SCC-Sikeston game proves to be a classic

Let me be the latest to say that Wednesday night's Sikeston vs. Scott County Central showdown not only lived up to all the hype, the contest exceeded it.

And in a big way.

What an unbelievable high school basketball game between two area heavyweights in front of more than 7,000 people at the Show Me Center.

It was all I expected and then some as things went back and forth until Sikeston finally squeezed out an 86-85 victory.

Considering all the buildup and all the pressure of playing in front of such a large and amped crowd, the game was well played on both sides.

Since I don't cover much high school hoops anymore, I had never seen Sikeston's Michael Porter play in person. I came away totally impressed.

The powerful, 6-foot-6 Porter is a load inside, but he also displayed a nice outside shooting touch, hitting two 3-pointers on his way to 33 points. No wonder several Division I college programs have offered him scholarships.

I'd watched Scott County several times this season and my thoughts about the Braves did not change -- they are loaded for a Class 1 team.

Lightning-quick junior Bobby Hatchett is one of the best point guards I've seen in a while. His ball handling, court vision, passing and ability to direct a team are all first rate.

I believe Hatchett could start for several Ohio Valley Conference squads right now.

If Otto Porter, the Braves' slender 6-7 sophomore, grows another few inches he's probably a national recruit. At worst, if he doesn't grow at all, he's a good mid-major prospect.

Senior guard Drew Thomas might be a bit undersized for Division I, but he's so hard-nosed and competitive that I believe he also has a place at that level.

Finally, about the play in the final seconds that has many people on the Internet up in arms. There is no question Hatchett drew some contact when he went up for a shot along the baseline. But the way the contest was called all night -- with plenty of contact allowed on both ends -- I'm glad there was no call.

Contrary to much of what I've read on the Internet, I thought the game was officiated well, and most importantly it was officiated consistently throughout.

The last thing I would have wanted to see -- and I'm sure most of the fans in attendance will agree -- is each team going to the free-throw line 40 or 50 times. As it turned out, the squads combined to shoot 24 free throws, including 17 by the Braves.

In a game with that much intensity and that many strong, quick athletes on the floor, a foul conceivably could have been called on just about every play. I'm happy things didn't wind up that way.

If a foul had been called on Hatchett's final shot, then Michael Porter should have gone to the line at least 20 times because he was hit plenty on many of his drives to the basket and put-backs. Yet he only attempted five free throws.

Instead of complaining about the officiating, fans fortunate enough to be at the Show Me Center on Wednesday night should simply appreciate the fact they got to witness a classic.

I know I appreciated it.

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I don't know if it's going to work out this way, but how cool would it be for Michael and Otto Porter, Hatchett -- the three are cousins -- and Thomas to all wear a Southeast Missouri State uniform some day.

Although college coaches can't comment on recruits until they sign letters of intent, I know for certain that Southeast's current staff would take all four in a heartbeat.

A new coaching staff will be in place in the near future, but I've got to think whoever takes over the program will be interested in that local foursome.

Programs bigger than Southeast are after Michael Porter, and that also might turn out to be the case with Otto Porter and Hatchett. It will be interesting to see how many of the group -- if any -- wind up playing college ball in Cape Girardeau.

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Speaking of the Southeast men's basketball staff, you've got to give credit to acting coach Zac Roman and assistants Rodney Hamilton and Tommy Suitts for continuing to recruit hard even though most -- if not all -- of them probably won't be retained by the new coach.

For instance -- and this is just one example -- instead of going with the rest of the team on the bus Wednesday for Thursday's game at Eastern Kentucky, Roman and Hamilton attended the Sikeston-Scott County contest and then made the long trip to Eastern Kentucky on their own.

Kudos to Roman, Hamilton and Suitts -- as classy and professional a staff as you'll find anywhere -- for attempting to keep the recruiting efforts going until the new coach is hired.

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High hopes surround the Southeast baseball team, which opens its 15th season under coach Mark Hogan this week.

Under Hogan's direction, the Redhawks consistently have been one of the most successful baseball squads in the OVC.

The Redhawks never have missed the OVC tournament since Hogan took over -- they own the longest current streak in the league -- and Southeast has advanced to the title round of the tournament seven times, including last year.

Hogan, the winningest baseball coach in Southeast history, has led the Redhawks to a pair of NCAA regional appearances.

The Redhawks have a loaded lineup, but their pitching -- a problem last year -- is a huge question mark. As long as things hold up relatively well on the mound, I would be surprised if Southeast doesn't contend for the OVC championship.

Southeast opens the season Friday with the start of a three-game series at nationally ranked Alabama.

The Redhawks then play 14 of their next 15 contests at Capaha Field, beginning Feb. 24 against Lyon College. All told, 33 of Southeast's 55 scheduled regular-season games are in Cape Girardeau.

See you at the ballpark.

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A lot of people probably have heard, but longtime Southeast sports information director Ron Hines plans on retiring after this school year.

I'll have a more detailed story about Hines later in the year.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.