Delta Bobcats beat Delta C-7 Chargers in season opener

Delta junior Ryan Jeffries, number four, goes up for a breakaway layup during the final quarter of their 78-56 victory over Delta C-7.

Photo by Kaelin Triggs, Delta Dunklin Democrat.

DEERING, Mo. - The Chargers of Delta C-7 opened up their boys basketball season on Friday night against the Bobcats of Delta (R-V).

In their first competition of the year, the Bobcats beat the Chargers 78-56 to start their 2024-2025 campaign 1-0.

The night started after a thrilling JV match, where the Chargers came back from a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Junior Micah Rose scored 17 points in the second half to tie the game, sending it to Overtime.

They went on to hold the Bobcats to only five points in OT and seal the deal with a 71-68 victory.

Coach Dye, happy with the comeback victory, expressed his hopes to get a win on the Varsity squad.

However, Delta C-7 struggled to keep up with the Bobcats in the first quarter of the varsity game. They trailed by 39-21 heading into the half.

Delta’s Junior Ryan Jeffries applied a lot of the damage to the Chargers. He matched Delta C-7, scoring 21 points by himself in the first half.

Senior Davon Stewart from Delta C-7 made efforts to keep pace. He swished in two threes in the opening minutes and added six points in the second quarter for a total of 12 at halftime.

Delta C-7 junior CJ Wallace knocks down a pair of free throws in the Charger’s home opener against Delta R-V.

Photo by Kaelin Triggs, Delta Dunklin Democrat.

In the second half, junior Carlos (CJ) Wallace made big strides to reel the Bobcats back in.

He had 12 points in the third quarter and they were able to hold Jeffries to only three. The Chargers outscored the Bobcats 19-18, attempting a second-half comeback much like their JV squad accomplished.

However, Delta R-V regained their rhythm in the final quarter. It was their highest-scoring quarter, putting up 23 points compared to the Chargers who had 16 in the fourth.

Bobcats head coach Toby Heeb was pleased with the performance but still expected more from his squad.

“I thought we played hard on defense,” Heeb said. “We rebound pretty well throughout the game and we ran in transition like we wanted and shot pretty well. This is only our first game and I thought we came out with a lot of adrenaline. Once we calmed down, things began to settle and click.”

Jeffries started his junior season by dropping 30 points. Junior Bryce Cox aided with 16 points of his own.

For the Chargers, Stewart was the leading scorer with 23 points while Wallace finished with 16 points.

According to MSHSAA, this was the first time in recent history these two teams have faced each other.

The Bobcat’s next competition will be the Current River Challenge at Van Buren. Their first game in this tournament will be against the Van Buren Bulldogs.

“I think for our next game we need to finish around the rim a lot better,” Heeb said. “We missed a ton of shots that I know these guys can normally make.”

Delta C-7’s next game will be at the Bulldog Classic, hosted by Gideon. The first round of this tournament pins the Chargers against South Pemiscot. This game will be on Monday, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m.