Top teams and players of the 1980s

The great thing about sports is there are always teams and players that leave such an impression we are left talking about them years later. I found myself doing that just the other day when comparing basketball teams from years ago to today. Then I had an idea for this blog.

There is plenty of talk about teams and players today but why not have a blast from the past and remember some of the top teams from years ago?

I grew up as a child of the 1980s, so I will start there. Keep in mind I didn't have a driver's license in the 80s so I didn't get to see many of these teams except in highlights or if they played Dexter, but I have read and listened to the stories over the years. One thing is for certain, southeast Missouri dominated high school basketball in Missouri the 1980s. So here are my top 5 teams of the 1980s in chronological order.

Scott County Central (1979-1980)
This may be one of the best teams Scott County Central has ever put on the floor, and that is saying something. The Braves were dominant in the 1980s, winning seven state titles and any of those teams could be on this list. After winning the Class 1A state title in 1979, the 1980 team came in to the state tournament with a 28-1 record. Coached by legendary coach Ronnie Cookson and led by all-staters Donnie McClinton, Melvin Porter and Jeff Limbaugh, the Braves' closest game in the state playoffs was a 97-74 win over North Pemiscot in the sectionals. Scott Central won the state title by demolishing Slater 94-52. Slater was led by long-time NBA player Joe Kleine, but the Braves' speed and fast break style was too much. Scott Central averaged 91 points per game in their four-game state tournament run.

Charleston (1982-83)
If Scott County Central was the dominant team in the 1980s, Charleston was a close second with five state titles and a fourth place finish. The 1982-83 may have been the best of all the Bluejay teams in the 80s, all of which were outstanding. They finished the season with a 30-3 record in a very difficult Class 3A. Coached by Lennies McFerren, the Bluejays were led by all-staters Maurice Hope and Michael Morris and had a strong will to win. They defeated Farmington 61-53 in the sectionals before squeezing by Maplewood 54-42 in overtime in the quarterfinals. Charleston blasted Centralia 64-30 in the semifinals before rallying to defeat Warrensburg 71-65 in the championship, led by 20 points from Hope.

Malden (1984-85)
I saw the Green Wave play quite a bit in 1984-85 and it is still one of the better high school teams I have ever seen. Led by Ray Pugh and Robert Ison, known as the Twin Towers, and Donnie Jenkins, Malden went 30-3 with all three losses to out-of-state teams. After getting through a brutal Class 3A District 1 which featured Charleston and New Madrid, Malden blasted Fredericktown in the sectional 79-38. Then in the toughest game of the tournament for the Green Wave, Malden beat McKinley 68-59 led by Pugh's 31 points and three highlight-reel slam dunks late in the game. The Green Wave, coached by Gary Scott, then routed Waynesville 89-49 in the semifinals and Lutheran North 88-67 in the finals. Pugh averaged 30 points per game in the state tournament and went on to have a stellar career for SEMO.

Notre Dame (1986-87)
The second of Notre Dame's back-to-back state championships in the 1980s, the Bulldogs finished the season with a 31-2 record. Coached by Brad Wittenborn, the Bulldogs had a tremendous point guard in Ronnie Ressel and an outstanding player in Danny Dohogne along with Scott Lively and Keith Ressel. The Bulldogs got past a tough Ellington team in the sectionals and then beat Southern Boone 78-69 to reach the semifinals. There they took care of Lathrop 85-71 behind Ronnie Ressel's 20 points and 14 assists. Keith Ressel scored 30 points in the championship game as Notre Dame beat Hartville 74-68 for their second-straight title.

Scott County Central (1987-88)
Maybe the best team on this list, the Braves were undefeated in 1987-88, finishing 34-0 while winning the Class 1A state championship. Another Cookson team, known for their up-tempo and pressing style was led by all-staters Terry Blissett, Jerry Porter and Adrian Thompson and a freshman named Marcus Timmons. The Braves once again rolled through the playoffs starting with a 71-31 thumping of North Pemiscot in the regionals. They then blew past unbeaten Ellington 83-54 in the sectionals and then 78-66 over Clever in the quarterfinals. Scott Central then blew out Harrisburg 87-52 in the semifinals before hammering Walnut Grove 78-53 in the finals for their fourth-straight state championship.

On the bubble teams:
Charleston (1979-80)
Cape Central (1979-80)
Scott County Central (1982-83)
Hayti (1982-83)
Scott County Central (1984-85)
Scott County Central (1985-86)
Charleston (1985-86)
NMCC (1987-88)
Charleston (1988-89)
Scott County Central (1988-89)

Ranking players in the 1980s is nearly impossible and I'm sure I am missing some. But here are my top players of the 80s:

Terry Blissett (Scott County Central): Blissett was a three-time all-stater for Scott County Central and part of three state championship teams in 1986, 1987 and 1988. He was second team all-state in 1986 and first team all-state in 1987 and 1988.
Lamont Frazier (Charleston): Playing at the end of the decade and graduating in the 1990s, you still can't overlook Frazier as one of the top players of the 1980s. He was first team all-state in 1989, and scored 42 of the Bluejays' 55 points in a state semifinal win over Berkeley 55-52. In the championship game he had 23 rebounds to outrebound the entire Marshfield team in a 54-49 win. He went on to have a stellar career at the University of Missouri.
Ray Pugh (Malden): An all-stater in 1985, Pugh led the Green Wave to their only state title in school history. He averaged 30 points per game in the state playoffs including a memorable quarterfinal game in which he matched up against McKinley's highly-touted Roland Gray. Pugh scored 31 and had three monster dunks late to lead Malden to the win. He then had 34 points and 16 rebounds in Malden's semifinal win over Waynesville before scoring 30 in the state title game. He went on to star at SEMO where he played in two Division II national championship games.
Ronnie Ressel (Notre Dame): Ressel was a star on the two Notre Dame state championship teams in 1986 and 1987 and was a first team all-stater both seasons. The point guard finished his career with over 1,000 points and over 700 assists. As a junior he scored four points in the final 30 seconds to give the Bulldogs a sectional win over Twin Rivers and had 16 points and 19 assists in the state semifinal game against Monroe City. His senior year he scored 20 points and had 14 assists in the state semifinal win against Lathrop.
Marcus Timmons (Scott County Central): Another star late in the decade that played into the 90s, Timmons was all-state in 1989 and probably could have been in 1988 as a freshman. He scored 22 points to lead the Braves in a state quarterfinal game as a freshman and then had 18 in the semifinals. His sophomore year he was a force and had 31 points to pace the Braves in a 63-58 overtime win over Clopton in the quarterfinals. He went on to win two more state titles with the Braves in the 90s and then starred at Southern Illinois before playing professionally in Australia.

On the bubble players:
Anthony Beane (Bernie)
Jewel Crawford (Charleston)
Terry Dawson (Bernie)
Danny Dohogne (Notre Dame)
Robert Ison (Malden)
Alfred Jones (Hayti)
Donnie McClinton (Scott County Central)
Michael Morris (Charleston)
Jerry Porter (Scott County Central)
Melvin Porter (Scott County Central)