MARCHING ON: DELTA'S BOYS USE DYNAMIC DUO TO DISPOSE OF HOLCOMB

SIKESTON -- All season long, Delta High's boys basketball team has relied heavily on the exploits of its sensational tandem of senior guard Shawn Kinder and senior forward Garrett DeBrock.

So there was no reason to expect anything different Monday night as the Bobcats competed in their first post-district game in more than 20 years.

The 5-foot-10 Kinder and 6-2 DeBrock came up big once again as they each scored 25 points to pace Delta's 79-62 victory over Holcomb in a Class 1A Regional game at the Sikeston High Field House.

Delta, which last week won its first district championship since 1976, will carry a 21-7 record into Wednesday's 1A sectional round at Poplar Bluff High.

The Bobcats and Ste. Genevieve Valle (25-5) will square off at about 8 p.m. with the winner earning a berth in Saturday's quarterfinals in Cabool.

"Shawn and Garrett are good players," said Delta coach Nate Crowden. "There's no doubt they'll have to have big games for us if we want to keep moving on."

At halftime Monday, it looked like the Bobcats might have some trouble moving on. They trailed surprising Holcomb -- which had pulled off several upsets last week to win its district despite a No. 5 seed -- 40-36.

But the Bobcats turned up their defense several notches in the second half to take total control of the game.

"We allowed 40 points in the first half and 22 in the second half, so our defense was a lot better," Crowden said. "Our defensive positioning in the first half just wasn't very good.

"We did a much better job defensively in the second half and we also moved the ball a lot better."

Kinder said it was imperative that the Bobcats improve defensively after halftime.

"Defense has been our game plan all year," he said. "In the first half we just didn't play our kind of ball. Coach talked to us about it and we had a much better second half."

A pair of strong 6-3 inside players, B.J. Stone and Stephen Spain, led the Hornets with 19 and 15 points, respectively. Holcomb finished with a 15-12 record.

"Those two kids are big and strong and they really took it to us in the first half," said Crowden.

Trailing 21-14 after one quarter, Holcomb outscored Delta 26-15 in the second period to take a 40-36 halftime lead. Spain had an impressive two-handed jam in the second quarter to spark the Hornets, who got a 3-pointer by guard Josh Buchanan at the halftime buzzer.

But it didn't take long for Delta to grab control in the third quarter. DeBrock scored four quick points and Kinder's driving shot put the Bobcats ahead 42-40. They would not trail again.

Holcomb was still hanging close at 46-45 when Delta used a 9-0 run to pull away. DeBrock had six points in the spurt that left the Bobcats with a 55-45 lead.

Delta carried a 59-49 advantage into the final period and led 78-54 before Holcomb narrowed the margin a bit in the closing moments.

While DeBrock and Kinder were Delta's only players to score in double figures, Andy Blattel added eight points, as did James Gaddis off the bench.

"I thought some kids off the bench did well, especially Gaddis," said Crowden.

Asked if the Bobcats might have been feeling a bit nervous in the first half -- it was, after all, the first regional appearance for this group -- Crowden said he didn't think so.

"This bunch has played a lot of quality teams, especially in the summer, so I think they're used to some big games," he said. "But I think they might have been more nervous knowing that everything is one and out now. If you lose, you're through playing."

The Bobcats hope they don't have to experience that feeling for a while.