Sikeston rolls past Jackson

~ The Bulldogs' defense took its toll in an 86-46 win against the Indians

The Jackson Indians handled Sikeston's pressure perfectly in the opening minutes of the game.

Then the Bulldogs' pressure took over.

Sikeston's defense led to an 86-46 win over Jackson on Tuesday night at Jackson High School.

"It's not too bad at first," Jackson junior Bobby Clark said of Sikeston's pressure. "Then they keep coming. They keep wearing on you and they are always in your face, and it gets tough."

The Indians (11-8, 0-3) got off to a hot start.

Tyler Rhodes buried a 3-pointer and Clark hit a jumper to give Jackson a 5-0 lead.

"We played well early," Jackson coach Darrin Scott said. "We got the ball moving quick and found open shots and knocked them down. John Meyer altered some shots and protected the basket, and we were rebounding."

Sikeston (15-1, 3-1) responded to tie the game at 7-7, and JuQualin Wiggins hit a jumper with 3:34 remaining for a 9-7 lead the Bulldogs never relinquished.

"Our kids had good pressure," Sikeston coach Greg Holifield said. "They pressured the ball well and created turnovers. Coach Scott always has his team well prepared, and they were again tonight."

Sikeston led 15-12 when it went on its first big run.

Janeil Hatchett drained a 3-pointer and made a layup as Sikeston close the quarter with a 5-0 burst and an 18-12 lead.

Sikeston then scored the first nine points of the second quarter to complete a 14-0 run. Will Holifield knocked down a trey, Hatchett scored back-to-back buckets, and Eli Jackson scored a layup as Sikeston stretched the lead to 29-12.

"That was huge," Scott said. "We lost concentration. We made some poor decisions and they took advantage of it. They opened the quarter on a big run and closed on a big run."

Jackson cut the lead to 33-21 on two baskets by Meyer, but Sikeston pounced again.

Darryl Howard hit a jumper, and Corey Porter and Wiggins scored on layups as Sikeston went up 39-21 at halftime.

The Bulldogs' full-court pressure consistently forced turnovers.

Their offense was equally aggressive, attacking the rim on most possessions.

"Their defense is good," Scott said. "But their offensive, I think, is what hurt us more. They get out so fast and spread the floor and attack the rim at all times. It wore on us."

The second half saw Sikeston pull away.

The Bulldogs outscored the Indians 27-15 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.

Clark scored 14 points in an otherwise low-scoring attack for Jackson.

"He had to handle the ball more tonight," Scott said of Clark. "We did a good job of catching it high post. He didn't force, but he was aggressive when he needed to be. He competed tonight."

Hatchett led the Bulldogs with a game-high 19 points.

The Indians played short-handed, missing three starters and six players overall.

Sikeston 20 19 27 20 -- 86

Jackson 12 9 15 10 -- 46

SIKESTON (86) -- JuQualian Wiggins 9, Eli Jackson 6, Darryl Howard 11, Janeil Hatchett 19, Martez Evans 6, Terry Jamison 7, Will Holifield 11, Eldridge Gibson 5, Corey Porter 9, Kil'Ron Coleman 3. FG 36, FT 6-9, F 12. (3-pointers: Howard, Hatchett 2, Porter, Coleman, Holifield 3. Fouled out: none.)

JACKSON (46) -- Caleb Newcomer 2, Taylor Williams 3, Tyler Rhodes 12, Cole Pingel 3, Law Duncan 2, Bobby Clark 14, John Meyer 10. FG 18, FT 3-4, F 8. (3-pointers: Williams, Pingel, Clark, Rhodes 4. Fouled out: none.)