***Another great article by Derek James... .. .C =)~
Sikeston claims third straight Fort Zumwalt North Tournament crown
Saturday, January 28, 2017
By Derek James ~ Standard Democrat
The Sikeston Bulldogs basketball team poses with the championship trophy after defeating Priory in Fort Zumwalt North Tournament Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, in O'Fallon, Mo.
O'FALLON, Mo. -- If the Sikeston Bulldogs have a home away from home, it may be in O'Fallon, Mo.
The Bulldogs continued their dominance in the St. Louis suburb with another tournament victory on Friday night, defeating third-seeded Priory 72-63 in the finals of the 55th Annual Fort Zumwalt North Invitational Tournament, marking Sikeston's third straight championship in the tournament.
Earlier this season, Sikeston won its sixth St. Dominic Christmas Tournament championship in the last seven years, also located in O'Fallon.
Add it all up, and Sikeston has compiled a staggering record of 29-1 in the two tournaments since 2010.
Friday night was no different as top-seeded Sikeston had some trouble putting away the Rebels, who made the Bulldogs sweat a little bit in the final minute, but never could overcome a 21-point fourth quarter deficit.
"Considering the travel all week, five-hour bus rides every day there and back, it takes its toll on you a little bit and I was proud of the effort I had from the kids throughout the week," Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield said. "Most teams don't travel throughout a week like this so it really shows some character for our guys to keep their focus against a tough team tonight. It takes mental toughness and our guys have shown that."
None showed it more than Sikeston junior all-state guard Fred Thatch, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after another monster performance. His stat-line: 31 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists, five steals.
"He played great," Holifield said of Thatch. "I thought he had great leadership out on the floor. He was very aggressive. He did some great things and helped us win the game. Not just his scoring, but all facets of the game."
Priory (12-4), an all-boys Class 4 private school in St. Louis, proved that its semifinal win over No. 2 seed and Class 4's fourth-ranked Jefferson City Helias was no fluke.
The Bulldogs and Rebels battled through the first quarter to an 8-8 tie before the Bulldogs established control with an 11-4 run to close out the quarter after Sikeston sophomore Kevin Jones hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left.
Sikeston started the game 0 for 9 from 3-point range until Jones' 3 and it was a trend that lasted the rest of the night as the Bulldogs hit just 3 of 22 (14 percent) from beyond the arc.
"I thought we had great shots," Holifield said. "The shots that we took were inside-out and great rhythm. I'll take those shots again and we'll make those night in and night out."
Sikeston (16-2) began to open up its advantage in the second quarter, holding a lead by as much as 37-21 late in the period, but Priory closed the half on an 8-2 run to cut the Bulldog lead to 39-29 by halftime.
Thatch had 20 points in the first half. Sikeston forced 13 turnovers in the first half and 22 for the game.
"We knew they were up-tempo with shooters and certainly Thatch is a great player," Priory coach Bob McCormack said. "We wanted to try to contain him as much as we could but he got loose on us a little bit. We allowed too many offensive rebounds that they converted into points and we turned it over too much. It's okay to turn it over and play a little defense but our turnovers resulted in baskets for them."
The third quarter had a slower pace but Priory could not make a dent in Sikeston's lead, 51-41 heading into the fourth quarter.
Sikeston asserted its dominance at the beginning of the fourth, starting the period with an 11-0 run to push its lead to 62-41, the biggest lead of the night.
From there Priory ratcheted up its defense in desperation and Sikeston had some struggles, turning the ball over that led directly to layups for the Rebels.
"They were really aggressive," Thatch said. "They play good as a team and they can knock down the 3 so it was a challenge for us. They pressed us at the end. They really put us through it because we're young but we're going to get through it and get better in late-game situations."
Priory steadily chipped away at the lead and eventually got as close as 66-60 with 1:01 left in the game after a John Forshaw 3-pointer.
"You have to give them credit, they did a great job," Holifield said of Priory. "They changed defenses. They were trapping. They're just a good team. They're hard to go against."
