Bulldogs lose third straight

Wednesday, December 18, 2002

FARMINGTON - The Sikeston Bulldogs basketball team dropped their third straight game with a 64-60 road loss to Farmington on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs battled foul problems the entire game and never could overcome the obstacle.

Returning all-stater Lontas McClinton fouled out and played a total of six minutes in the game, scoring just six points with four rebounds.

Starters Michael Colon and Ben Anderson also fouled out in the contest.

Even with the foul problems Sikeston had a chance to win late in the game. Lavar Morgan's 3-pointer with 1:44 left gave the Bulldogs a 57-56 lead.

But the Knights were able to draw fouls on the other end and convert the free throws to pull out the win.

Sikeston head coach Gregg Holifield couldn't get a clear read on his team.

"It was really hard to assess because we had so many players that were on the bench throughout the game with foul trouble," said Holifield. "It was a very frustrating situation. You expect it so many times on the road, but to be perfectly honest, it was a very difficult situation for us to play in tonight. Lontas McClinton played six minutes, and when a player of his caliber is on the floor for six minutes it's an unusual situation."

Sikeston was whistled for 24 fouls compared to Farmington's 13. As a result, the Knights attempted 27 free throws to the Bulldogs' 11.

Before the foul problems mounted, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 5-0 lead and an 8-3 lead at the start of the game.

But the Knights got hot from the perimeter to erase the Bulldogs' lead as they hit six 3-pointers in the first quarter.

Andy Mell scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the first quarter, including four 3-pointers.

"To give them credit, they really played well in the first quarter," said Holifield. "They shot the basketball extremely well. They made some guarded 3-point shots with a hand in their face and they made some really tough baskets. They gained a lot of confidence in the first quarter."

By the time the quarter was over, Farmington led 27-16.

The Bulldog defense stepped up in the second quarter as the team cut the lead to 33-29 by halftime.

Farmington maintained a 46-43 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Sikeston never could break the Knights' lead until Morgan's 3-pointer with under two minutes remaining.

Holifield said his team showed considering the circumstances.

"I was very proud of our team's effort," said Holifield. "They battled hard. We had key players on the bench -- McClinton played six minutes, Michael Colon played seven minutes, Lavar Morgan played approximately half the game with the flu-- but overall I thought our players stepped up under extremely adverse conditions and did a really good job. I was really proud of the effort."

Morgan led the Bulldogs with 14 points. Lawrence Davis scored 10 of his 11 points in the fourth quarter. He also had five rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Anderson, despite the foul problems, finished with eight points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots.

Justin Thompson added 19 points and David King had 13 for Farmington.

Sikeston will host Notre Dame on Friday at 6 p.m.

Junior varsity

The Sikeston jayvee team won its second game in a row with a 43-42 win against Farmington.

Sikeston (5-3) led throughout the game and held off a late Farmington rally to win.

The Bulldogs were led by Josh Alvarado's 12 points and six rebounds. Apollo Patterson added 10 points. Tyler Woodson had four points and five assists.

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