Sikeston bounces back strong with win over Dexter in SEMO showdown

SIKESTON — After a taxing stretch of road games, Sikeston relished its return to the Field House, securing a much-needed 73-42 SEMO Conference victory over Dexter on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Battling the flu bug that’s affected many area teams, the Class 5, No. 1 ranked Bulldogs showed resilience and used the energy of their home crowd to pull away from the outmanned Bearcats (9-11, 1-3 SEMO).

“Like every team in the area, we have battled the flu,” said Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield. “It’s hurt us, but hopefully, now we’re starting to get well. We just have to try to stay healthy and keep working. Tonight, we came out with good intensity and effort. Our guys competed and played tough.”

Sikeston came out aggressive, opening with a 6-0 run behind a 3-pointer from Lekereon McCray and a traditional 3-point finish from P.J. Farmer, who grabbed an offensive rebound and powered through for contact.

Dexter responded quickly, cutting the lead to 6-5 with an inside finish by Devin Turnbo and a 3-pointer from Tucker Temples.

The Bulldogs pushed back, with Trace Sadler securing an offensive rebound and putback to extend the lead, forcing Dexter to call a timeout just over three minutes into the game.

Sikeston’s Kobe Thomas then buried a 3-pointer off an assist from Jaharus Goodwin, and on the next possession, Thomas returned the favor, setting up Goodwin for an easy layup that pushed the lead into double digits for the first time.

The Bulldogs cranked up its defense in the second quarter, starting with three straight steals that turned into quick transition layups by Farmer, McCray, and Chris Artis.

“We were just forcing turnovers,” Holifield said. “We did that by doing a really good job of hedging, switching on their weave and taking away some things they wanted to do.”

Sikeston’s energy on both ends pushed the lead to 20 points with 6:11 left, thanks to a 3-pointer from Farmer, and a last-second triple from Thomas stretched the lead to 43-18 at halftime.

Dexter made an attempt to rally early in the third quarter, starting with an 8-0 run that saw some strong shooting from John Sepulvado.

“We had to call timeout and pick our intensity back up,” Holifield said. “It was a great job by Dexter. They’re always well-prepared and will make shots if you leave them open.”

But after a timeout, Sikeston quickly regrouped and answered with speedy transition baskets from Tristan Wiggins, Artis and McCray.

“It felt good to be back home,” McCray said. “The fans brought a lot of energy and that boosted us to play better.”

By the end of the quarter, Sikeston had gone on a 21-6 run and led by 32 points heading into the final frame.

With reserves getting significant minutes, the game was all but decided as Sikeston played out the remaining time.

“It’s one of those things that starts with intensity and effort,” Holifield said. “After the timeout, our guys got together and started playing harder and tougher. That’s the key to success and how we have to play. We try to do it every day.”

Farmer led the Bulldogs with 20 points, five rebounds and two steals.

“It was impressive, especially coming off a loss,” Farmer said. “We needed to start building up some momemtum going into the final stretch of the season. We’re still dealing with a little bit of sickness in the locker room. But those are the types of things you have to fight through to get better.”

McCray added 11 points, two steals, two rebounds and an assist; Thomas contributed nine points, five assists and a steal; Artis chipped in seven points, five steals, two assists and a rebound; Sadler scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds; Wiggins finished with four points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and took two charges.

Sikeston has dominated this rivalry since 2008, winning 25 of the last 27 meetings, including a perfect 6-0 mark in postseason matchups.

“I’m just proud of our effort,” Holifield said. “We just have to keep working and getting better. We’ve been on the road all year and traveled a ton. It takes a toll on you a little bit, but it’s great to be back in Southeast Missouri.”

Looking ahead, Sikeston faces two more conference matchups later this week, traveling to Poplar Bluff (9-11, 1-3 SEMO) on Friday and then heading to Charleston (10-9, 3-2) on Saturday.

“We have two very difficult back-to-back games,” Holifield said. “Fortunately, they’re short trips and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

SIKESTON 73, DEXTER 42

Dexter 11 7 14 10 — 42

Sikeston 24 19 21 9 — 73

Dexter (42) — John Sepulvado 20, Carter Stone 10, Tucker Temples 6, Elijah Ibrahim 2, Landon Annesser 2, Devin Turnbo 2. FG: 15. FT: 6-8. F: 16. (3-pointers: Sepulvado 3, Temples 2, Stone 1. Fouled out: None.)

Sikeston (73) — PJ Farmer 20, Lekereon McCray 11, Kobe Thomas 9, Chris Artis 7, Malachi Davis 7, Drake Williams 5, Tristan Wiggins 4, Marcus Sanders 4, Trace Sadler 4, Jaharus Goodwin 2. FG: 29. FT: 7-14. F: 17. (3-pointers: Thomas 3, Farmer 2, Williams 1, McCray 1, Davis 1. Fouled out: None.)