Sikeston rolls in district opener, defeats North County 90-35

BONNE TERRE, Mo. – After an outstanding regular season, the Sikeston Bulldogs lost their first and only game one week ago to a talented Father Tolton Catholic squad in Columbia.

There were questions on how the Bulldogs would respond after having their undefeated season snapped in the regular season finale, but Sikeston took care of business on Thursday in the Class 5, District 1 opener, dispatching of tournament host and eighth-seeded North County, 90-35.

The top-seeded Bulldogs (26-1) advanced to the district semifinals on Saturday where they will play fourth-seeded Poplar Bluff (16-11) at 2 p.m. at North County High School. The Mules defeated fifth-seeded Hillsboro 75-66 in their first round game.

The Bulldogs made quick work of the Raiders, rolling out to a 61-18 halftime lead on the strength of 17 turnovers forced.

The game itself only took about an hour to play.

“I was pleased with the way we came out,” Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield said. “We’ve had a good week of practice and the guys are focused. We’ve been looking forward to district play all year and to come out and play like we did is good to see.”

Sikeston standout senior Dontrez Williams were zeroed in from the start, scoring 15 points in the first quarter. The 6-foot-5 Abilene Christian signee finished the game with 32 points to match a season-high.

He was 15-of-19 from the floor, routinely slicing to the rim for layups and dunks. He also had six rebounds and five steals before being subbed out with 5:30 left in the third quarter and the Bulldogs holding an insurmountable 70-20 lead.

“Dontrez played really well,” Holifield said. “He has the ability to get to the rim as you saw today and he was also really good defensively.”

Sikeston raced out to a 13-3 lead to start the game and were never threatened by the Raiders (3-23), who have had a difficult season after defeating the Bulldogs and reaching the Class 5 quarterfinals just three years ago.

“We were able to put some pressure on the basketball and that gave us a chance to score in transition,” Holifield said. “I was pleased with the pressure we put on the ball.”

Sikeston led 32-13 after one quarter of play and the Bulldogs began the second quarter with a 22-0 run to open up a 54-13 advantage.

The Bulldogs took a 61-18 lead into halftime.

Williams began the third quarter with a 3-pointer and three consecutive slam dunks to cap a 9-2 run and prompting Holifield to remove his starters for the rest of the night just two and a half minutes into the third quarter.

“At that point it’s more important to make sure we get out of the game healthy and mentally ready to go for our next game,” Holifield said. “I was really pleased with our effort.”

Bulldog junior Tristan Wiggins finished with 15 points while junior Lekereon McCray added 10 points. P.J. Farmer scored seven points with seven assists.

This year marks the first time Sikeston and Poplar Bluff have been in the same district in boys basketball since 2000. The two schools have not met in a district game since 1996.

Sikeston defeated Poplar Bluff 86-57 on Dec. 7 in the SEMO Conference Tournament and then 87-48 in a SEMO Conference regular season game on Feb. 2.

Holifield says the regular season carries no weight once the district tournament starts.

“We know Poplar Bluff will come out with a game-plan and they will be ready to play,” Holifield said. “We know that neither of the games we played against them matter at this point. We have to be fully ready to play, we have to be focused on the task at hand and that starts with a good practice tomorrow.”

North County 13 5 8 9 -- 35

Sikeston 32 29 21 8 -- 90

NORTH COUNTY (35) – Cole Mullins 8, Lucas Richardson 8, Preston Aubuchon 6, Jaxon Scherffius 5, Gavin Barbee 4, Blayne Kennon 2, Everett Bosch 2. FG 14, FT 2-8, F 11. (3-pointers: Aubuchon 2, Mullins 2, Scherffius 1. Fouled out: none).

SIKESTON (90) – Dontrez Williams 32, Tristan Wiggins 15, Lekereon McCray 10, Kobe Thomas 8, P.J. Farmer 7, Chris Artis 4, Trace Sadler 4, Isaiah Jimerson-Patterson 4, J’kwon Applewhite 2, Dontavious Wright 2, Malachi Davis 2. FG 39, FT 4-5, F 4. (3-pointers: Wiggins 2, Williams 2, Thomas 2, McCray 1, Farmer 1. Fouled out: none).