Sikeston rebounds from an emotional loss to Charleston with a win over Park Hills Central

Sikeston's Leroy Atkins (22) shoots over Park Hills Central's Caden Casey (3) Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, at the Sikeston Field House.

David Jenkins/Standard Democrat

SIKESTON — All season long, turnovers have plagued the Sikeston boys basketball team. On Tuesday night, the Bulldogs turned the tables and used turnovers to post an 85-74 win over a guard-dominated Park Hills Central team.

Sikeston came out aggressive in their full-court press right from the tip and forced seven Park Hills Central turnovers in the first quarter to jump out to an early lead. The lead was capped off with a three-pointer from senior Leroy Atkins at the first-quarter buzzer, giving the Bulldogs a 22-11 lead after one quarter.

“I thought our guys came out with good intensity, and we forced some points off turnovers as well,” said Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield. “The effort was good in the first half, and we set the tempo.”

The Rebels opened the second quarter on a 12-4 run, slicing the Sikeston advantage to just three at 26-23, but sophomore Creighton Sarakas and freshman Dontrez Williams, both up from the junior varsity, hit back-to-back three-pointers to push the Bulldogs lead to 32-23.

Sarakas and Williams were just two of the 15 Bulldogs to see action in the game.

“They did great, and they’ve been practicing well,” Holifield said of his younger players. “I was trying to give them a little more time before I called them up to the varsity, but you can see they stepped in and played really well. And I thought Dontrez did really well defensively. He did some good things, and they’re going to get more and more playing time.”

The young Park Hills Central squad, which started two freshmen, two sophomores, and a junior, continued to try and chip away at the Sikeston lead by attacking the Bulldogs off the dribble. But when the Rebel guards were successful getting through the Sikeston defense, they found the going tough with Sikeston’s Cleo Taylor patrolling the paint.

The 6-foot-5 junior finished the night with 14 points and 14 rebounds while blocking seven shots and altering several others.

“(Cleo) really came out ready to play,” Holifield said. “It’s still a learning process at the varsity level, and he’s going to get better and better.”

Sikeston held a 38-29 lead at the half and 56-48 after three quarters but still couldn’t put the scrappy Rebels away. A basket by Park Hills Central’s Jason Pyatt cut the Bulldogs’ advantage to 62-57 with 5:50 left to play in the game, but the Rebels would get no closer.

A three-pointer by Atkins with 4:50 remaining put Sikeston up 67-57, and then the senior went 8 of 8 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Atkins finished the game with 26 points, including finishing 13 of 13 from the charity stripe.

“Leroy is such a great shooter, and I thought he did some good things and really played well at times,” Holifield said.

Sikeston senior Lontas McClinton finished the game with 16 points and seven rebounds, while senior Heath McCain added 10 points.

Park Hill Central (9-4) was led in scoring by Jobe Bryant. The freshman finished with 23 points and five rebounds, while fellow freshman Caden Casey ended with 14. Sophomore Kendall Horton finished with 20 points.

“Their guards are really good, and I thought our guys did a good job on them,” Holifield said. “I’ve seen enough on tape, and I knew they would be tough to contain. Those guys are talented and quick and very hard to keep in front of you, and our guys did a good job.”

Sikeston (4-5) will be back at home Friday night when they host West Plains.

PARK HILLS CENTRAL (74) — Jobe Bryant 23, Kendall Horton 20, Caden Casey 14, Mason Williams 6, Grant Manion 4, Jason Pyatt 4, Slade Schweiss 3. FG 27, FT 15-21, F 24. (3-pointers: Casey 2, Bryant 2, Horton 1. Fouled out: none)

SIKESTON (85) — Leroy Atkins 26, Lontas McClinton 16, Cleo Taylor 14, Heath McCain 10, Vashawn Upchurch 5, Carson Beaird 4, Tyler Owens 4, Dontrez Williams 3, Creighton Sarakas 3. FG 27, FT 24-35, F 21. (3-pointers: Atkins 3, McCain 2, Williams 1, Sarakas 1. Fouled out: none)