By JASON VIOX/Daily Journal Sports Writer

Published: Sunday, November 28, 2004
Updated: Saturday, November 27, 2004 11:29 PM CST

PARK HILLS - Teams need to play two complete halves in college basketball to be successful. The Mineral Area Cardinals basketball squad proved that in Saturday's contest against the Dyersburg State Eagles.

MAC trailed 42-38 at halftime, but charged through the gates and dominated the second half for a 102-83 victory on its home floor in day two of the MAC Thanksgiving Classic. This was the Cardinals' fifth consecutive win.

Neither team built a comfortable lead in the first half of play. A three-point shot by Eagles' Dominique Watts placed Dyersburg up by three. A free-throw by Cardinal Ryan Byrne and buckets by Tremaine Wilkerson and Gary Somerville gave Mineral Area a 14-13 lead.

Throughout the game, Dyersburg had no problem nailing the three ball, but the same couldn't be said about Mineral Area. The Cardinals trailed 18-14 until baskets from Aaron Jackson and Tremaine Wilkerson tied the game.

The Eagles found consistent scoring throughout the remainder of the first half, and surged ahead to a 37-28 lead on a three-pointer by Ryan Skelton. The Cardinals chipped away at the deficit with field goals from DeAlan Hicks and Jackson near the end of the first half, and went to the locker room trailing by just four points.

The fired-up Cardinals continued their momentum into the second half. Jackson struck first for the Cardinals by draining a jumper. The Eagles sank a couple of twos before Jackson and Tremaine Wilkerson each had a two of their own to make the game 46-44 in favor of Dyersburg.

The Eagles nailed a pair of triples before the momentum shifted to MAC. The Cardinals paid Dyersburg back with interest as Mineral Area piled up seven points for a 53-52 lead. A basket from the Eagles was only a minor setback as 6'6 Cardinal sophomore Ray Peterson easily accumulated six points. MAC's Kenny Burke flushed down three points while Somerville and Jackson each sank a basket for a 66-54 lead.

Although the Eagles retaliated with seven points, the Cardinals didn't give Dyersburg any signs of hope. A dunk by Hicks increased the lead to 79-66. Peterson converted a mid-air pass from Burke into two points, then added another score as MAC led 87-74 with 2:31 remaining in the game.

"I think the guys finally woke up and decided to play," commented Tate about his team's performance. "We have to learn how to come out and compete from the beginning."

Wilkerson piled up 24 points for Mineral Area. Peterson accumulated 16 points while Hicks had 13. Wilkerson grabbed 12 rebounds and Burke had seven assists. Byrne and Burke were both placed on the all-tournament teams.

MAC, now 6-2, will look for their sixth consecutive win when they travel to Iowa for the Indian Hills Classic starting Friday.