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Charleston celebrates good district news by dismantling SCC 73-43
SIKESTON -- The Charleston Bluejays were happy to get the No. 1 seed during Wednesday's Class 3, District 1 seed meeting. They celebrated with a thorough beat down over Scott County Central at coach Danny Farmer's old stomping grounds.
The Bluejays dismantled the Braves 73-43 for its fifth win in six games behind another stellar defensive effort and balanced scoring.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Bluejays beat out district mates Caruthersville, Kennett, Malden, New Madrid County Central, Portageville, East Prairie and Kelly for the top district spot. In one of the toughest districts around, Farmer was pleased that his team's hard work paid off and that their road to a possible seventh title in a row could be a little lighter.
"We worked for that and we wanted that No. 1 seed," Farmer said. "We're in a district with a lot of parity and that No. 1 seed is very important -- playing the eight versus the seven in the first round or the 2-3 in the semifinals."
Charleston (19-5) was led by Demarcus Sharp and his 14 points and 11 assists against the Braves.
Mardareyon Clark and Samuel Bledsoe each added 12. Clark chipped in 12 rebounds and finished just seven points shy of 1,000 for his career. He'll try for that feat again on Friday when Charleston hosts Portageville.
Scott Central (16-6) was led by Deven Blackmon's 17 points. Tyus Banks added eight points and six rebounds while Deantrell Beard tallied eight points and five rebounds for the Braves, who have dropped two of its last three.
The beginning of the end for the Braves came sooner than most would have expected.
A slow-paced start to the first quarter quickly shifted once Scott Central's blunders led to Charleston scores on the other end.
The Braves coughed up six turnovers and added sloppy passes to the mix which turned a once 6-4 game into a 14-point Charleston lead.
The Bluejays finished the first quarter with a 16-4 run to lead 22-8.
"We had the opportunity to pound the ball inside and we just let too many balls roll off our hands," Scott Central coach Matt Cline said. "We're not playing a seventh grade team out here. We were making passes with nothing behind it. Charleston plays defense and they look for that stuff. They're going to get their hands on it, go the other way and score. We found ourselves down 15 points pretty quick."
Charleston was white hot from the field making things worse for the Braves.
The Bluejays shot 9 for 14 during the first quarter. They outscored SCC 26-12 in the second and finished the first half 60 percent (21 for 35) from the field and with a 48-20 advantage.
"They shot very well," Cline said. "In our zone, we just left too many gaps. We had people running wild and we didn't matchup well in our zone or man-to-man. We're leaving too many people standing wide open."
Charleston's lead grew to as much as 31 in the third quarter and as much as 33 in the fourth, where bench players from both sides filtered in and out.
Charleston finished 31 for 55 (56 percent) from the floor forced SCC into 16 turnovers. The Braves shot 35 percent (13 for 37) from the floor but met even with Charleston in the rebounding category at 24.
"We played well for three quarters on both ends of the court," Farmer said. "We played good defense and I think that had to do a lot with their troubles... At this point in the season, we're just trying to refine our game. We have to keep our 'A' game going. That's our focus."
The Braves learned they were the second seed in Class 1, District 1 behind top-seeded Risco. Scott Central dropped back down to Class 1 after spending the last two seasons in Class 2 winning a state championship in 2015.
"We're kind of the outsider," Cline said about their district, which will be played at Gideon High School starting Feb. 18. "It's the Tri-County Conference and Scott County. I've watched them all. Risco can play, Clarkton gets up and down the floor and they're athletic as can be. There's some decent teams down there. We'll be lucky if we can keep our heads above water."
Before the tip, Farmer was surprised with a token of appreciation from a program he helped put into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
Farmer, who spent a decade leading the Scott County Central's girls program to unseen heights before joining Charleston, was recognized and given a plaque in honor of the Scott County Central boys and girls programs enshrinement into the HOF last November.
In 10 seasons, Farmer led SCC to eight state semifinal appearances and five state championships. He was a perfect 60-0 in Scott-Mississippi Conference play as well.
He also was an assistant coach to the boys program, led by Hall of Fame coach Ronnie Cookson, who made nine trips to state and won eight titles during Farmer's tenure.
"It's really great and I really appreciate them doing that," Farmer said about his recognition before the game on Wednesday. "That was the beginning for me. If it wasn't for [SCC] I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing at Charleston. It was just a carryover of being around winning and knowing what it takes to win."
| Charleston | 22 | 26 | 15 | 10 | -- | 73 |
| SCC | 8 | 12 | 13 | 10 | -- | 43 |
CHARLESTON (73) -- Jaquavis Rodgers 8, Samuel Bledsoe 12, Preston Moore 3, Latrell Porter 3, Demarcus Sharp 14, Mardareyon Clark 12, Jeremy Tucker 7, Isaiah Gillespie 4, Delontre Gillespie 4, Ke'Sean Griffin 6. FG 31 FT 2-5 F 15. (3-pointers: Bledsoe 3, Moore 1, Porter 1, Sharp 3, Tucker 1. Fouled out: none.)
SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL (43) -- Deantrell Beard 8, Tyus Banks 8, Marshohn Woods 2, Deven Blackmon 17, Eric Smith 3, Garry Wilkerson 5. FG 13 FT 13-17 F 4. (3-pointers: Banks 2, Smith 1, Wilkerson 1. Fouled out: none.)