Sikeston pulls away from Scott County Central

SIKESTON — Sparks blew and buckets rained down as Sikeston outlasted Scott County Central in a tightly contested 80-69 battle at SCC High School on Tuesday, Jan. 9. 

Both offenses hummed, showcasing impressive firepower before the Lady Bulldogs (6-8) finally pulled away from the Bravettes (5-6) in the closing stretch. 

Sikeston's Marlie Crook (15) scores during an 80-69 win at Scott County Central on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

“They did a good job tonight,” said Sikeston coach Vaughn Shephard. “We were patient on the offensive end of the court and our team works very hard.”

Alex Segers and Marlie Crook scored 25 and 23, respectively, to lead Sikeston. 

“[Crook] did a good job of battling down low in the paint and finishing her shots,” Shephard said. “We work on her being physical and finishing around the basket and it showed tonight.

SCC�s Bella Sutton (0) shoots during a lost to Sikeston on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

“On the other hand, I am so proud of [Segers],” he continued. “She moved well without the ball. She got in rhythm by letting the game come to her. She has a very quick first step and I try to get her to utilize that. Both of these girls did a great job tonight and I love coaching them.”

Kennedi Sims provided vital two-way support for Sikeston, tallying a 15-point, 10-assist double-double.

Sikeston's Alex Segers (20) drives during an 80-69 win at Scott County Central on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

“[Sims] set up her teammates and racked up a lot of assists,” Shephard said.”Any of our guards can handle the ball but [Sims] is our best ball handler.”

While Sikeston’s scoring trio shined, the Bravettes found their offensive catalysts in the dominant post presence of Nikki Adams and the sharpshooting prowess of Reagan Evans.

Adams asserted her authority in the paint, racking up a game-high 26 points and proving a force that the Lady Bulldogs struggled to contain. Meanwhile, Evans countered from beyond the arc, draining four 3-pointers for a total of 21 points, keeping Scott County Central within striking distance.

SCC's Reagan Evans (23) scores during a lost to Sikeston on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

“It’s not a bad game overall,” said SCC coach Andrew Pullen. “Wish we would have got more stops on the defense end. We played hard in spurts. I like how we never gave up. It was a one-point game in the fourth quarter and we just made a couple of bad choices. That was the difference in the game. We need to fix the bad decisions, and it will make a big difference in the game. We still have a lot of work to do, but we will get there.”

Sikeston’s Landri Hammontree (15) and SCC’s Laney Glueck (10) were the only other players to reach double digits. 

Sikeston travels to Notre Dame (6-5) on Thursday, Jan. 11. SCC is on the road at East Prairie (3-8) on Tuesday, Jan. 16. 

__SIKESTON 80, SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL 69__

Sikeston 22 16 21 21 — 80

SCC 20 19 20 13 — 69

Sikeston (80) — Alex Segers 25, Marlie Crook 23, Kennedi Sims 15, Landri Hammontree 15, Dontaysha Gipson 2. FG: 35. FT: 2-5. F: 11. (3-pointers: Segers 5, Hammontree 3. Fouled out: None).

Scott County Central (69) — Nikki Adams 26, Reagan Evans 21, Lainey Glueck 10, Camarie Perdue 9, Bella Suttton 3. FG: 28. FT: 5-9. F: 8. (3-pointers: Evans: 4. Fouled out: None).