Sikeston wins title

Sikeston captured its fourth SEMO Conference boys basketball tournament title in the past five years Friday night.

The second-seeded Bulldogs held off top-seeded Charleston 71-61, avenging last year's championship-game loss to the Bluejays.

A packed house at the Sikeston Field House saw an intense matchup between two of the state's top-ranked teams -- Sikeston in Class 4 and Charleston in Class 3.

Sikeston (6-0) led 36-23 at halftime and by 17 points in the third quarter before Charleston (5-1) cut the deficit to 46-35 entering the final period.

The Bluejays pulled within 64-61 with a little more than a minute left but the Bulldogs finished with a 7-0 run.

Sikeston senior guard Vashawn Ruffin had 17 points and a career-high 12 assists to go along with six rebounds.

Junior forward J.T. Jones scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Senior guard Markeith Bratcher added 13 points.

Charleston was led by senior guard Michael Hull's 18 points. Also in double figures for the Bluejays were seniors Darrion Carter and Sumner Foster with 11 and 10 points, respectively.