Jones sank two free throws seven seconds later to increase the lead to eight and then Jones had a steal and a layup and sophomore Trey Jenkins scored a layup after another Priory turnover to give the Bulldogs a 72-60 lead with 20 seconds left.
Forshaw hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to reach the final margin.
"Our kids battled and for them to come out and have a showing like this -- I'm extremely proud of them," McCormack said. "We've got nine games left on our schedule and for us to play a team like Sikeston at this stage of the season is extremely important. It's going to help us in the next stretch of games and also in district play."
Sikeston dominated the boards despite Priory's size advantage, out-rebounding the Rebels 44 to 23. Sikeston also had 21 offensive rebounds.
"I mean just box out and crash. Crash as a team. That's the only thing I can say about that," Thatch said of the rebounding discrepancy.
Thatch was joined on the all-tournament team by Jenkins, who finished the night with 14 points and nine rebounds.
"I thought Trey had a good week," Holifield said. "He's gotten better defensively and he played very well. For being just a sophomore, he's maturing and growing up in a hurry because he's going up against a lot of size and aggression in there. You can see him getting better daily."
Jones finished with 11 points, four rebounds, five assists and eight steals.
Forshaw led Priory with 24 points.
The Bulldogs will be back on the road next Friday for a pivotal SEMO Conference matchup against Poplar Bluff with junior varsity starting at 6 p.m.
Priory 12 17 12 22 -- 63
Sikeston 19 20 12 21 -- 72
PRIORY (63) -- John Forshaw 24, Dan Kacmarek 15, Frankie Kostecki 10, Brett Greiner 6, Charlie Ferrick 4, James Dimitroff 4. FG 18, FT 15-21, F 13. (3-pointers: Forshaw 3, Kacmarek 1. Fouled out: none).
SIKESTON (72) -- Fred Thatch 31, Trey Jenkins 14, Kevin Jones 11, Payton Howard 8, Don Larry 7, Jason Moore 1. FG 25, FT 13-17, F 17. (3-pointers: Thatch 2, Jones 1. Fouled out: none).
Sikeston claims third straight Fort Zumwalt North Tournament crown
Saturday, January 28, 2017
By Derek James ~ Standard Democrat
The Sikeston Bulldogs basketball team poses with the championship trophy after defeating Priory in Fort Zumwalt North Tournament Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, in O'Fallon, Mo.
O'FALLON, Mo. -- If the Sikeston Bulldogs have a home away from home, it may be in O'Fallon, Mo.
The Bulldogs continued their dominance in the St. Louis suburb with another tournament victory on Friday night, defeating third-seeded Priory 72-63 in the finals of the 55th Annual Fort Zumwalt North Invitational Tournament, marking Sikeston's third straight championship in the tournament.
Earlier this season, Sikeston won its sixth St. Dominic Christmas Tournament championship in the last seven years, also located in O'Fallon.
Add it all up, and Sikeston has compiled a staggering record of 29-1 in the two tournaments since 2010.
Friday night was no different as top-seeded Sikeston had some trouble putting away the Rebels, who made the Bulldogs sweat a little bit in the final minute, but never could overcome a 21-point fourth quarter deficit.
"Considering the travel all week, five-hour bus rides every day there and back, it takes its toll on you a little bit and I was proud of the effort I had from the kids throughout the week," Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield said. "Most teams don't travel throughout a week like this so it really shows some character for our guys to keep their focus against a tough team tonight. It takes mental toughness and our guys have shown that."
None showed it more than Sikeston junior all-state guard Fred Thatch, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after another monster performance. His stat-line: 31 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists, five steals.
"He played great," Holifield said of Thatch. "I thought he had great leadership out on the floor. He was very aggressive. He did some great things and helped us win the game. Not just his scoring, but all facets of the game."
Priory (12-4), an all-boys Class 4 private school in St. Louis, proved that its semifinal win over No. 2 seed and Class 4's fourth-ranked Jefferson City Helias was no fluke.
