Scott City boys basketball team upsets Scott County Central in Scott-Mississippi Conference final

The Scott City boys basketball team remembered how close it was last time -- how, it believes, it should have defeated Scott County Central back in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. This time, it was ready to erase the could have, should have, would haves.

The Rams broke out of the gates quickly thanks to a dominant first half by Braden Cox and then survived the Braves' expected second-half rally to pull off a second straight upset, defend their home floor and secure a Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament title with a 77-74 victory in the championship game on Wednesday night.

In a contest that was postponed from Friday due to inclement weather, No. 3 Scott City (11-6) never trailed. But top-seeded SCC (11-8) came roaring back from an 11-point halftime deficit, pulling within two points three times in the third quarter, including a 53-51 score going into the final period.

But the hosts found a response every time, never allowing the Braves any closer. SCC was able to make it a three-point game three times in the fourth quarter, including 75-72 after a Jeffery Porter putback with 8 seconds remaining, but the Rams refused to fold.

Dylan Keller scored eight points in the final 1:06 to help the victors hold on. He finished with 17 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter.

Scott City's Dylan Keller moves past Scott County Central's Deven Blackmon in the second quarter during the championship game of the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 in Scott City, Missouri.Glenn Landberg

"I thought that was the biggest thing -- our kids didn't get rattled," Scott City coach Mark Dannenmueller said. "They'd hit us with a run and we'd answer. Instead of a 12- or 13-0 run, it was a 4- or 5-0 run. These kids have worked hard, and even though sometimes I'm a little too hard on them, they deserve this.

"We've been playing well for the last two weeks. Our kids, we had confidence after we played them in the Christmas Tournament. We missed a lot of shots around the basket [that night], and we knew if we could make those, we'd be fine. It's just a credit to our kids. They've gotten better. ... It's all on them. They've done a good job."

Cox was unstoppable through the first two quarters and finished with a game-high 35 points, a total that surprised even him after the game.

"Woah," the junior post player said in response to hearing his final points tally. "I just wanted to do whatever I could do to help the team win. I knew we needed to get inside, and we beat them inside all night long. It wasn't just me, it was everybody. ... I just wanted to get to the rim as quick as I could, and I think it worked.

"It meant a lot [to win this tournament]. It's huge for us, especially to be able to play [at home]. A lot of people don't get to play on their home court in a conference tournament, and we did. And we capitalized on it."

Scott County Central's Jeffery Porter makes his way down the court in the first quarter against Scott City during the championship game of the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 in Scott City, Missouri.Glenn Landberg

Cox scored 25 points in the first half and shot 10 of 10 from the field. He finished 13 of 14 from the floor and 9 of 11 from the free-throw line.

"Braden was great for us, and our kids were great getting him the ball," Dannenmueller said.

Porter scored 33 points with six rebounds and five assists for SCC, and Deantrell Beard added 20 points and 10 boards. But it wasn't enough. Porter was on and off the floor with foul trouble beginning in the second quarter, and it affected the Braves' ability to dig out of their hole. Keith Blissett Jr. also encountered foul trouble early in the second half.

"It was tough. It was a hard-fought game and foul trouble, that hampered us a little bit," SCC coach Matt Cline said. "But Scott City was ready to play and those boys played a good ball game.

"It was [us] giving up the easy buckets in the back and allowing too much penetration. They were throwing it into the high post, and we weren't picking it up. Too many easy buckets -- layups is what beat us. I thought we did a pretty good job of closing out on them on the perimeter where they beat us up in the Christmas Tournament, but they just drilled us inside."

Scott City's Braden Cox drives to the hoop in the second quarter against Scott County Central during the championship game of the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 in Scott City, Missouri.Glenn Landberg

The Rams were 26 of 43 (60.5 percent) from the field and 24 of 32 at the charity stripe.

The Braves shot 30 of 55 (54.5 percent) from the floor and were 10 of 14 on free throws.

