January 5, 2017
Charleston girls basketball team turns back shorthanded Sikeston 38-36
SIKESTON -- The Christmas break hit both the Sikeston and Charleston girls basketball teams with a period of transition. Sikeston entered Thursday's game down two starters and it got worse when another exited in the second quarter with an injury. Charleston was without Josh Thompson on the sideline. The seventh-year head coach was not in attendance for an undisclosed reason giving way to longtime assistant Dollette Jones...
By Chris Pobst ~ Standard Democrat
SIKESTON -- The Christmas break hit both the Sikeston and Charleston girls basketball teams with a period of transition.
Sikeston entered Thursday's game down two starters and it got worse when another exited in the second quarter with an injury.
Charleston was without Josh Thompson on the sideline. The seventh-year head coach was not in attendance for an undisclosed reason giving way to longtime assistant Dollette Jones.
Jones admitted that taking over the team right before its big matchup with Sikeston wasn't ideal, but it turned out to be a great kickoff to the new year.
Connor Watkins scored 19 points, had 11 rebounds and two blocks to lead Charleston to a 38-36 win at the Sikeston Field House.
Charleston (10-2) hasn't played since Dec. 23 when they lost the Twin Rivers Lady Royals Classic consolation championship. Sikeston is the biggest school on Charleston's schedule nearly every year and also one of, if not their biggest, rival.
"This game was all we talked about and all we planned for," Jones said. "Sikeston came at an inopportune time, but it was okay because we needed this. A win is a win, however we can get it and by getting it done I think it will really boost our girls' confidence."
Ashanti Jones shot 5 for 7 from the free throw line in the final 3:20 to help her to 12 points for Charleston, who grabbed its first win over Sikeston since Feb. 7, 2013.
Events over Sikeston's holiday break helped shape their current situation as well.
Tyeshia Mitchell, the all-state guard and reigning Bob Grey Award winner for the SEMO Conference, was dismissed from the team before Sikeston's three-game stint in the St. Dominic Christmas Tournament.
Starting point guard Kiera Steward suffered an ACL sprain during the same tournament and has been ruled out until further notice.
Another starter, Alexis Boyd, went down against Charleston in the second quarter with a left leg injury and did not return.
The effects of losing their top two scorers in Mitchell and Steward, with Steward also acting as their most experienced ball handler, were felt Thursday for sure during Sikeston's first home game of the season.
Sikeston (4-8) shot 23 percent (13 for 57) from the floor and committed 29 turnovers.
"It's just one freight train after another right now," Sikeston coach Alisha Wills said. "We've just hit hurdle after hurdle after hurdle. But, I told them we have to dig down, get in the trenches and we just have to stand up to everything that keeps trying to knock us down."
Charleston didn't fair much better shooting 11 for 37 (30 percent) from the field with 31 turnovers.
But despite the errors, the Bluejays turned a three-point deficit with 1:36 to play into one of its biggest wins of the season.
"During our transition we wanted to cut down on the turnovers. Maybe the transition needs tweaked a little bit," Jones said. "I still feel like we held it together as a team. They pulled together and thought more. The last three minutes of the ball game was better than the whole first half. They came together and thought about what they were doing."
Charleston led for the first three quarters until a technical on their bench put Sikeston to the free throw line with 7:10 to go in the final quarter.
Larysa McClellon, who finished with seven points and a team-leading 13 rebounds and five steals, buried the free throws to give Sikeston a 25-23 lead.
Sikeston's advantage held for the next 6:38 and never grew to more than three points, but was preserved for most of the fourth quarter by freshman Taydrianna Barnett.
Barnett, who was a last minute addition from their junior varsity squad to help Wills' shorthanded varsity, ended up leading Sikeston with 11 points.
The freshman scored Sikeston's last two field goals, including a three to make it 32-29 and a jumper that made it 34-31 with 1:36 to play.
"She came in and gave us some key buckets," Wills said. "She hasn't practiced with us, doesn't know our offensive plays and was kind of thrown in, but I thought she handled it well for a freshman."
Sikeston's lead eventually stopped at 35-33 when Watkins, who averages 25 points for the Bluejays, finished a 3-point play to put Charleston one-point ahead with 55 seconds to go.
After a miss on Sikeston's end, Watkins added two free throws to make it 38-35 with 25 ticks left. Antravia Green hit the first of one free throw for Sikeston 19 seconds later but the second was grabbed by Watkins, who dribbled out the clock to seal the win.
"She made something happen," Jones said about Watkins. "I could see the confidence in her which is normally not there. She's really stepped up as a leader and more confident being the leader. She certainly led the team tonight and got the job done."
It was a tale of two halves, according to Wills.
Sikeston was held to 10 points on four field goals in the first half while shooting 17 percent (4 for 24) and committing 17 turnovers.
They finished the second half 8 for 32 (25 percent) from the floor and with 12 turnovers.
"If we would have played in the first half like we did in the second half I think things would have been different," Wills said. "We just couldn't find that rhythm. Couldn't find that syncing mechanism you have to have when you're out there on the floor. We had it in the end not in the beginning."
Having a handful of players without close-game, varsity experience, didn't help matters either. Especially having to nurse a small advantage during crunch time.
"It's that experience that really plays a key role right there. In a crucial situation like that you want girls out there who know how to handle that pressure and know what to do when the score and clock is like it is. Every one of these games are going to be a learning experience now. Trying to find the five that works best together and get some relieve off the bench. Just knowing what to do and when to do it. That's going to be a big factor for us.
"I have to hand it to [Charleston]. They battled too and they wanted it. It's such a huge rival for us. Such an emotional rival no matter what. This stung. This stung the girls and hopefully they've learned from it."
Olivia Nash added nine points and six rebounds for Sikeston, who have lost their last four games. It's Sikeston's longest losing streak since the 2012-13 season when they lost their first six games.
"Right now, we can't find the light above the hole to climb out," Wills said. "It's a struggle, but as I told the team, we have to swing back the other way. No team can be given this much and not come back from it. It just seems relentless. Keeping morale boosted and keeping that fight. Some of are seniors aren't used to losing. It's hard. It's hard for them to deal with."
Charleston 9 7 7 15 -- 38
Sikeston 3 7 11 15 -- 36
CHARLESTON (38) -- Ashanti Jones 12, Nicole Hart 1, Connor Watkins 19, Jermanjea Smith 6. FG 11 FT 13-25 F 18. (3-pointers: Jones 1, Watkins 2. Fouled out: Jones.)
SIKESTON (36) -- Antravia Green 3, Larysa McClellon 7, Olivia Nash 9, Zaria Blissett-Hall 5, Sydney Stark 1, Taydrianna Barnett 11. FG 13 FT 9-21 F 17. (3-pointers: Barnett 1. Fouled out: Blissett-Hall.)
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