By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Central Bulldogs are playing like a team on the championship hunt, with no time to waste.
In a matchup of big school and small school powers, Central overwhelmed Sparta 80-42 in the Gold Division semifinals on Thursday night. Junior guard Devin Sanford led three Bulldogs in double figures with 20 points.
For the third straight day, Central took control from the opening tip and built a sizable lead (47-16) by halftime.
“There’s a big target on our back. I feel like we’re going to get the best of everybody. So we have to come out and get on teams early,” said Central coach Jordan Epps. “That’s our biggest emphasis: fast starts. The term I used in the locker room is ‘take their confidence away from the get-go.’ That’s been our motto.”
Central’s dominance has been one of the biggest storylines of this year’s tournament, and now the Bulldogs sit on the verge of history.
Central will look to win its first Blue and Gold championship in 40 years on Friday night. The Bulldogs face Glendale at 7 p.m. in the Gold Division title game at Great Southern Bank Arena.
“It’s kind of a revenge season for us,” said Central junior Bryce Walker. “The past few years, we hadn’t been very good. This year, we’re trying to prove everyone wrong and winning the Blue and Gold is part of that goal.”
Central has the fifth-most Blue and Gold championships all-time (9), but the Bulldogs haven’t won the prestigious holiday tournament since 1983. They lost in the finals the next year.
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“They have a chance to keep making history,” Epps said. “A lot of these kids started as freshmen, so the last couple of years they’ve made some kind of history at some point, where that’s double the wins or beating teams we haven’t beaten in a decade.”
Central used its speed and athleticism to slow down Sparta and leading scorer Jacob Lafferty. The Trojans senior finished with 13 points amid a steady stream of defensive attention.
“We just tried to use our athleticism against him,” Epps said. “We put a fast guard on him while he’s on the wing then let our big guy sit there and be ready for him to drive. I think we did a really good job on a phenomenal player.”
Keion Epps (16) and Tyrique Brooks (13) also scored in double figures for the Bulldogs, who improved to 10-2 overall.
“We got a lot of transition buckets this game,” Walker said. “I liked our intensity on defense, we got a lot of steals and were able to get out on the fastbreak.”
Central, which finished 15-10 overall last season to earn its first winning record in 14 years, has the makings of a Class 6 title contender as the calendar turns to January.
“I threw a lot of them in the fire that first year (2021-22),” Epps said. “Last year, they started to show they can compete with anybody. The maturity this group has this year is why we’re playing at this level. They’ve all bought into the system we’ve put into place.”
Sparta drops to 10-2 overall. The Trojans, who made a storybook run to the finals last year, will look to close their 2023 tournament appearance with a win when they face Branson in the 3rd place game at 4 p.m. Friday.
Central 80, Sparta 42
Sparta 7 9 20 6 — 42
Central 25 22 17 16 — 80
Sparta (10-2 overall) – Jacob Lafferty 13, Lee Mayes 11, Walker Loveland 9, Mason Letterman 5, Braylen Luttrell 4
Central (8-1 overall) – Devin Sanford 20, Keion Epps 16, Tyrique Brooks 13, Donvan Martin 7, Tayshaun Wells 6, Bryce Walker 6, Jordan Pittman 6, Brody Holland 4, Deshawn Howard 2
