Jones dunks on Cape Central as NMCC improves to 10-0

New Madrid County Central's Jadis Jones dunks against Cape Central on Friday in Cape Girardeau.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

In the battle between the SEMO Conference Tournament champions and the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament champions, New Madrid County Central defeated Cape Central 49-25 on Friday at Cape Central.

With the win, the Eagles improve to 10-0 on the season and the last time coach Lennis McFerren presided over a 10-0 start, his Charleston Blue Jays team finished 33-0 in the 1990-91 season.

The Eagles, who are ranked No. 2 in the latest MSHSAA Class 4 poll, are on pace for a better season than last year when they finished 18-10. The most impressive part about it is they are being led by underclassmen.

Freshman Jadis Jones scored a game-high 16 points, while junior Shamar Williamson added 13 points.

“They just got a lot of energy,” McFerren said. “They keep me young.”

The two biggest plays of the game for the Eagles came on dunks by Jones, one in the second quarter and the other in the fourth. Both times, led to the nearly-packed gym erupting in cheers.

McFerren said the dunks had a major impact on the team from an energy standpoint.

“Especially when you can do it and don’t get hurt,” McFerren said.

Jones usually gets at least one dunk in a game, but to do it twice surprised even him.

“On the first one, when he was coming through the screen, I knew I was coming to swoop for the ball,” Jones said. “I had nobody behind me so I had it in my mind that I was going to dunk it.

“On the second time, it was just instinct,” he added. “I can’t believe I did it myself.”

The game started slowly with the Eagles slightly leading 9-6 after the first quarter.

Jones and Williamson combined to score nine of the Eagles 11 points in the second quarter to extend the lead at 20-16.

After Williamson hit a 3-point basket at the buzzer at the end of the first half, their second-half surge seemed inevitable.

The Eagles went on a 21-5 run that lasted the entire third quarter to put the game out of reach.

“In the first half, they were manhandling us,” Jones said. “We talked to ‘coach Mac,’ gained some advice, and played better.”

“We started doing the things that we do in the practice,” McFerren said.

Cameron Williams finished with a team-high 12 points for Cape.

Cameron Harris and Jon Brandter combined to score the other 13.

The trio shot 7-of-9 from the free-throw line.

With a month’s worth of games remaining in the season, the question for the Eagles is whether or not they can continue to run the table and finish undefeated.

“I feel like we can go undefeated,” Jones said. “I think we still have a lot of stuff to work on too.”

“I just have to take it one game at a time,” McFerren said.

The Eagles have been on the road throughout January. They have one more road contest at Twin Rivers on Tuesday before returning home on Friday to face Dexter.

“When you’re on the road, anything can happen,” McFerren said.

Cape Central (5-5) falls back to .500 and will host Notre Dame on Tuesday in a rematch of the Christmas Tournament championship game.