Southeast Missourian Player of the Week: T.J. Tisdell

Central basketball player T.J. Tisdell is the Southeast Missourian Player of the Week.

The 6-5 junior post player scored a game-high 18 points in his team's 46-32 victory over Jackson in the Class 5 District 1 championship game Friday.

The win gave the Tigers their first district title in boys basketball since 1997.

Tisdell scored 12 points before halftime while making five of the nine shots he took from the field.

"T.J. did a good job the first half of going right at [Jackson's John] Meyer," Central coach Drew Church said. "Meyer is big and he's long. He did a good job of shot faking and getting around his long arms. We were just going to him and he did a heck of a job."

After trailing by a point at halftime, Central dominated the second half of play.

"My shots were falling, and a credit to Curtis," Tisdell told the Missourian, crediting senior point guard Curtis Branch. "He was giving me the ball in my position. I just felt comfortable and scored it."

Tisdell contributed 12 points in Central's 74-34 drubbing of Northwest in the semifinals.