TIGERS WIN NINTH IN SUCCESSION

With Cape Girardeau Central High's star seniors Nathan Owen and Lavelle Lewis on the bench for a good portion of the game, it was a perfect opportunity for someone to take his turn in the spotlight.

Enter Brian Hodges.

Hodges, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, scored a career-high 22 points to lead Central to a 69-56 win over visiting SEMO conference opponent Kennett Friday night.

Central improved to 10-2 and 1-0 in the conference, dropping Kennett to 6-6. The win was Central's ninth straight under first-year coach Brett Reutzel.

Owen and Lewis sat for much of Friday's game in preparation for today's 2:30 game at home against Hazelwood Central.

Owen, who will play at Southeast Missouri State University next year, never got into the flow of the game offensively and scored only eight points. Hodges stepped up in his place and Central didn't lose a beat.

Hodges scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. He finished his career night with two emphatic two-handed slam dunks in the final minute of the game.

"Brian played probably the best game of his career here at Cape Central," said Reutzel. "He played an outstanding basketball game. He played extremely hard, played very well defensively, and just stepped his game up tonight.

"Nathan had trouble shooting the basketball tonight. I didn't feel like we ever got into any offensive flow at all tonight and that hurt him a little bit. It was a good lesson for us tonight because of the fact that Nathan wasn't able to finish and Hodges was able to pick it up."

Despite playing limited minutes, Lewis had a big game and was nearly automatic inside for Central. Lewis got the Tigers going early as he scored 12 points in the first quarter. He finished the game with 19.

"Lavelle's a scorer; there's no doubt about it," said Reutzel. "He runs the floor well and if you give him the ball he can usually put it in the hole.

"I wanted to (play a lot of people) because of Hazelwood Central tomorrow. I hoped to be able to use the bench quite a bit in the game and allow some other kids to rest."

Ten players scored for Central.

The Tigers scored the first six points and never trailed Friday. Central led by nine at halftime, 36-27, and the lead stayed between seven and 15 points in the second half.

"I thought we competed pretty well, but we just could never make a run," said Kennett coach Gregg Holifield. "Central's an outstanding team. Their athleticism took over at a point in time and we didn't respond and make our run.

"We gave up way too many points in the first quarter (24), and for us to be a successful team we have to try to keep the opposing team to under 55 points and we failed in that area tonight."

Kennett got big games out of two players. Chris Sledge, a slashing 6-2 senior who brought a 25 point-per-game average into the game, had 20 points, and Kevin McCaig, a 6-3 wide body inside, led the Indians with 22 points. The rest of Kennett's team combined for only 14 points.

"Our game is to pound it inside; we don't shoot the basketball very well," said Holifield. "Sledge is a good player and he has stepped it up for us."

Central started the season 1-2 and since then has beaten some of the area's top teams. The Tigers have beaten Scott City, Charleston and Carbondale, Ill., during the streak.

"The kids have played hard and they have played well a majority of the time. I give them credit because they've found ways to win," Reutzel said.

Central will play Hazelwood Central today. The Hawks feature a 6-11 junior, Pat Schumacher, inside.