The Bulldogs and Rebels battled through the first quarter to an 8-8 tie before the Bulldogs established control with an 11-4 run to close out the quarter after Sikeston sophomore Kevin Jones hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left.
Sikeston started the game 0 for 9 from 3-point range until Jones' 3 and it was a trend that lasted the rest of the night as the Bulldogs hit just 3 of 22 (14 percent) from beyond the arc.
"I thought we had great shots," Holifield said. "The shots that we took were inside-out and great rhythm. I'll take those shots again and we'll make those night in and night out."
Sikeston (16-2) began to open up its advantage in the second quarter, holding a lead by as much as 37-21 late in the period, but Priory closed the half on an 8-2 run to cut the Bulldog lead to 39-29 by halftime.
Thatch had 20 points in the first half. Sikeston forced 13 turnovers in the first half and 22 for the game.
"We knew they were up-tempo with shooters and certainly Thatch is a great player," Priory coach Bob McCormack said. "We wanted to try to contain him as much as we could but he got loose on us a little bit. We allowed too many offensive rebounds that they converted into points and we turned it over too much. It's okay to turn it over and play a little defense but our turnovers resulted in baskets for them."
The third quarter had a slower pace but Priory could not make a dent in Sikeston's lead, 51-41 heading into the fourth quarter.
Sikeston asserted its dominance at the beginning of the fourth, starting the period with an 11-0 run to push its lead to 62-41, the biggest lead of the night.
From there Priory ratcheted up its defense in desperation and Sikeston had some struggles, turning the ball over that led directly to layups for the Rebels.
"They were really aggressive," Thatch said. "They play good as a team and they can knock down the 3 so it was a challenge for us. They pressed us at the end. They really put us through it because we're young but we're going to get through it and get better in late-game situations."
Priory steadily chipped away at the lead and eventually got as close as 66-60 with 1:01 left in the game after a John Forshaw 3-pointer.
"You have to give them credit, they did a great job," Holifield said of Priory. "They changed defenses. They were trapping. They're just a good team. They're hard to go against."
Jones sank two free throws seven seconds later to increase the lead to eight and then Jones had a steal and a layup and sophomore Trey Jenkins scored a layup after another Priory turnover to give the Bulldogs a 72-60 lead with 20 seconds left.
Forshaw hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to reach the final margin.
"Our kids battled and for them to come out and have a showing like this -- I'm extremely proud of them," McCormack said. "We've got nine games left on our schedule and for us to play a team like Sikeston at this stage of the season is extremely important. It's going to help us in the next stretch of games and also in district play."
Sikeston dominated the boards despite Priory's size advantage, out-rebounding the Rebels 44 to 23. Sikeston also had 21 offensive rebounds.
"I mean just box out and crash. Crash as a team. That's the only thing I can say about that," Thatch said of the rebounding discrepancy.
Thatch was joined on the all-tournament team by Jenkins, who finished the night with 14 points and nine rebounds.
"I thought Trey had a good week," Holifield said. "He's gotten better defensively and he played very well. For being just a sophomore, he's maturing and growing up in a hurry because he's going up against a lot of size and aggression in there. You can see him getting better daily."
Jones finished with 11 points, four rebounds, five assists and eight steals.
Forshaw led Priory with 24 points.
The Bulldogs will be back on the road next Friday for a pivotal SEMO Conference matchup against Poplar Bluff with junior varsity starting at 6 p.m.
Priory 12 17 12 22 -- 63
Sikeston 19 20 12 21 -- 72
PRIORY (63) -- John Forshaw 24, Dan Kacmarek 15, Frankie Kostecki 10, Brett Greiner 6, Charlie Ferrick 4, James Dimitroff 4. FG 18, FT 15-21, F 13. (3-pointers: Forshaw 3, Kacmarek 1. Fouled out: none).
SIKESTON (72) -- Fred Thatch 31, Trey Jenkins 14, Kevin Jones 11, Payton Howard 8, Don Larry 7, Jason Moore 1. FG 25, FT 13-17, F 17. (3-pointers: Thatch 2, Jones 1. Fouled out: none).
