HILLSBORO, Mo. -- The Scott City boys basketball team's season ended Wednesday night.

Players cried and coach Mark Dannenmueller did the best he could to lessen the pain during a long stay in the locker room after a 71-52 loss to Crystal City in a Class 3 sectional.

But they all hoped that this season, which included the school's first district championship since 2000, and even Wednesday night's loss can be the start of something good.

"We used to be a great basketball program at Scott City, winning seasons over and over again, always competing very well and always having great seasons," Scott City senior Zach Cotner said. "That's where we wanted to get it back to."

The Rams finished 10-16 and lost in the district championship game in alumnus Dannenmueller's first season a year ago.

The Scott City bench watches the last seconds of Wednesday's Class 3 sectional against Crystal City in Hillsboro, Mo. (Laura Simon)

"That's no disrespect to any of the previous coaches at all, but I just wanted the kids to get our program back to where I think it needs to be, and that's winning consistently, competing every year, having a chance to win," Dannenmueller said. "These kids don't understand the impact they have on little kids. Now our junior high kids see this and they get so excited, and now they want to be that. Hopefully it just snowballs in a positive way for us. That's what I'm ready for. I just told them you're going to look back in five years and you're going to be like, 'We started that.' I think that's a great feeling."

Scott City hung with Crystal City (26-5) for most of the first half thanks in large part to the play of 6-foot-5 junior Ryan Brock. He scored 10 of Scott City 13 points in the first quarter.

"Awesome," Dannenmueller said about Brock's performance. "I talked to him the other day and I just told him to step up and play. He's a good player. He knows he's a good player. I just told him to be aggressive. He was a man. They had a 6-7 kid, but it didn't look like it there, especially in the first half. Ryan imposed his will down low, and I was proud of him."

Brock was diagnosed with strep rash earlier Wednesday and advised not to play.

"It's a whole body rash," Brock said. "The doctor didn't want me to play at all. It itches. Like every time somebody touched it, my jersey would rub against it and it was like, 'Oh.'"

Scott City's Jonathan McFall takes a shot during the fourth quarter Wednesday in Hillsboro, Mo.

Brock finished with a team-high 20 points. He scored in the paint and swished jumpers from the baseline and the free-throw line.

"I didn't want to go home," Brock said. "I had to do what I had to do."

Scott City trailed just 29-24 at halftime, even with point guard Jesse Sanders and Cotner missing big chucks of time after both picked up two fouls trying to guard Crystal City point guard Stacey Thornton, who relentlessly drove to the basket.

"That was a big emphasis," Dannenmueller said. "We knew he was going to go to the hole. We knew he wasn't a very good outside shooter. Our emphasis was to play him to his right and he still got back to his left. That's how good he was."

Thornton gave way to senior Eli Sample in the second half. Sample scored 21 of his game-high 27 points in the third and fourth quarters.

"He's a good player," Cotner said. "He stepped up and made great shots, even if our defense had hands in his face. He put the team on his shoulders and he carried them really well, like our coach said. He stepped up."

Sample quelled what would prove to be Scott City's final attack early in the fourth quarter.

Cotner started the quarter with a three-point play, and Sanders made two free throws to cut Crystal City's lead to 48-41 with 7 minutes, 27 seconds left in the game.

Sample made a 3-pointer on the Hornets' next possession. He then stole the ball from Sanders and made two free throws.

"We were confident going into the game," Sample said. "The first half we were ready, but we just had to get it flowing. When we got the flow, it was over from there."

Scott City never again reduced its deficit to single digits.

"We scored those quick buckets in the fourth to cut it to seven, and they came down and scored five straight just like that, and it was just like everything got zapped out of us," Dannenmueller said. "I just think we were fighting uphill all night and just, unfortunately, it didn't work out for us. We ran out of gas."

Scott City finished the season 20-9.

"It's been a memorable season," Brock said. "It's something I'll never forget.

"We haven't won a district championship since 2000. It feels good to start it off. Next year hopefully we come back with another one. No promises, but I'd like to. Who wouldn't?"

Scott City 13 11 12 16 -- 52

Crystal City 14 15 19 23 -- 71

SCOTT CITY (52) -- Landon Robert 4, Jesse Sanders 2, Tyler Adams 2, Jonathan McFall 4, Zach Cotner 16, Ryan Fortner 4, Ryan Brock 20. FG 12, FT 10-20, F 17. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none)

CRYSTAL CITY (71) -- Eli Sample 27, Blake Ashcraft 2, Stacey Thornton 16, Logan Loesch 2, Nicholas Rothweiler 10, Kyle Jones 2, Bryan Degeare 12. FG 23. FT 18-26, F 17. (3-pointers: Sample 4, Rothweiler 2, Degeare 1. Fouled out: none)