Scott County Central captures championship at Oran tourney

ORAN, Mo. -- Scott County Central overwhelmed Oran from the opening tip.

The result? A third consecutive Oran Invitational boys basketball championship.

The Braves blew past the host Eagles 84-32 to capture the title.

SCC (4-1) wasted little time establishing its dominance, jumping out to a 13-0 lead in the first three minutes.

"It's always good to come out and jump on somebody from the start," Braves coach Kenyon Wright said.

Added Otto Porter: "We wanted to come out real good and get our momentum going from the opening tip."

The Braves accomplished that goal.

Oran posed little threat in the opening minutes but seemed to regain its poise midway through the first quarter.

The Eagles (2-1) cut the Braves' lead to 19-8 with two minutes left in the quarter, but SCC went on an explosive 11-1 run to end the quarter and go up 30-9.

"They came out with a lot of intensity," Oran coach Joe Shoemaker said. "They transition very quickly and they hit shots in the first, and we didn't."

Oran struggled in the second, due in large part to the dominance of Porter and Stewart Johnson.

Johnson was in control of the dangerous offense while Porter knocked down shot after shot.

"He was in sync," Wright said of Johnson. "He played the way he needs to play. I was proud of him."

Porter was impressed by the play of his fellow senior.

"He stepped up big," Porter said. "He knocked down shots and got the offense flowing."

The Eagles faced another issue in the second when their top player and low post presence, Jon Morrow, picked up his fourth foul with a little less than three minutes left in the half.

"He's a lot of what we do on offense and rebounding," Shoemaker said. "They're a smart team. They were coming right at him in transition."

The Braves stretched their lead to 56-20 by halftime after closing the half on a 12-2 run.

SCC's relentless pressure wore down the Eagles in the third.

"We did well at times of not getting in a big rush," Shoemaker said. "But as a player, it's tough to keep mentally focused each and every play. One mistake and they get it and they're gone."

The Braves went on a big run in the third behind Porter's 14 points as they outscored Oran 24-2 in the period and took an 80-22 cushion into the fourth.

"We wanted to put more pressure on them and speed the game up," Porter said.

Added Wright: "When you get out and put pressure on somebody, you hope they make mistakes. We have some quick kids who can cause you to make mistakes."

Porter was impressive all night, tallying a team high 34 points and adding 11 rebounds.

"I was just trying to keep moving," Porter said. "Stewart was able to see me and I was able to put it in."

Johnson added 25 points and 10 assists for the Braves.

Oran was led by Reece Mangels' eight points.

Oran 32, Scott County 84

Oran 9 11 2 10 -- 32

Scott County 30 26 24 4 -- 84

ORAN (32) -- Caleb Priggel 2, Preston Scherer 2, Nolan Urhahn 2, Dylan Adams 5, Kody Moore 5, Reece Mangels 8, Jon Morrow 6, Blake Henson 2. FG 12, FT 6-11, F 14. (3-pointers: Moore, Adams)

SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL (84) -- Stewart Johnson 25, Trey Johnson 4, Reggie Woodson 3, Otto Porter 34, Domonique Porter 7, Brian Freed 3, Caleb Cockrell 2, Zach Abernathy 2, Calvin Porter 4. FG 34, FT 12-12, F 11. (3-pointers: S. Johnson 2, Freed)