February 20, 2015
Sikeston gets back on track with 81-60 win over Bernie
sports@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- Winter weather has wreaked havoc on area basketball schedules, including the Sikeston Bulldogs which had two games cancelled this week. But the Bulldogs were finally able to take to the court on Thursday and they didn't seem to miss a beat as they defeated Bernie 81-60 on Senior Night at the Field House...
By Derek James -- Standard Democrat
sports@standard-democrat.com
SIKESTON -- Winter weather has wreaked havoc on area basketball schedules, including the Sikeston Bulldogs which had two games cancelled this week.
But the Bulldogs were finally able to take to the court on Thursday and they didn't seem to miss a beat as they defeated Bernie 81-60 on Senior Night at the Field House.
Sikeston's offense was clicking as well as it had all season as they drained a season-high 10 3-pointers on just 18 attempts while sinking 11 of 12 free throws.
Bulldog coach Gregg Holifield said after last Friday's dismal offensive performance against Cape Central in which the team scored a season-low 50 points, he had his team work almost exclusively on offense and shooting.
The extra work paid off on Thursday.
"We've practiced well," Holifield said. "This bunch comes in every day and they work hard. We've had very few problems. It seems like every time we have a point of emphasis on something in practice whether it be offensively, defensively, or rebounding, our guys really come out and work. This bunch has been through a lot of adversity this year and I'm really proud of their effort. We've won seven out of eight games, so we're playing well at a good time."
In addition to the shooting performance, the Bulldogs got a stellar game from freshman Fred Thatch, who tallied 29 points on 9 of 13 shooting, including 2 of 2 from 3-point range. He also had 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
"He's just outstanding," Bernie coach Brad Botsch said of Thatch. "He's tough to stop. For a freshman, the way he does things and the way he carries himself, you can tell he's got a great head on his shoulders. He works hard and he really had a nice night for them."
The Bulldogs (13-8) started the game well, taking an 11-3 lead, but Bernie 6-foot-2 senior Caleb Ellenburg began to establish his dominance in the paint as he scored eight-straight points to tie the game. The Mules eventually led by as much as 15-11 after its 12-0 run, but Thatch hit a pair of free throws to cut the Bernie lead to 15-13 after one quarter.
Sikeston started to find its groove in the second quarter with Thatch tying the game on an alley-oop slam and then moments later tying it once again on his first 3-pointer of the season.
The score was still tied 22-22 but the Bulldogs began to pull away on a Donnell Cobb 3-pointer and a left-handed floater from Jaylen Mallory.
Ellenburg stopped the run briefly with a basket, but Thatch drained another 3-pointer than then dished to Juwon Kimble on a fastbreak for a two-handed jam to give the Bulldogs a 33-24 halftime lead.
"We really worked hard this week on sharing the basketball and I thought tonight we shared the ball well and had good spacing," Holifield said.
In the third quarter, Bernie trimmed the lead to 35-29 on an Ellenburg 3-pointer, but Thatch answered with a two-handed slam in traffic and another inside basket to extend the lead to 39-29. The Mules got as close as seven, but Sikeston went on a 9-0 run to push the lead to double digits.
Junior guard Dominique Dyes began to heat up in the third quarter, hitting three of his season-high six 3-pointers. He was 6 of 10 from beyond the arc to tie his season high with 20 points.
"Dominique's a great shooter and you've seen at times how good he can be and tonight was one of those nights he shot well," Holifield said.
In the fourth quarter, an Ellenburg 3-point play cut the lead to 64-49, but Sikeston's Kimble brought the home crowd to its feet with a rousing alley-oop slam dunk from Dyes. The Bulldogs continued the momentum the rest of the way as Bernie got no closer than 16 the rest of the way and trailed by as much as 23.
The Bulldogs' perimeter shooting made things difficult for the Mules' defense.
"That made it tough," Botsch said. "They shot the ball extremely well. We did everything we can to try to get out on them, but if you get spread out too much then they hurt you inside. They've got some real weapons and they're playing well."
Sikeston's pressure defense forced 15 turnovers on the Mules while turning the ball over just six times themselves.
Sikeston also out-rebounded Bernie 25 to 18 and the Bulldogs shot 30-55 (55 percent) overall from the field.
"Sikeston's just relentless," Botsch said. "We knew we would have to play well for four quarters to be able to have a chance to beat them. They're relentless with their pressure. Their coaching staff does a great job. They changed some things up there and kind of made us speed up a little bit more than we wanted to do. It just kept unraveling for us just a little bit."
Bernie (20-5) was led by Ellenburg's 36 points, including 26 in the second half.
"I've been coaching a lot of years and he may have had more points than anybody we've ever played against," Holifield said of Ellenburg. "I can't remember off the top of my head, but he did a great job and what a good player he is. Bernie's such an outstanding program. They're so well-coached. They always come in here and compete and play hard. I wish Bernie the very best. They do things the right way."
Kimble finished with eight points while Cobb added seven points with five assists and four steals.
Thursday's win is the Bulldogs' sixth straight over the Mules since the series was renewed. Bernie, seeded second in Class 2, District 1, will begin district play on Saturday.
"We feel great about just having the chance to come play Sikeston," Botsch said. "We appreciate them playing us because it's great preparation for us going into district. It's a great atmosphere here. They have a great program and tradition and we really like coming over here and playing them."
Sikeston has added a new game on Wednesday at Washington High School in Washington, Mo. It is a varsity only contest starting at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs will close the regular season next Friday at DeSoto.
Bernie 15 9 19 17 -- 60
Sikeston 13 20 25 23 -- 81
BERNIE (60) -- Caleb Ellenburg 36, Brandon Sparks 11, Logan Woods 5, Matt Vernon 4, Gavin Smith 4. FG 18, FT 9-12, F 10. (3-pointers: Sparks 3, Woods 1, Ellenburg 1. Fouled out: none).
SIKESTON (81) -- Fred Thatch 29, Dominique Dyes 20, Juwon Kimble 8, Donnell Cobb 7, Corbyn Blissett 4, Jaylen Mallory 4, Luke Williams 4, Marquan Nelson 3, Earnest Fobbs 2. FG 20, FT 11-12, F 16. (3-pointers: Dyes 6, Thatch 2, Cobb 1, Nelson 1. Fouled out: none).
__Junior varsity__
Sikeston's J.V. team improved to 12-4 on the season with a 71-36 win over Bernie's junior varsity.
Sikeston was led by Phayzun Fobbs with 15 points. Don Larry added 14 points and five steals. Marquan Nelson scored 12 points. Sam Cox added eight points with five rebounds and four assists.
Bernie 6 14 11 5 -- 36
Sikeston 19 21 12 19 -- 71
BERNIE (36) -- Gavin Brown 14, Dalton Hobgood 6, Nate Dillinger 4, Alan Pippins 4, Riley Wells 4, Alex Guzman 2, Ridge Littleton 2. FG 10, FT 10-12, F 4. (3-pointers: Hobgood 2. Fouled out: none).
SIKESTON (71) -- Phayzun Fobbs 15, Don Larry 14, Marquan Nelson 12, Sam Cox 8, Chris Appleton 7, Camden Sapp 4, Austin Branch 4, Keyth Blissett 3, Bryce Bays 2, Dylon Mills 2. FG 25, FT 3-5, F 12. (3-pointers: Nelson 3, Blissett 1, Fobbs 1, Appleton 1. Fouled out: none).
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