TIGERS WAIT OUT MULES' STUBBBORN ACT, WIN 79-59

If you just look at the final score, Cape Girardeau Central High's boys basketball team enjoyed a routine 79-59 romp past visiting Poplar Bluff Friday night.

But the struggling Mules actually made the red-hot Tigers work a lot harder than that before Central pulled away for the victory at the Tiger Field House.

The Tigers improved to 16-3 while the Mules fell to 4-14.

"I thought Poplar Bluff played very well," said Central coach Brett Reutzel. "They played very smart, very hard. They executed and got the shots they wanted. And they changed defenses on us a couple of times and that confused us."

Poplar Bluff, which was blown out by East Carter County and also lost to Clearwater this week, trailed by only five points midway through the third quarter before Central took control.

"We really had a pretty decent game," said Poplar Bluff coach John David Pattillo. "We did a good job, especially compared to what we went through this week against East Carter County and Clearwater."

For Central, Nathan Owen hit six 3-point shots and scored 25 points while Lawrence Jackson was strong inside on his way to 23 points. The Tigers also got 12 points from Lavelle Lewis and 10 from Chris Bergerson.

Poplar Bluff's talented 6-foot-7 Martin Johnson had a big game with 18 points, a bundle of rebounds and several blocked shots. Freshman Mike Kilgore added 13 points.

"I'm pleased to get out of here with a win. I think we were fortunate," Reutzel said. "I didn't think we played well defensively and their zone hurt us."

Early in the game, it looked like Central would romp. The Tigers scored the first seven points and an 8-0 run put them ahead 15-2.

But Poplar Bluff, which had five turnovers in the first few minutes, settled down. The Mules pulled to within 17-8 after the opening period and trailed 37-26 at halftime.

Kilgore scored a fast-break layup with just over five minutes left in the third quarter as the Mules pulled to within 39-34. They were within 40-35 midway through the period.

But Central then went on a decisive 11-0 run keyed by several turnovers. Bergerson had six points in the spurt while Owen popped a 3-pointer and Jackson got a basket.

The Tigers built their lead to 51-35 and the Mules never recovered. Central led 56-40 after three quarters and the Tigers' biggest advantage was 21 points in the closing seconds.

"The third quarter is when the Tigers showed back up as far as I'm concerned," said Reutzel. "I thought Bobby Brune, Chris Bergerson and Lawrence Jackson turned the game around.

"Bobby played good defense on Johnson. Chris was all over the place, diving for loose balls. Lawrence was strong inside. He got a lot of rebounds."

Central also won the JV game 67-35.

The Tigers will now be off until next Friday night, when highly-touted Riverview Gardens from St. Louis comes to Cape Girardeau.

"Riverview Gardens is one of the most talented teams in the St. Louis area," Reutzel said. "They've got two 6-8 players and a 6-5 kid. They've got tremendous athletes.

"If we're fortunate enough to win our district, we'd meet the winner of their district (in the first round of the playoffs), and they should win that district. So this game should show us how we measure up."