My SEMO Top 5 basketball teams and players (Feb. 10)

This has been bananas but very much expected. It never fails. The SEMO Conference is rough and it's tough, but it's the best in all the land.

Sikeston just pulled off the shocker of the season (so far) with an upset win over Poplar Bluff on Friday. But the Mules were fresh off kicking around New Madrid County Central by 30-plus points after dropping a conference game to Cape Central, who fell to Notre Dame and NMCC at one point already. But Notre Dame has taken down NMCC and lost by 30 points to Sikeston who was beaten by Charleston, twice, who was handled by Scott County Central. Twice.

See how this can get confusing? Kind of like the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game only with wins and losses, point margins, Gregg Holifield's and Delfincko Bogan's.

Below you will be able to see just how confusing it all can get when it comes to the teams I consider as the tops around these parts, but for now, here's my approximation on who is the best of the best (right now).

1. Poplar Bluff (16-4)
Poplar Bluff is the most consistent team at this very moment. They dominated NMCC and I know they just lost to Sikeston but had chances to win against both Sikeston and Cape Central. Bluff hasn't suffered any 'blowout' losses and always seems to be in the fight. They also have one of the best around in Chris Stocks leading the way. I'd give Poplar Bluff an ever-so-slight edge as the favorite against the remaining teams in this poll which means they are my ever-so-slight No. 1. Bluff has Notre Dame on Friday which could once again turn my thoughts upside down.

2. Jackson (17-5)
They almost barely snuck in to that top spot and here's why. Jackson is 8-2 in their last 10 games with bumps in the road only to a 19-1 Nixa team and Poplar Bluff on Jan. 20. Since that 15-point loss to Bluff, Jackson has rattled off six-straight which included a 17-point win over Notre Dame. Jackson has Cape Central tonight and NMCC on the road Friday. Like always, things could change.

3.NMCC (19-3)
Outside of the SEMO Conference tournament, New Madrid County Central is 4-2 against conference teams with two good wins over Cape Central and Charleston but two bad, bad losses to Notre Dame and Poplar Bluff. They've showed signs of being one of the more unbeatable teams around but have turned in some forgettable performances too. I still think they're the favorite to win Class 3, District 1 and make a deep postseason run, but as far as the SEMO Conference goes, they're trending down. I think a good showing against Jackson on Friday and Sikeston after that will help ease my uneasiness about the Eagles.

4. Sikeston (12-7)
The hottest team in SEMO right now. After starting the year 6-7 and making a big splash at Poplar Bluff Friday, Sikeston has won its last six-straight and may be starting to find its place among the elite once again. Freshman Fred Thatch continues to lead the team in both points and rebounds and Dominique Dyes seems to have found his shooting stroke once again, but the sudden emergence of others such as Corbyn Blissett and Donnell Cobb have made the difference. We'll see if Sikeston's run continues Friday when they host Cape Central. The Bluff win was big, but this game will be bigger.

5a. Notre Dame (17-4)
After starting the year 3-3, Notre Dame has just one hiccup against Jackson at the end of January. They're fresh off a 22-point win over Cape Central and Quinn Poythress seems to be heating up as well. The bulk of Notre Dame's conference schedule is over, however, (they are 4-2 by the way) but they look to make a statement against Poplar Bluff Friday on the road.

5b. Cape Central (17-5)
Cape Central continues to be a team you can never count out or count on. In their last three games, Cape Central beat Poplar Bluff by five, lost to Notre Dame by 22 then held on against Kennett, who's 7-13 and winless in conference play, by 13. They might beat Jackson tonight and who knows against Sikeston on Friday. That's a not-miss game with a Class 4, District 1 top seed up for grabs.

*Yeah, I copped out on naming a fifth team and went all 5a-5b on you.*

First five out:
Scott County Central
Charleston
Bernie
Hayti
Malden

Top 5 players:
1. Delfincko Bogan, Sr., Charleston
2. Chris Stocks, Sr., Poplar Bluff
3. Blake Reynolds, Sr., Jackson
4. Willie Jimerson, Sr., NMCC
5. Quinn Poythress, Sr., Notre Dame

On the bubble:
Fred Thatch, Fr., Sikeston
Andre Statam, Sr., Cape Central
Al Young, Jr., Cape Central
Jeffery Porter, Jr., SCC
Braden Wendel, Sr., Jackson
Indaqual Presberry, Sr., Hayti
Victor Dukes, Sr., Senath-Hornersville
Javonta Daniel, Sr., SCC
Cortez Dobbins, Sr., Malden
Javarcus Word, So., NMCC

I'm just going to leave this right here for everyone. This is a breakdown of madness between the top eight teams considered for the top team right now. Gives us all a look at how crazy this season has been and it probably won't end soon. The teams are NMCC, Poplar Bluff, Jackson, Notre Dame, Sikeston, Cape Central, Charleston and Scott County Central.

New Madrid County Central (19-3) has the best record of all teams considered but have lost two games to area teams which include a 17-point loss to Notre Dame and a 34-point loss to Poplar Bluff. They hold wins over both Notre Dame and Poplar Bluff, mind you, and also Jackson, Charleston and Cape Central.

Poplar Bluff (16-4) shares the same amount of losses as Notre Dame and Scott County Central, but recently lost to 12-7 Sikeston by three points at The House the Hansbrough's built. So, Bluff owns wins over Jackson and Charleston but have split with NMCC and Cape Central.

Which brings me to Cape Central.

The Tigers are 4-4 against the eight teams in the running which include three games with Notre Dame. They've lost and won against Poplar Bluff, defeated Sikeston and lost to NMCC at home. In three games against Notre Dame, Cape Central is 1-2. Most recently, the Tigers fell to the blue dogs by 22 points.

Speaking of Notre Dame, in its 10 games against this group they are 6-4. It all started with their first win at Charleston, then a loss to both NMCC and Cape Central during the SEMO conference tournament. They followed that up with, guess what, their 17-point win over NMCC but then the very next game lost to Sikeston by 30. They took down SCC by 10, avenged its loss to Cape Central and held on against Jackson during the Southeast Missourians Christmas tournament final. After winning a tournament in Springfield, Notre Dame lost to Jackson by 17, then beat Cape Central again by 22 points.

Still with me?

Now we turn to Jackson who's 17-5 on the year. They lost to NMCC in the conference tournament, beat Charleston and SCC then lost to Notre Dame in the aforementioned tournament finale. Beat Sikeston by 12, lost to Poplar Bluff by 15, returned the favor against Notre Dame and demolished Charleston by 42.

Here's Sikeston's resume. They've lost two games to rival Charleston, one to Cape Central by three points and Jackson. They surprised Notre Dame with that 30-pointer at the Field House and, most recently, upset Poplar Bluff for what is Sikeston's sixth-straight win in a row after starting the season 6-7.

Scott County Central in 18-4 with its only losses coming from larger schools. They lost to Meridian, Ill., earlier in the year, fell to Notre Dame by 10 and were trounced by Jackson (25 points) and Cape Central (26 points) during the Christmas tournament. They have beaten Charleston twice and have a matchup with NMCC looming.

Charleston's claim to being considered is its two wins over Sikeston. Both of those are by a combined win margin of five points. They've lost to Notre Dame, Jackson (twice), Scott County Central (twice), Poplar Bluff and NMCC. Delfincko Bogan is doing all he can for the 12-10 Bluejays folks.