Staff photo by Mike Buhler Gideon's Jordan Boone (right) drives around a Gosnell defender during the first half of their game Thursday at the Clarkton Christmas Invitational. [Click to enlarge]

CLARKTON, Mo. -- In Class 1 high school basketball, it is very rare that you find one individual that can take over a game. However, with Dustin Ferguson, Casey Redden and Justin Brown, the junior class at Clarkton has three players who could fall under that category.

Ferguson, the reigning Tri-County Conference Player of the Year, is in range from anywhere in the gym and is the best scorer in the conference. Redden leads the defense with a motor that never stops and can also shoot the lights out, while Brown is the athletic slasher whose leaping ability causes tons of problems for opponents.

The trio was phenomenal again Thursday night as they led the Reindeer to an 84-49 win over Holcomb to conclude pool play at the Clarkton Christmas Invitational. The trio of Redden, Ferguson and Brown combined to score 53 despite sitting out most of the fourth quarter.

In the early game Thursday, Gosnell, Ark. rolled past Gideon

The Hornets may have known they were in a long night right off the bat when Brown corralled the opening tip, took two dribbles and gave the Reindeer an emphatic early lead with a one-handed dunk. This was followed by a pair of 3-pointers from Redden and some strong inside play by Devaris Parker as Clarkton jumped out to a 25-14 first quarter lead.

Clarkton also turned up the pressure defensively in the first half causing numerous steals which led to easy baskets at the other end. This effort was led by Redden, who stayed in the face of the Holcomb guards all night long, while Parker and Brown were a force inside with their shot-blocking ability. This allowed the Reindeer to take a 51-31 lead into halftime.

Depth was also a factor Thursday as the Reindeer bench outscored Holcomb's reserves 19-4 on the night, a factor that has been an issue for the Hornets most of the season.

Despite the loss, Holcomb again received outstanding play from Chad Adams and Heath Murdock, who finished with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Lucas Fuller and Daniel Tapia added six points each for the Hornets.

Eight different players scored for the Reindeer, led by Redden with 20 points, Ferguson with 18, and Brown with 15. Also finishing in double digits was Parker with 12 points, while seniors Chris Jones and Ben Bizzell added eight and five, respectively, off the bench.

Clarkton will take on Gosnell for the tournament title tonight at 7:30, while Holcomb will face Risco for fifth today at 4:30 p.m. and Gideon will take on Richland in the third-place game at 6 p.m.