Sikeston handles business at Campbell

CAMPBELL, Mo. – With district competition starting next week, Sikeston found itself a game short on the schedule after the cancellation of the game with New Madrid County Central last week.

With time running out and local small schools in district competition this week, Campbell, the No. 7 ranked Class 2 team in the state, stepped up to fill the scheduling void.

For the Bulldogs (22-3, 7-0 SEMO), it was a welcome addition and a much-needed game to fulfill the week.

Sikeston traveled to Campbell for, perhaps, the first time in school history and left with an 84-66 victory over the Camels (20-6, 6-1 Bootheel).

“We needed a game and I want to thank Campbell for welcoming us,” said Sikeston coach Gregg Holifield. “We came out of the game injury-free and got the work in that we needed. Campbell has a very nice team and they are extremely well-coached, and they will have a chance to make some noise in their district, which I know is a tough one.”

It’s believed this was only the second meeting between Sikeston and Campbell, with the previous matchup taking place at the Field House in February 2021. The Bulldogs escaped with an 85-82 win that night, while the Camels went on to win the Class 2 state championship.

This time, Campbell is seeded first in its district, but they were looking for a tune-up before playing their opening round game on Wednesday.

Sikeston faced a fired-up squad from the opening tip as the home team was raining down 3-pointers to jump out to a 9-8 lead.

However, it was just a matter of time before Sikeston’s relentless pressure began to take hold and the Bulldogs closed the first quarter on a 17-6 run to claim a 28-17 lead.

“You have to give Campbell credit,” Holifield said. “They were excited to play and they know how to find their shooters. If they get open looks they don’t miss very many. We talked about getting out and pressuring them and trying to chase them off the 3-point line.”

Sikeston continued to extend the lead in the second quarter, outscoring Campbell 23-9.

The Camels began misfiring on shots and that led to rebounds and run-outs, allowing the Bulldogs to take a 51-26 lead into halftime.

A PJ Farmer layup stretched the cushion to 29 in the third quarter, tying the biggest margin of the game.

“I really felt once we got settled in, we played pretty well,” Holifield said. “We shared the ball well and we didn’t really force things.”

Holifield eventually pulled his starters midway through the period as Campbell rallied to trim the lead to 20 by the end of the third quarter.

The Camels showed no quit and kept the game from getting completely out of hand in the fourth quarter.

“I’m so impressed with Campbell and how they play,” Holifield said. “They could have easily packed it in after being down at the half but they really played with a lot of heart and I admire that.”

Sikeston was led by Lekereon McCray with 20 points and six rebounds.

Tristan Wiggins scored 17 points with seven rebounds.

Farmer flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 14 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

Kobe Thomas came off the bench to score 12 points, hitting four 3-pointers. Trace Sadler had seven points and five rebounds.

Campbell hit 10 3-pointers as a team led by Layden Kellum’s 15 points.

Sikeston will host Class 4 No. 7 ranked Father Tolton (14-11) on Thursday at the Field House. Junior varsity is scheduled for 5 p.m.

SIKESTON 86, CAMPBELL 66

Sikeston               28           23           19           14           --            84

Campbell             17           9             24           16           --            66

SIKESTON (84) – Lekereon McCray 20, Tristan Wiggins 17, P.J. Farmer 14, Kobe Thomas 12, Trace Sadler 7, Chris Artis 4, Jaharus Goodwin 4, John Hughes 2, Malachi Davis 2. FG 32, FT 13-18, F 9. (3-pointers: Thomas 4, Wiggins 2, McCray 1. Fouled out: none).

CAMPBELL (66) – Layden Kellum 15, Drew Fowler 13, Kennan Siebert 11, Ben Rowland 11, Caiden Mayberry 9, Wyatt Johnson 5, Carson Belcher 2. FG 26, FT 4-8, F 12. (3-pointers: Siebert 3, Fowler 3, Rowland 3, Mayberry 1. Fouled out: none).