Central basketball proves it's Springfield's top dog with statement win over Kickapoo

Fans filled The Pit at Central High School in the second quarter of the junior varsity game. Those who didn't have a seat formed a line that wrapped around the gym, hoping enough would leave so they could get in. For most, it wasn't going to happen.

Inside the building was one of the most electric crowds southwest Missouri could offer. Shoulder to shoulder, fans decked in red and yellow filled one of the more historic gyms in the Ozarks. They were there to see the most anticipated game of the season and see if Central could take its place as the area's best.

The type of atmosphere was what Bulldogs head coach Jordan Epps dreamt of just a few years ago when he took the job. Winning games and giving his athletes a chance to be respected for being the best in the city was exactly what he envisioned.

Epps' dream played out in front of his very eyes on Tuesday night.

Central made it known that it's the top dog in the Ozarks with its 60-49 victory over Kickapoo in front of a sold-out crowd. It snapped the Bulldogs' 17-game losing streak to the Chiefs dating back 15 years ago.

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"That meant a lot," Epps said. "We knew what was at stake. We've been playing some tough teams and that prepared us to play Kickapoo and they handled adversity well."

The Bulldogs' win makes them the clear favorite to win the Ozark Conference heading into the final month. They the lone unbeaten team in the OC with their next biggest challenge coming against Parkview on Feb. 6 at The Pit.

Central also likely clinched itself the No. 1 seed in Class 6, District 5 and will avoid playing Kickapoo or Nixa until a potential championship game. The Bulldogs' path to potentially winning their first district since 2009 got a bit easier by snapping Kickapoo's 34-game Ozark Conference winning streak.

"I feel like we made a statement," junior star Keion Epps said. "Everybody was thinking they'd come out and beat us and that we both had been the top teams around here. We had to prove it. We just came out, handled business and got the dub. It's just another piece of history that we can say we did."

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Keion Epps was phenomenal and continued to play at the area player of the year-caliber level that he had been playing at all year. He scored 16 points while making three 3's and was the calming leader the Bulldogs needed whenever Kickapoo threatened to make it a game.

Central started the game on a 10-2 run before the Chiefs came back and led 11-10 after a timeout midway through the first quarter. It was the only time the Chiefs led the entire night as the Bulldogs built their lead up to as many as 21 midway through the third.

Kickapoo appeared to have some life early in the fourth as it cut the Bulldogs' lead to 11 and had multiple opportunities to make it a single-digit game. But the practice the Bulldogs had been putting into late-game situations in recent weeks paid off as they milked some clock and locked down defensively to pull off the win.

"We wanted it bad because we had lost our freshman seasons pretty bad and we lost to them last year pretty bad and then in the first round of districts," Keion Epps said. "We needed it bad. We took it personal. We were both fighting for the first seed in districts, so we tried to get that first seed and took it personal. We wanted that one."

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Epps scored 16 points with Devin Sanford adding 15, which all came from beyond the arc. Tyrique Brooks scored 14 points which featured a dunk for his 1,500th career point. The team finished with 10 makes from deep.

Kickapoo struggled from the field because of Central's superior athleticism and lockdown defense. The Bulldogs only allowed six points in the second quarter and limited Chiefs sophomore star Reese Kimrey to 11 points.

"We've got to stay locked in," Jordan Epps said. "We can't get complacent. Right now, I think we have the one seed and we're at the top of the conference. We gotta just finish it out. We have to win the games we're supposed to win and win out. We've got some dog fights coming up."

Central's win over Kickapoo was the latest statement in what's been one of the great seasons we've seen from the Bulldogs in over a decade. The Bulldogs have gone through the area gauntlet against the likes of Nixa, Republic and, now, Kickapoo unblemished to go along with their first Blue and Gold Tournament title in 40 years and a Bass Pro Tournament of Champions appearance.

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The Bulldogs have spent the last several years building for this moment. A program that had been an afterthought until the last couple of seasons is now unquestionably at the top of the area. The job's not finished and more history can be had over the next several weeks leading into a potential postseason run.

Tuesday night, in front of a jam-packed crowd at The Pit, marked another memorable night for the Central community and it appears the Bulldogs aren't going to slow down anytime soon.

"We proved everyone who thought Kickapoo was better than us wrong," Keion Epps said. "We've got play play everyone like we're playing Kickapoo or Nixa. We've just got to keep going."

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Central basketball beats Kickapoo for first time in 15 years