Sikeston clinches SEMO crown, rolls past Jackson 82-58 for 26th straight conference win

SIKESTON — Winning a conference title is one thing. Owning the conference is another.

Sikeston continued its reign over the SEMO Conference with an 82-58 win over Jackson at the Field House on Friday, Feb. 21, closing out a second straight undefeated league season.

The Class 5, No. 1 ranked Bulldogs (21-3, 7-0 SEMO) finished unbeaten in conference play, marking what is believed to be the first back-to-back perfect run in SEMO history. That dominance extends even further — Sikeston has now won 26 straight games against conference opponents, regular season and postseason combined.

“It’s just awesome,” said Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield. “I’ve been in this conference for a long time, it’s such a tough conference night in and night out, and to win it back-to-back is quite a feat. I’m proud of the effort.”

Sikeston hasn’t just been winning over the 26-game stretch — it’s winning by margins that leave little doubt.

The Bulldogs have posted an average margin of victory of 27.1 points per game across that streak, scoring 80.3 points per game and limiting opponents to just 53.2.

The gap this season has only expanded, through 10 games Sikeston has posted an average margin of 30.5 points (79.7 to 49.2) over its conference opponents. This isn’t just domination—this is a level of sustained superiority rarely seen in high school hoops.

At the heart of the unprecedented run is the dynamic play of senior PJ Farmer, whose performance against the Indians (19-5, 6-2 SEMO) was yet another showcase of his elite all-around game.

Farmer, a Southeast Missouri State signee, finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, five steals, and a block—proving once again why he’s one of the most complete players in the state. His leadership on the court doesn’t just show up in the box score; it’s felt in every possession, whether he’s direct traffic on the offensive end, pulling down key rebounds, or locking down opposing players on defense.

Sikeston’s dominance starts with Farmer, whose consistency and versatility set the tone for this team’s continued success.

“It was a great game from PJ, as always,” Holifield said. “He’s such a consistent, and you know exactly what you’re getting from him every day. He’s solid, steady and always willing to do whatever it takes for the team. His unselfishness is a huge part of what makes him so special.”

Jackson entered the night with a chance to force a three-way tie for the SEMO Conference title with a win, but Sikeston made sure to close the door on that possibility early.

The Indians came out with confidence, and star, Kole Deck, found himself wide open to start the game. He made no mistake, knocking down a 3-pointer to give Jackson an early 3-0 lead.

But Sikeston answered quickly, with senior Tristan Wiggins driving to the basket and finishing through a foul. Then, just a minute later, senior Trace Sadler grabbed an offensive rebound and tipped it in, giving the team its first lead of the night at less than two minutes into the game.

Jackson quickly responded, though, as Jory Thoma drained a 3-pointer to reclaim the lead. But just as quickly, senior Lekereon McCray knotted it up at 6-6 with a layup.

Then came one of the game’s defining sequences as Sikeston showed some explosive athleticism in a quick 7-0 run, beginning with Sadler — another SEMO signee — catching a lob from Farmer and finishing with a ferocious alley-oop.

Not even a minute later, Sadler went up again — this time on a feed from McCray for another alley-oop finish.

McCray capped the run with a 3-pointer off a second-chance opportunity, pushing the lead to 13-6 and prompting a quick timeout from Jackson with 3:43 remaining in the first quarter.

“We came out aggressive, and that was definitely one of our biggest keys going into the game — making sure we didn’t let them punk us,” Farmer said. “We wanted to be the aggressors right from the start, and we did a good job coming out with that right mentality.”

After the timeout, the teams traded a few baskets to close the quarter.

The second quarter opened with Sadler finishing strong inside, and Farmer following with a cold-blooded 3-pointer that pushed Sikeston’s lead into double digits at 20-10.

Jackson managed to trim the lead to 25-19 behind steady scoring from Deck, but Farmer responded with his next-level feel for the game — not forcing the action himself, but by reading the floor and identifying a favorable one-on-one mismatch.

Recognizing that Jaharus Goodwin had the advantage, Farmer directed his teammates to clear the paint, spacing the floor perfectly. With the lane open and no help defenders in position, he swung the ball to Goodwin on the wing, allowing him to exploit the matchup.

Goodwin didn’t hesitate, attacking his man off the dribble, finishing through contact and converting the ensuing free throw for the 3-point play, making it 30-19 with 2;19 left in the second quarter.

“It was just about understanding our strengths and their weaknesses,” Farmer said. “I know that Jaharus is a great ball player. A lot of people might not know that, but we all have trust in his game. I saw the matchup and I felt 100 percent confident in him to go to work and go get those buckets.”

