sports@standard-democrat.com
CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- The Caruthersville Tigers have had this game circled on the calendar for a while.
The atmosphere was electric. The gym was packed. And the team was pumped up for visiting state-ranked Sikeston on Thursday night.
The Tigers put up a fight, but it wasn't enough to topple the Bulldogs as Sikeston pulled away for an 84-71 victory on Senior Night at Caruthersville High School.
With a stellar shooting performance in the first half, Sikeston (21-1) appeared on the verge of blowing the Tigers out of the gym. However, Caruthersville would not go quietly.
The Tigers rallied and cut the score to three points in the fourth quarter but couldn't get any closer as the Bulldogs handed the Tigers its first home loss this season.
"They're very difficult to play against, especially at home," Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield. "They played with great energy and effort. You could tell it was a very meaningful game for them. They were playing with a lot of emotion. Our guys sustained their big push in the third quarter and I thought we did some great things late in the game."
Caruthersville coach Lamonte Bell said he wanted to use Thursday's game as a measuring stick for his team.
"I told my guys that if we can come in and compete and play with Sikeston then I like our chances in our district and that's what it's all about," Bell said. "That's why I kept Sikeston on our schedule. It's a good game for our guys because we won't see a team that good from here on out."
Caruthersville had moments when it stole the game's momentum and were on the cusp of pulling off a major upset, but the Tigers' short bench led to fatigue late in the game.
Caruthersville cut Sikeston's lead to 71-68 with three minutes left on an offensive putback by Tyrone Alston, but that was the last chance for the Tigers as Sikeston took control with an 11-0 run to ice the game.
Fred Thatch sank two free throws and then scored on an inbounds play to extend the lead to 75-68.
On the ensuing possession, after a big defensive stop by the Bulldogs, Thatch drove towards the basket and fired a pass to Dominique Dyes for a wide open corner 3-pointer to open up the lead to 78-68 with 1:48 left.
The Bulldogs' defense continued to get stops while Thatch made two free throws, Kevin Jones scored a breakaway layup and Dyes made two free throws to give Sikeston an 82-68 lead.
A long 3-pointer by Tallon Fonda with 20 seconds to go finally snapped the drought for the Tigers, but the game was essentially over.
"I thought our guys did a good job of staying under control because it's easy to lose control here," Holifield said. "I thought we worked well together. It's a very positive night for us walking out of here with a win."
Thatch had his customary stat-stuffing game, finishing with 25 points, 14 rebounds and six assists.
Dyes followed up with 23 points and six assists.
"Great leadership," Holifield said of Thatch and Dyes. "They really did a good job of controlling things -- helping to control the tempo. I thought they both really played well."
The first half of the game was high-octane.
Sikeston drilled six 3-pointers in the opening quarter to take a 25-20 lead.
The Bulldogs' second quarter was its strongest of the night as they continued the hot shooting and led by as much as 17 points on two different occasions, last coming on a Jason Moore 3-pointer on a kick-out assist by Earnest Fobbs to lead 51-34 with 30 seconds left in the half.
The Tigers' Deandre Davis scored an offensive putback with five seconds left to cut the lead to 51-36 by halftime.
It was a critical time late in the second quarter as Thatch and Juwon Kimble were both on the bench with foul trouble, allowing the Sikeston bench to step up and help extend the lead.
"I thought our bench really played outstanding tonight," Holifield said. "I thought Earnest played great minutes. Deterio [Newman] played great minutes. And then Jason Moore and Sam [Cox] came in and really did a good job for us. We got some foul trouble. They came in and held us together and did some good things."
Sikeston sizzled in the first half, making 10 of 15 (67 percent) from 3-point range.
Caruthersville (14-9) quickly climbed back into the game with an 11-0 run to start the third quarter, cutting the Sikeston lead to 51-47.
The Tigers eventually got as close as 55-52 after a deep 3-pointer by Alston, but a Dyes drive to the basket, two Dyes free throws and a jumper by Kimble helped build the lead back to 10. The Bulldogs carried a 64-54 lead into the fourth quarter.
Caruthersville had one final rally, but Sikeston was able to maintain its advantage the rest of the way.
The Tigers forced the Bulldogs into a season-high 19 turnovers.
"They are the quickest team we've played against," Holifield said. "I thought they did a good job. They put pressure on the ball. They worked hard. No doubt they are the quickest team that we've played against. I think they're super talented. Their coach is doing a great job with them. They have the potential to do some great things."
Sikeston barely out-rebounded the Tigers 35 to 33 in the game.
The Bulldogs finished the night shooting 11 of 20 (55 percent) from 3-point range. Overall Sikeston shot 28 of 60 (47 percent) from the field.
But one of the big differences in the game was from the free throw line where Sikeston shot a season-best 17 of 18 (94 percent) compared to Caruthersville's 8 of 17 (47 percent).
"The other night we shot the ball 21 of 25 from the free throw line and tonight I don't think we made four free throws," Bell said. "That was a big difference in the game."
Sikeston's pressure defense caused 16 turnovers on the Tigers, but it was the Bulldogs' halfcourt defense that created the most havoc for Caruthersville as they had trouble scoring inside.
"I think the biggest thing is they made us rush our shots under the basket," Bell said. "We missed a lot of shots in the paint. That hurt us. You can't do that against a team like Sikeston. We knew they would have runs but we had to maintain it. I felt we did. We made some quick buckets and got a few turnovers, but then we went back in our drought where we missed easy buckets. But that's what a great team does, they make you miss easy buckets and make you turn the ball over."
Caruthersville was led by Fonda, a 6-foot-5 junior, with 18 points while Alston added 14.
Jones had 16 points, four rebounds and four assists for the Bulldogs. Kimble had 12 points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.
"Sikeston is awesome," Bell said. "They're a great team. I love the competition. I'm looking forward to playing those guys again next year. I love the intensity and love how hard their guys work."
Sikeston will play at Bernie tonight with junior varsity action starting at 6 p.m.
Sikeston 25 26 13 20 -- 84
Caruthersville 20 16 18 17 -- 71
SIKESTON (84) -- Fred Thatch 25, Dominique Dyes 23, Kevin Jones 16, Juwon Kimble 12, Marquan Nelson 3, Jason Moore 3, Earnest Fobbs 2. FG 28, FT 17-18, F 15. (3-pointers: Dyes 4, Jones 3, Thatch 2, Nelson 1, Moore 1. Fouled out: none).
CARUTHERSVILLE (71) -- Tallon Fonda 18, Tyrone Alston 14, Lamonte Bell 13, Destin Russell 9, George Qualls 9, Deandre Davis 8. FG 29, FT 8-17, F 16. (3-pointers: Alston 2, Fonda 2, Bell 1. Fouled out: none).
JV -- Sikeston won 77-37.