Scott City made sure it had the upper hand all night when it began the game with merciless execution on the offensive end. Cox scored four of his team's first five baskets -- and assisted on the other -- including a conventional three-point play at 5:17 that gave the Rams an 11-6 advantage.

The hosts then went on an 11-4 run to close the quarter and push the gap to double digits, 22-12, by the end of the first.

SCC was able to find some offensive life in the second quarter, scoring 19 points, but still had no answer for Scott City defensively, and the Rams went into the break with a 42-31 lead.

The third quarter was a different story, though. After Trent Pobst hit a free throw to open the period, the Braves ran off on a four-and-a-half-minute, 14-4 swing that started with a layup from Porter and was capped by a bucket from Beard. Suddenly it was a one-possession game, and at 2:52, that became a two-point game when Beard gobbled up a missed shot and dropped down the putback to make things 49-47.

SCC could not get any closer, and the period ended with the same differential, 53-51.

"We knew we were going to have to get some separation, because if you don't get separation against a team like this, they're going to go on a run," Dannenmueller said. "I talked to the kids about that before. If you're up by 10 and they go on a 7- or 8-0 spurt, you're still up. That's what I told them in the third quarter -- we're still up two.

SCC had an opportunity to pull back again when a Beard layup drew his team within four and Scott City turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions with less than three minutes left to play. But the Braves failed to take advantage of the opportunity, and with 2:16 on the clock, Keller went coast to coast to maintain a six-point advantage.

"We just talked about shutting down the penetration," Cline said. "They didn't just gash us the second half, but they still got way too many [easy baskets].

"They were dictating to us what we were going to do. Instead of us moving and getting in the flow of the game, they were putting us back."

But SCC didn't go away, and Porter put the ball in the hole at the 1:44 mark to make it a 67-64 game.

The Rams, however, never crumbled. Garry Wilkerson layed the ball in for SCC to keep it a three-point game just inside the final minute, but Keller took over from there for the hosts.

Scott City 22 20 11 24 -- 77

SCC 12 19 20 23 -- 74

SCOTT CITY (77) -- Dylan Keller 17, Trent Pobst 6, Isiah Berry 2, Jordan Kluesner 6, Braden Cox 35, Ty Wilthong 6, David Smith 5. FG 26-43, FT 24-32, F 16. (3-pointers: Smith. Fouled out: None.)

SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL (74) -- Deantrell Beard 20, Garry Wilkerson 8, Keith Blissett Jr. 4, Jeffery Porter 33, Brady Ditto 9. FG 30-55, FT 10-14, F 23. (3-pointers: Porter 3, Ditto. Fouled out: None.)

THIRD-PLACE GAME

East Prairie 62, Oran 59

East Prairie's Derez Tipler scored a team-high 16 points, and his team held off a late surge by Oran.

Freshman Jacob Shoemaker notched a game-high 24 points to lead Oran (11-8), which trailed 25-18 at halftime but was able to trim its deficit to two points heading into the final period. Layne Johnson added 14 points for Oran.

Brett Ellis finished with 14 points for East Prairie (9-9), while Luke Marcum pitched in 12 points.

Oran 12 6 21 20 -- 59

East Prairie 14 11 16 21 -- 62

ORAN (59) -- Jacob Shoemaker 24, Layne Johnson 14, Garrison Mangels 9, Max Priggel 8, Blake Schlitt 2. FG 20, FT 13-18, F 19. (3-pointers: Shoemaker 3, Priggel 1. Fouled out: None.)

EAST PRAIRIE (62) -- Derez Tipler 16, Brett Ellis 14, Luke Marcum 12, Dylan Lingle 8, Cade Douglas 8, Deverence Jones 2, Jon Ross Slayden 2. FG 21, FT 13-16, F 19. (3-pointers: Tipler 4, Marcum 2, Ellis 1. Fouled out: Slayden.)