O'FALLON, Mo. -- Sikeston junior standout Fred Thatch opened Monday night's game against Parkway North with a massive two-handed slam and the foul.
It was simply the beginning.
Top-seeded Sikeston continued the onslaught from there and routed No. 8 seed Parkway North 76-35 in the first round of the Fort Zumwalt North Tournament.
Sikeston (14-2), the two-time defending champions of the tournament, advances to the semifinal round on Wednesday where they will face fourth-seeded Troy at 5:30. Troy (8-6) defeated tournament host Fort Zumwalt North 50-45 in its first round game.
"I thought we played very well," Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield said. "Our defense created a lot of points off turnovers. I thought we did a good job offensively. We made the extra pass and did a lot of good things."
It was evident very quickly that Parkway North was no match for the Bulldogs.
Sikeston opened the game on a 9-0 run. The Vikings were trailing 16-6 when the Bulldogs went on an 11-0 run to close the first quarter with a 27-6 lead.
Sikeston's defense forced 13 turnovers in the first quarter.
"We had a lot of pressure on the ball," Holifield said. "The guys did a good job of rotating and it created a lot of trap opportunities and we forced a lot of turnovers."
The second quarter saw much of the same. The Bulldogs led by as much as 42-9 in the second quarter before settling for a 45-18 halftime lead.
Sikeston put the game away for good in the third quarter, out-scoring Parkway North 20-10 in the period to take a 65-28 lead going into the fourth quarter where the mercy clock ran the rest of the way.
Parkway North finished the game with 25 turnovers.
As usual, Thatch filled the stat sheet in a two and a half quarters of action, finishing with 14 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, seven steals and two blocked shots.
"I thought Fred played great," Holifield said. "He always comes ready to play no matter who we're playing and he always puts up great numbers."
Six-foot-six sophomore Trey Jenkins led the Bulldogs with 16 points, going 8 of 8 from the field with four blocked shots.
"I thought Trey did a good job," Holifield said. "He defended well around the basket. He also worked hard offensively and finished around the rim."
Sophomore guard Kevin Jones scored 13 points, six rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Junior guard Don Larry added 12 points with five steals.
"Don and Kevin both had a lot of unselfish play and he finished well in transition and plus they're working hard on the defensive end," Holifield said. "They both have really been playing well."
Now Sikeston will set its sights on Troy Wednesday night.
"They have a good program," Holifield said. "They're always very competitive and tough to go against. We know it will be a difficult game."
Parkway North 6 12 10 7 -- 35
Sikeston 27 18 20 11 -- 76
PARKWAY NORTH (35) -- A.J. Sanford 13, Tayari Goodwin 6, Jalani Williams 6, Prentiss Bryant 3, Marcus Jones 3, C.J. Boone 2, Zach Kern 2. FG 10, FT 3-11, F 8. (3-pointers: Goodwin 2, Jones 1, Bryant 1. Fouled out: none).
SIKESTON (76) -- Trey Jenkins 16, Fred Thatch 14, Kevin Jones 13, Don Larry 12, Phayzun Fobbs 5, Payton Howard 5, Elgin Moore 4, Jason Moore 3, Dylon Mills 2, Camden Sapp 2. FG 30, FT 7-8, F 14. (3-pointers: Fobbs 1, Howard 1, Moore 1. Fouled out: none).
__Junior varsity__
In the accompanying junior varsity tournament, Sikeston, which is the two-time defending tournament champion, defeated Parkway North 66-42.
Sikeston was led by JeQuan Ray with 17 points. Clark Steward followed up with 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and six steals.
B.J. Hill had 12 points and four assists while Lorandis Phillips had 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Parkway North 8 13 8 13 -- 42
Sikeston 19 21 11 15 -- 66
PARKWAY NORTH (42) -- Xavier Drummond 13, Alijah Mitchell 11, Amari Wilson 6, Omena Oberuvwu 4, Adrian Cook 4, Brendan May 2, Jaylen Powell 2. FG 15, FT 3-10, F 11. (3-pointers: Mitchell 1, Wilson, Drummond 1. Fouled out: none).
SIKESTON (66) -- JeQuan Ray 17, Clark Steward 16, B.J. Hill 12, Lorandis Phillips 10, Gage Rowling 7, Elijah Faulkner 4. FG 22, FT 8-13, F 12. (3-pointers: Ray 3, Hill 2, Rowling 1. Fouled out: none).