The Bulldogs kept the pressure on and Goodwin continued to capitalize, scoring on the team's next two possessions, each time slicing through the defense and finishing strong.

Chris Artis then added to the growing lead with two quick steals that he turned into layups. As the half neared its close, Sikeston executed a well-timed inbounds play, with Sadler receiving the ball and scoring off the glass as the horn sounded, giving the team a commanding 40-24 lead at the half.

Sadler's continued ascent was on full display throughout the victory. The 7-foot-2 center converted 7-of-8 shots, finishing with 14 points, four rebounds, a block, and an assist. His work around the rim was as polished as ever, and his defensive presence was critical in stifling Jackson’s attempts inside.

“He really played well with good focus and intensity,” Holifield said. “His effort was exactly what we needed from him. It’s about bringing that level of play every day and continuing to improve. He’s put in a lot of work in practice, and it’s really showing. From year to year, he’s made significant strides, and right now, he’s playing the best basketball of his career.”

Sikeston wasted little time extending its lead in the second half, with Sadler scoring inside and Wiggins following with a smooth eurostep finish off a McCray assist, pushing the advantage to 20.

Wiggins gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game 59-32, after converting a traditional 3-point play with 2:23 left in the third quarter.

However, the defensive intensity waned slightly as Sikeston began to gamble more defensively, allowing Jackson to find openings and cut the deficit to 72-56 with about three minutes left.

“We have to stay down and handle your responsibilities,” Holifield said. “Those are things we have to work on, but we’ll continue to improve and try to get better.”

The Bulldogs responded with a 9-0 run to reassert control. The surge included a couple of layups from Farmer and another traditional 3-point play from Wiggins — his fourth of the half.

“It was just about slowing down and control,” Wiggins said. “Getting to the rim is what I am the best at. It helped the team and that is what I needed to do.”

Wiggins, who erupted in the second half, finished with 21 points, 19 of which came in the final two quarters. His veteran leadership was pivotal in keeping Jackson at bay, while his eight rebounds and a steal highlighted his complete effort.

“We can tell he has a lot of winning qualities and they came out in moments when we needed them the most,” Holfiield said. “He was very aggressive offensively and such a force defensively.”

Despite Sikeston’s best efforts to stifle him,  Deck was impossible to ignore, finishing with a game-high 29.

“He did a good job of getting open and we lost him a few times,” Holifield said. “When he’s open, he’s going to make shots. We were trying to guard him as hard as possible, and he did a great job of getting open and hitting shots.”

Sikeston’s offense was efficient, shooting 35-of-55 (64 percent) from the field, while the defense was relentless, forcing more than 20 turnovers.

“We came out strong in the first half and built a solid lead,” Holifield said. “Even in the third quarter, I thought we played fairly well, but we relaxed a bit and started gambling too much defensively. We had to correct that. Overall, our guys played hard and played well—that’s the effort we need.”

Sikeston has now won 27 consecutive games at the Field House, dating back to 2022. That streak will be on the line next Thursday, Feb. 27, when the Bulldogs welcome Class 4, No. 8 Father Tolton (13-11) to town.

The Trailblazers defeated the Bulldogs 79-72 last season in a closely contested matchup. Both teams share two common opponents this season, with Sikeston falling to Principia (74-69) and defeating St. Mary’s South Side (72-51), while Father Tolton lost to Principia (76-65) and won against St. Mary’s South Side (81-76).

The Trailblazers’ senior guard duo, Aaron Rowe and Exavier Wilson, will be a formidable challenge. Rowe is committed to Missouri, while Wilson has offers from West Virginia, Murray State, St. Louis, SEMO, and more.

“We just have to stay together and keep playing the way we have these past games,” Wiggins said. “Picking each other up and being great teammates.”

__SIKESTON 81, JACKSON 58__

Jackson 10 14 15 19 — 58

Sikeston 15 25 23 18 — 81

Jackson (58) — Kole Deck 29, Jonathan Ernst 13, Jory Thoma 5, William Thomas 3, Lee Ivy 2, Kolton Thoma 2, Blayne Reagan 2, Braden Thompson 2. FG: 21. FT: 9-14. F: 15. (3-pointers: Deck 5, J. Thoma 1, Ernst 1. Fouled out: None).

Sikeston (81) — PJ Farmer 23, Tristan Wiggins 21, Trace Sadler 14, Lekereon McCray 12, Jaharus Goodwin 7, Chris Artis 4. FG: 35. FT: 6-10. F: 21. (3-pointers: McCray 2. Farmer 2, Wiggins 1. Fouled out: Artis).