TIGERS WATCH IMPRESSIVE RIVERVIEW PREVIEW 83-60

If Cape Girardeau Central High's boys basketball team wins its district -- as expected -- and Riverview Gardens of St. Louis win its district -- as expected -- the two would meet in a sectional game at the Farmington Civic Center.

Central coach Brett Reutzel said that his team's game against Riverview Gardens at the Tiger Field House would show them how they measure up.

The answer after Friday's game appears easy: at this moment, not very well.

Central was outrebounded, outrun, outplayed -- and outscored 83-60.

Riverview's combination of height and athleticism proved too much for Central. The Rams' starting frontcourt goes 6-foot-3, 6-5 and 6-8 -- a solid 6-8 guard comes off the bench.

Central (16-4) trailed 14-12 after one quarter, but was outscored 69-48 from there.

The Tigers played without senior Laurence Jackson, who had 23 points in Central's last game against Poplar Bluff, but Riverview (13-7) was also without one of its starters, guard Christian Morton, for most of the game. Morton injured an ankle in the first quarter.

"This was the biggest game we've had all year and we know where we stand now," said Reutzel. "Now we've seen what level of play it is; we haven't played anyone that good this year, there's no doubt."

Central was dominated on the boards all night and Reutzel said that was the key to the game.

"They outrebound their opponents by 12, and the key for us was to outrebound them," Reutzel said. "And we didn't rebound a lick. No one went to the offensive boards, no one went to the defensive boards."

Reutzel said his team hasn't played a team of the caliber of Riverview -- with the possible exception of Charleston -- and that his team wasn't ready for the athleticism.

"We played Portageville, and they're not as good as they were in the past; we played East Carter County and they're not as good as they've been in the past; we played Notre Dame twice and they're not as good as they've been in the past, and Poplar Bluff, and they're not as good as they've been in the past," said Reutzel.

"Those are the teams that we've just got done playing, and this is a whole different level than that."

Riverview coach Todd Dutton, who played at Three Rivers Community College, said his team played well together. Mario McIntosh, a 6-3 guard, had 22 points, Bryant Robinson, a 6-5 forward added 21 and Bryant Jefferson, a 6-8 center, had 12.

"We kept up the intensity throughout the game and I thought our kids played pretty well together. We knew Central had a good team and we knew the importance of the game and we were fired up to play them," said Dutton.

"We rebounded well -- and we should rebound well with our height advantage. We have a very athletic team and a tall team."

Central hung around in the second quarter and trailed by only five points, 26-21, with three minutes left in the second quarter. The Rams extended the lead to 38-23 by halftime, maintained that 15-point lead into the third quarter, and outscored the Tigers 24-16 in the fourth quarter.

Central was led by Nathan Owen's 18 points. Will Harris added 11.

Riverview won the JV game 50-39.