C5D1: Farmer and Sadler lead Sikeston to third consecutive district championship

FARMINGTON, Mo. — While some teams chase championships, Sikeston's trophy case never seems to stop growing — and this one came with a little extra motivation.

The No. 1 Bulldogs (26-3, 7-0 SEMO) posted a convincing 95-69 victory at Farmington in the Class 5 District 1 Championship on Monday, March 10, avenging an earlier loss to the No. 4 Knights (26-3, 5-0 Mineral Area) and securing a third consecutive district title.

“Farmington has a great team,” said Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield. “But our guys had the potential and the capabilities of playing so much better than we did [in that previous game]. They believed in what we were doing and have really worked hard.”

Sikeston's latest win marks the program’s 29th district championship overall. Under Holifield’s guidance, the Bulldogs have won 15 of 18 district championship appearances.

This is the program’s third district championship three-peat, joining an exclusive list. Sikeston’s most impressive streak came between 2009 and 2013, winning five consecutive titles.

“You don’t have to motivate players for district championships,” Holifield said. “You know they're going to be focused and ready to play. I was very proud of their effort tonight.”

The Bulldogs’ offense mostly revolved around a pair of future SEMO Redhawks. PJ Farmer lit up the scoreboard with 34 points, shooting 13-for-16 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from deep. It was the most points Farmer has scored in a Sikeston uniform.

“PJ did everything he could to help us win,” Holifield said. “That's one of the biggest compliments you can give a player.”

Trace Sadler, who will join Farmer in Cape Girardeau next season, was nearly perfect. In his most dominant game, he scored 20 points on 9-for-9 shooting while contributing eight rebounds, five blocks, and three assists.

“I don't know if I've ever had a player improve as much as Trace Sadler has from a freshman to senior,” Holifield said. “You're seeing his potential and he's just getting better and better and better.”

Sadler’s presence has been impossible to ignore over the past few months. He’s been playing like a man on a mission, and when you’ve got a player that big, with that kind of skill set, playing like this, the game starts to feel out of reach for anyone trying to stop him.

A big reason for Sadler’s late-season surge is the trust he’s earned from his teammates, creating more opportunities for him to impact the game.

“That comes from his work ethic and his attitude,” Holifield said. “Our players really believe in him. And again, that's one of the biggest compliments you can give. He just improved tremendously. And he's going to continue to improve because he's got so much ability and he's such a great kid.”

— This story will be updated. Check Semoball.com later and the Thursday print edition of the Sikeston Standard-Democrat for a full in-depth recap.—