with 20 of his 22 points and seven of his team-high 10 rebounds.

The pace got even faster in the third quarter, when Sikeston surged ahead and ended up scoring 31 points, but still trailed by three points.

Scott County, getting just 12 points from scoring leader Drew Thomas, had others pick up the slack, notably Randy Timmons with 16 and two 3-pointers.

And when Chris Blissett tossed in a 3-pointer with less than 3 minutes to play, Scott County Central had an 83-77 lead and seemed headed for its 18th win in 19 games.

"How many players did they have step up and make big shot after big shot?" Holifield said. "I know they're upset, but what a great team they have."

The Braves have not had many weaknesses exposed this season. They held their own on the boards, but at times Sikeston pushed them around. They made just 9 of 17 free throws, while often-challenged Sikeston was 5 of 7 on just six Scott County Central fouls.

And the Braves were held to three points in that final 2:18 stretch when Porter scored nine points. They missed two shots in the final 1:52 while being outscored 6-0.

The Braves, who routinely run most of their competition out of the gym by the fourth quarter, had a third loss in two seasons when they struggled in crunch time. One of those was the semifinal game in last year's Class 1 state tournament, a heartbreaking 70-68 loss to eventual champion Jefferson.

Wednesday night was a practice game in comparison, a chance to prepare for the state tournament showdowns ahead.

"Like I told the kids, the state tournament is what's important," Cookson said. "It's the big thing. We've got to prepare ourselves for the state tournament. This will help us."

Holifield believes the Braves are ready.

"My gosh, they're as good as any team in the state of Missouri," Holifield said. "They have so many weapons. Let me tell you something, if there's a team that can beat them from here on, good luck."

Five Scott County Central players ended up in double figures.

"I think that's a great team," Holifield said. "They impressed me. I thought we were prepared and could stop them. We just couldn't. They scored on us; they were better than I even thought. They do so many great things. They're just relentless."

Sikeston also hopes Wednesday was preparation for a trip to the Class 4 state tourney. The Bulldogs have big goals this season, but they celebrated this one by rushing onto the floor after the last defensive stand.

This may not count as much as chasing state championships in March, but it was fun to watch.

Toby Carrig is editor of the regional Web site semoball.com. You can contact him at tcarrig@semissourian.com.