Five Takeaways: The Sikeston Bulldogs
Prep Hoops Missouri was in attendance at the SEMO Conference Tournament on Thursday night at Sikeston for the semifinals. The host Sikeston Bulldogs blitzed Charleston 92-61 in the semifinals. They went on the defeat Cape Girardeau Central 74-67 to win…
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Continue ReadingPrep Hoops Missouri was in attendance at the SEMO Conference Tournament on Thursday night at Sikeston for the semifinals. The host Sikeston Bulldogs blitzed Charleston 92-61 in the semifinals. They went on the defeat Cape Girardeau Central 74-67 to win their fourth consecutive SEMO Conference Tournament championship on Friday night.
Despite the graduation of all-time great player Fred Thatch, Jr. (now at freshman at SLU), the Bulldogs remain one of the top teams in the state and a prime contender in Class 4. Here are five takeaways after watching the Sikeston Bulldogs.
Bulldogs have tremendous guard play
Every high school coach would be blessed to have one or even two guards who are able to handle, pass, catch and shoot the ball. Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield is beyond blessed because he has four such guards in 2019s Kevin Jones, Owen Long, Parker Long and 2020 Payton Howard. All of these young men have these versatile skill sets, which makes them very difficult to defend over the course of a 32-minute game.
The 5’11” Jones is a four-year starter who drives the Bulldogs’ engine with his high-energy play on both ends. He is physical and competes hard on every possession, like a mini-Westbrook. His 3-point stroke has also improved.
Owen Long is a 6’2″ smooth lefty who can handle the ball and knock it down from 3-point range on a consistent basis. He can shoot it off the catch and he can create his own shot off the dribble.
Parker Long is the 6’2″ twin brother who is also a very capable ball handler and passer who can step up and knock down 3-pointers. He is the right-handed twin brother of the duo.
The 6’0″ Howard is a top baseball prospect who can get it done on the basketball court with his smooth skill set and feel for the game. He can also stroke the 3-pointer, but he also has a nice float game off the dribble.
Trey Jenkins in the middle
To compliment the quartet of talented guards, there is 6’7″ 2019 forward Trey Jenkins, who has developed over the course of his career into one of the top bigs in the Class of 2019. He entered high school as an athletic shot blocker who was still raw offensively. He has really emerged into a reliable scoring threat in the low post with his finishing ability and dunking prowess around the basket. Trey has also developed a nice 3-point stroke off the catch. In the championship game against Cape Central, Jenkins had 18 points, six rebounds and five blocks.
Sikeston Shoots the 3
Coach Holifield is a fan of the Golden State Warriors and he patterns his team around how the Dubs play with their exciting brand of 3-point shooting. They shoot the 3 early and as often as they possibly can. The quartet of Jones, Howard and the Long twins are all capable of knocking down multiple 3-pointers in a game. Sometimes, it can come in waves as they can turn a nailbiter into a rout in a matter of minutes.
They Share the Ball
What is nice about this group is that they share the ball with each other. The ball doesn’t stick to one player and when you have multiple offensive threats on the perimeter making the extra pass, it turns a formidable offensive team into a lethal one. Anyone of those four perimeter players can go off on a 10-point rift by themselves and they are excellent about finding the man with the hot hand. When they need to go inside, they make sure Jenkins gets his touches in the post. Everyone gets to eat well.
They Play Fast and they are explosive
The Bulldogs are averaging close to 90 points a game in their first five games of the season. They employ a full-court press at all times to set the tempo and try to entice opposing teams into their running and shooting style of play. In the championship game, Cape Central slowed them down in the first half and actually held a 27-22 lead. In the third quarter, the Bulldogs exploded for 32 points en route to scoring 52 points in the second half to take a 74-67 victory. Jenkins dominated the early part of the third quarter with eight quick points in the paint, Then, came a barrage of 3-pointers as Sikeston took control of the game.