Strong second half lifts Sikeston over Kennett

KENNETT, Mo. -- For a half, the Kennett Indians gave the No. 3 Class 4 state-ranked Bulldogs all they wanted.

But in the third quarter that all changed as Sikeston flashed its devastating potential.

In a matter of eight minutes, Sikeston turned a close game into a blowout victory, defeating Kennett 80-51 on Friday night in front of a sell-out crowd at Kennett High School.

The victory marks Sikeston's 16th straight over Kennett dating back to 2004 and improves the Bulldogs to 12-2 on the season and 4-0 in the SEMO Conference.

"I was proud of our effort, especially in the second half where I thought we played very well," Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield said. "I thought Kennett played great in the first half, you have to give them credit. Coach [Lennies] McFerren had them very well prepared. They've improved so much since I first saw them play in the SEMO Conference Tournament. This is a very tough place to play and I thought our players really responded well and played great in the third quarter."

Sikeston led 36-31 at the half and battled foul trouble throughout the game, but the Bulldogs exploded with a 32-7 advantage in the third quarter to put the game away.

The Bulldogs caused 12 turnovers in the third quarter alone and caused 28 turnovers in the game.

McFerren said Sikeston's defensive pressure was the difference in the second half.

"Their athleticism, their work ethic and their coaching. Coach Holifield is one of the better coaches that I've ever had the pleasure of working against and he didn't let up," McFerren said. "He didn't think about what the score was. He knew his kids had to come out with more pressure and they responded to him."

In the first half it was Kennett (8-7) taking the fight to the Bulldogs, holding a 17-15 lead after one quarter.

Sikeston gained control in the second quarter, leading by as much as 30-21 after a Kevin Jones pull-up jumper with 4:30 left in the half, but Kennett managed to trim the lead to six by halftime.

McFerren said his team was patient and methodical against Sikeston's defensive pressure in the first half.

"We took our time," he said. "I told them if we can take care of the pressure -- and we did that in the first half. If it takes 10 seconds to get across, let's do that. And they did it. With high school ball players, you can tell them one thing in one minute and in the next five minutes they done forgot about what you told them. And that was the case, we got right back into the mindset of what I was hoping we didn't get into in the first half."

At the start of the third quarter Sikeston blitzed the Indians with an 11-1 run highlighted by Jason Moore's 3-pointer plus the foul. He sank the free throw to give the Bulldogs a 47-32 lead with six minutes left in the period.

After a Dawson Britt basket stopped the bleeding momentarily for the Indians, Sikeston went on a 10-0 run to lead 57-34.

Sikeston's lead continued to grow from there, holding a 68-38 advantage at the end of three.

"We were making passes and were thinking that pass was going to get through there and Sikeston was coming from a distance to pick that pass off," McFerren said. "You can't really practice against something like that. We're glad we had a chance to play them but I wouldn't want to play them every night, I can tell you that."

The mercy clock ran through most of the fourth quarter as reserves closed out the game for both teams.

Bulldog junior Fred Thatch finished with a team-high 23 points with nine rebounds, five assists and four steals in three quarters of action.

Jones followed up with 12 points, four rebounds, five assists and six steals.

"I thought they both played well," Holifield said. "It was a very physical game. We got into some foul trouble and I thought our bench stepped up. We had some outstanding minutes from a lot of guys."

Kennett was led by Jad Kenny's 23 points.

Sikeston will play its first home game in five weeks on Saturday when they take on Class 3 power Whitfield out of St. Louis. Whitfield, a state semifinalist last year, is led by Division I recruit Torrence Watson.

The game will start at 3 p.m. at the Field House. There will be no junior varsity game.

"They're a good team with an outstanding player. It will be a tough task for us," Holifield said.

Sikeston 15 21 32 12 -- 80

Kennett 17 14 7 13 -- 51

SIKESTON (80) -- Fred Thatch 23, Kevin Jones 12, Jason Moore 9, Don Larry 8, Trey Jenkins 8, Payton Howard 8, Phayzun Fobbs 2, Elijah Faulkner 2, B.J. Hill 2, Dylon Mills 2, JeQuan Ray 2, Clark Steward 1, Camden Sapp 1. FG 25, FT 9-15, F 19. (3-pointers: Howard 2, Moore 2, Jones 2, Thatch 1. Fouled out: none).

KENNETT (51) -- Jad Kenny 23, Jarvis Stewart 7, Ty'reik Thomas 4, Dawson Britt 4, Jaylean Kinnon 4, Jay Davis 3, Patrick Maddox 3, Cameron West 3. FG 20, FT 8-19, F 10. (3-pointers: West 1. Fouled out: none).

Junior varsity

Sikeston's junior varsity improved to 7-2 on the season with a 58-37 win over Kennett.

JeQuan Ray and Clark Steward each had 15 points for the Bulldogs. Payton Howard had 11 points in a half of action.

Steward also had seven rebounds, seven steals, three assists and two blocks. B.J. Hill had seven assists.

Sikeston 17 14 14 13 -- 58

Kennett 10 6 11 10 -- 37

SIKESTON (58) -- JeQuan Ray 15, Clark Steward 15, Payton Howard 11, Larandis Phillips 6, Dylon Mills 4, B.J. Hill 4, Elijah Faulkner 3. FG 14, FT 15-18, F 9. (3-pointers: Ray 3, Faulkner 1, Howard 1. Fouled out: none).

KENNETT (37) -- Quav'aun Harrell 11, Tahmiius Mitchell 10, Laquez Pulliam 8, Clark Wagster 6, Matthew Hamer 1, Joemazion Williams 1. FG 11, FT 3-8, F 10. (3-pointers: Harrell 3, Pulliam 1. Fouled out: none).