C5D1: Farmer and Sadler lead Sikeston to third consecutive district championship

FARMINGTON, Mo. — While some teams chase championships, Sikeston's trophy case never seems to stop growing — and this one came with a little extra motivation.

The No. 1 Bulldogs (26-3, 7-0 SEMO) posted a convincing 95-69 victory at Farmington in the Class 5 District 1 Championship on Monday, March 10, avenging an earlier loss to the No. 4 Knights (26-3, 5-0 Mineral Area) and securing a third consecutive district title.

“Farmington has a great team,” said Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield. “But our guys had the potential and the capabilities of playing so much better than we did. They believed in what we were doing and have really worked hard.”

Sikeston's latest win marks the program’s 29th district championship overall. Under Holifield’s guidance, the Bulldogs have won 15 of 18 district championship appearances.

This is the program’s third district championship three-peat, joining an exclusive list. Sikeston’s most impressive streak came between 2009 and 2013, winning five consecutive titles.

“You don’t have to motivate players for district championships,” Holifield said. “You know they're going to be focused and ready to play. I was very proud of their effort tonight.”

The Bulldogs’ offense mostly revolved around a pair of future SEMO Redhawks. PJ Farmer lit up the scoreboard with 34 points, shooting 13-for-16 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from deep. It was the most points Farmer has scored in a Sikeston uniform.

“PJ did everything he could to help us win,” Holifield said. “That's one of the biggest compliments you can give a player.”

Trace Sadler, who will join Farmer in Cape Girardeau next season, was nearly perfect. In his most dominant game, he scored 20 points on 9-for-9 shooting while contributing eight rebounds, five blocks, and three assists.

“I don't know if I've ever had a player improve as much as Trace Sadler has from a freshman to senior,” Holifield said. “You're seeing his potential and he's just getting better and better and better.”

Sadler’s presence has been impossible to ignore over the past few months. He’s been playing like a man on a mission, and when you’ve got a player that big, with that kind of skill set, playing like this, the game starts to feel out of reach for anyone trying to stop him.

A big reason for Sadler’s late-season surge is the trust he’s earned from his teammates, creating more opportunities for him to impact the game.

“That comes from his work ethic and his attitude,” Holifield said. “Our players really believe in him. And again, that's one of the biggest compliments you can give. He just improved tremendously. And he's going to continue to improve because he's got so much ability and he's such a great kid.”

Whatever questions existed before tipoff didn’t last long, and by the end of the first quarter, it was obvious—there was no scheme, no adjustment, no way to counter the tempo and talent taking over the game.

Sadler’s defensive rebound led to a Farmer transition bucket, and with a little more than two minutes left in the first quarter, Sikeston was already up double digits. Chris Artis added a steal and score, Tristan Wiggins finished in transition, and just like that, the Bulldogs led 23-8.

Farmington responded early in the second, trimming the deficit to 27-17 after Cannon Roth and Austin Knight capitalized on second-chance points. But Sikeston answered just as quickly, stretching the margin back to 18 after McCray converted an offensive rebound.

The Knights made another push with Cannon and Knight knocking down a pair of 3-pointers to cut the gap to 43-32.

But just before halftime, Farmer banked in a deep 3-pointer, sending Sikeston into the break with a 49-34 lead.

“It was all about us in with that killer instinct and the right mentality,” Farmer said. “This one meant so much to us because of all the preparation. We got focused and locked in, and it sure did pay off.”

Despite holding a 15-point lead at the break, Sikeston’s rebounding began to falter at the tail end of the first half. That issue was swiftly corrected after the break, as the Bulldogs took control of the boards, particularly on the offensive end.

Sadler, Farmer, and Wiggins each collected a critical offensive rebound to start the second half, pushing the lead to 21. Farmington battled to stay in the game, but Sikeston showed no mercy.

“The last three minutes of the first half, we got whipped on the boards and that's not who we are,” Holifield said. “We challenged them at halftime to rebound and be more aggressive, and they did a good job.”

The Bulldogs capitalized on every mistake, forcing 22 turnovers and turning them into fast-break points, which helped them build a commanding 70-45 lead by the end of the third quarter.

“Our whole gameplan, pretty much, was to attack the rim and score around the goal,” Farmer said.

The game’s tempo only accelerated in the fourth quarter, with Sikeston threatening to invoke the mercy rule.

Farmer’s fast-break bucket with 4:53 left sealed the deal, initiating the running clock.

Then, just a few moments later, Wiggins provided the exclamation point, soaring for a one-handed dunk over a defender that sent a clear message: this game was over.

“We really prepared well, our guys have worked hard and it's carrying over, Holifield said. “I thought we had great aggression and did a great job, offensively, of attacking, and that's how we have to play.”

Kobe Thomas added 13 points, and Wiggins chipped in 11, both shooting 5-of-9 from the field. Wiggins also contributed five assists, two steals, and two rebounds.

McCray filled up the stat sheet with 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and five steals, helping to anchor the defense and transition play. Artis was steady, contributing seven points, five rebounds, and two steals.

Sikeston now sets its sights on a top-ranked showdown, hosting No. 2 Webster Groves (24-5, 6-0 Suburban-Yellow) in the Class 5 quarterfinals on Friday, March 14.

“It’s going to be a great atmosphere and we’re playing a great team,” Holifield said. “We have to compete hard, and it's going to take our fans to help us. But what a great situation to have a home game. It’s a great advantage.”

SIKESTON 95, FARMINGTON 69

Sikeston 25 24 21 25 — 95

Farmington 11 23 11 24 — 69

Sikeston (95) — PJ Farmer 34, Trace Sadler 20, Kobe Thomas 13, Tristan Wiggins 11, Lekereon McCray 10, Chris Artis 7. FG: 39. FT: 10-13. F: 10. (3-pointers: Farmer 3, Thomas 3, Wiggins 1. Fouled out: None.)

Farmington (69) — Cannon Roth 17, Logan Schaupert 14, Grayson Street 12, Austin Knight 8, Tatem Tinsley 6, Cooper Tripp 5, Ryder Gollaher 4, Corey Crawford 3. FG: 27. FT: 4-5. F: 13. (3-pointers: Street 4, Tinsley 2, Schaupert 2, Crawford 1, Roth 1, Tripp 1. Fouled out: None.)