Fast start propels Sikeston over Kennett, 95-52

Trace Sadler (3) dunks during Sikeston’s 95-52 win at Kennett on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.

Photo courtesy of Jason Rudisill

KENNETT, Mo. – The Sikeston Bulldogs have shown all year the depth of their lineup.

That depth was evident on Friday night at Kennett as Sikeston’s bench accounted for more than half of the team’s points in the Bulldogs’ 95-52 SEMO Conference victory over the Indians.

The Bulldogs flexed their muscles early against Kennett, jumping out to a 15-0 lead and rolling to the lopsided victory as Sikeston’s bench accounted for 49 points in the game.

It was the kind of performance Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield expected on the heels of defeating Kentucky’s No. 10 ranked team Warren Central on Monday.

“I was very pleased with the way we approached this game,” Holifield said. “We’ve played a very difficult schedule and after playing a very talented team in Kentucky I was hoping we would have the same approach tonight and we did. We showed up ready to play.”

Sikeston (13-2, 2-0 SEMO Conference) proved unstoppable on this night as Lekereon McCray opened the game with a 3-pointer and then P.J. Farmer found 7-footer Trace Sadler for back-to-back alley-oop slams to lead 7-0 just one minute into the game, prompting Kennett to burn an early timeout.

It didn’t slow down Sikeston’s momentum as McCray and Chris Artis buried consecutive 3-pointers and Tristan Wiggins scored inside to extend the lead to 15-0.

Kennett (5-11, 1-4 SEMO Conference) finally got on the board on a Dyson Watson shot with 5:15 left in the first.

Sikeston then scored six straight points highlighted by another Sadler alley-oop dunk to propel the Bulldogs to a 30-10 lead after one quarter of play.

The Bulldogs were able to create havoc with a variety of defenses throughout the game as Sikeston’s quickness gave the Indians fits.

Sikeston forced 10 turnovers in the first quarter.

“I thought we were very active defensively,” Holifield said. “We had great energy and our positioning was good which allowed us to disrupt their offense and we were able to score in transition some.”

The Bulldogs continued the onslaught in the second quarter, out-scoring the Indians 26-15 to take a commanding 56-31 lead into halftime.

The lead continued to swell in the third quarter, reaching its biggest margin of the night on a vicious Marquel Murray slam to push the advantage to 82-34.

Kennett closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to make it 82-41 heading into the fourth quarter where the mercy clock put a swift end to the game.

The Bulldogs forced 22 turnovers in the first three quarters.

Sikeston also hit 8 of 18 (44 percent) from 3-point range.

Junior Jaharus Goodwin scored a varsity career high 16 points with six rebounds and three steals to lead the Bulldogs.

“Jaharus played with great energy and he has a lot of ability,” Holifield said. “He was attacking and aggressive and that’s how he needs to play every night.”

McCray had 14 points and four rebounds while Murray scored 14 points with four steals.

Artis added 10 points with four steals while Farmer had eight points with six rebounds and nine assists.

Wiggins and Kobe Thomas each had eight points while Malachi Davis had eight points and eight rebounds.

Kennett was led by Dyson Watson’s 24 points.

With such a substantial lead, it was an opportunity for Holifield to rest his starters for most of the night, especially knowing his team has another game on Saturday.

Sikeston will host St. Louis Gateway Legacy on Saturday with junior varsity scheduled to tipoff at 1:30 p.m.

SIKESTON (95) – Jaharus Goodwin 16, Marquel Murray 14, Lekereon McCray 14, Chris Artis 10, Tristan Wiggins 8, Kobe Thomas 8, Malachi Davis 8, P.J. Farmer 8, Trace Sadler 6, Marcus Sanders 3. FG 41, FT 5-7, F 13. (3-pointers: Murray 2, Thomas 2, McCray 2, Artis 1. Fouled out: none).

KENNETT (52) – Dyson Watson 24, Ty Jones 9, Antonio Flakes 8, Hayden Gilmore 4, Sire Thomas 4, Zayne Franklin 3. FG 19, FT 8-10, F 6. (3-pointers: Watson 3, Jones 1, Flakes 1, Gilmore 1. Fouled out: none).

Junior varsity

Sikeston’s J.V. team improved to 6-1 on the season with a 69-34 win over Kennett.

Christian Gibson led the Bulldogs with 16 points. Jonathan Segers followed with 14 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists.

John Hughes added six points and eight assists while Jared Waters grabbed eight rebounds. Mason King, Ty Murray and Jordan Frierson each snatched five boards.