A dominant third quarter elevated the No. 5 Higbee Tigers over rival Braymer 73-61 in a conference showdown Monday night in Higbee. 

Two days after winning their third straight conference tournament, the Tigers clinched their fourth regular-season CLAA title with one game to go. If they defeat a struggling Keytesville team Tuesday night after the Advertiser went to press, they will finish the season with an unblemished conference record.

After a tight first two quarters, Higbee entered halftime up just three points, 35-32. But everything changed in the third quarter. The Tigers scored nine points in less than a minute to spark a 21-3 run to take a commanding 56-34 lead.

“When Derek [Rockett] gets fired up about something, it’s about the worst thing you can do,” said Higbee coach Tanner Burton. “Once you upset him, it doesn’t make him mad, it just makes him play twice as hard. And a kid that is that talented, you don’t really want that.”

Rockett, the team’s all-time scoring leader, took a hard foul early in the quarter, which ignited a new intensity that led to the third-quarter rampage. But instead of simply scoring basket after basket, he distributed the ball, often finding Jaxon Hudson with an open backdoor look for easy buckets.

Rockett’s scoring numbers are often the topic of conversation, but the fact that he dishes out around eight assists per game shows the unselfish manner in which he lifts his team.

Hudson, also a senior, is nearing 1,000 career points. “They’ve been teammates for a very long time. When you have great teammates, it makes a difference,” Burton said. 

Despite getting down by more than 20 points, Braymer was far from ceding the game. The Bobcats continued to fight and found ways to score from the arc. Jamesyn Haley was sighted in, netting six 3-point baskets, four of which came in the second half. The sophomore finished with 18 points behind older brother Jordan Haley with a team-high 20.

“He’s a really good shooter,” Burton said. “We knew that coming in. He and his brother complement each other very well.” 

But Higbee had an answer in the form of Danny Janssen, who was also deadly from 3-point range. The sophomore sharpshooter banked seven threes on the night, three of which came in the first quarter.

“He is really talented,” Burton said about his 3-point shooter.

Janssen finished with a game-high 23 points, followed by Hudson with 22 and Rocket with 19.

“We did what we needed to do to win. That’s four conference championships in a row and something that we can be really proud of,” Burton said.

Higbee plays four games this week heading into next week’s Class 1 District 10 Tournament, which will be seeded Wednesday after the Advertiser has gone to press.

On Tuesday, Higbee hosted Keytesville (3-16) for the final CLAA game of the season. After a day off Wednesday, the Tigers travel to Class 2 La Plata (6-16) and return home Friday to host Class 3 South Shelby (12-11) for senior night.

“Every game is a test,” Burton said. “If we can adapt for the rest of the regular season, then I have no doubt we can adapt as the postseason goes along.”