Reindeer stampede by Cooter in key league contest

COOTER, Mo. -- With both teams playing a bit shorthanded, the Clarkton Reindeer put another check in the win column after downing the Cooter Wildcats 87-58 on the road Friday Night.

Many believe this was a preview of the Tri-County Conference Tournament's championship game. It's safe to say that a rematch couldn't possibly be any worse if you're a Cooter Wilcat.

With standout center Nathan Poe in street clothes due to injury, the Wildcats simply had no answer at any position for the relentless Clarkton attack. The Wilcats joined a large number of teams to fall victim to the trio of Dustin Ferguson, Casey Redden and Justin Brown who all turned in 20-plus point performances on their way to combining to score 67 of Clarkton's 87 total points on the night.

Ferguson kicked things off for Clarkton by hitting a 3-pointer from the wing helping Clarkton seize the momentum and jump out to a 19-9 first-quarter lead. However, the long night was only just beginning for Cooter as Redden -- who sat out the first quarter for disciplinary reasons-- found the mark with three second-quarter 3s on their way to gaining a 44-29 halftime advantage.

As the teams emerged from the locker rooms after halftime, Cooter seemed to have found a spark as Aaron McCaig scored the first four points of the quarter with a pair of layups to add to his total of 19 on the night.

However just when it seemed Cooter was ready to make a run, the high flying Brown drove baseline and hammered a one-handed dunk which led to the wheels coming off for Cooter.

With Redden and fellow starter Tolby Richardson on the bench due to foul trouble, Ferguson and Brown combined to score all 25 third-quarter points for the Reindeer to help them gain a 69-47 lead by the end of the frame, allowing them to clear their bench for the final period.

The mercy clock ran for most of the 4th quarter as the Reindeer got contributions from numerous players off their bench before the buzzer sounded.

Clarkton was lead in scoring by Ferguson with 25, Brown with 22, and Redden with 20. Devaris Parker also finished in double digits with 10 points.

McCaig paced the Wilcats with 19 points while Nick Rinks and Charles Copeland added nine apiece.