Advance boys basketball team stings Malden in semifinal of OIT

ORAN, Mo. -- It was the Hornets who looked like they deserved the higher seed Thursday night, as they breezed past second-seeded Malden for an 81-44 victory and a spot in the championship game of the Oran Invitational on Thursday.

Advance, the No. 3 seed, had four scorers in double digits, led by Preston Wuebker's 23 points and six assists. Austin Ladd added 20 points, Armani Vermillion had 18 and Dawson Mayo notched 11.

The Hornets (2-0) will play top-seeded Scott County Central in today's 8 p.m. championship game.

For a team with a reputation as a 3-point shooting side, Advance was only 4 of 12 from long distance, instead punishing Malden (1-1) from inside the arc, where it shot 31 of 51.

"We just knew we had to get the ball inside and get their big guys in foul trouble," Ladd said. "They're a big, athletic team and we knew they can play ball. We had to come out and space the floor and open up every option we can."

Big man Trevor Ison led the Green Wave with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyler Ison added eight points, all in the third quarter.

That third period was Malden's best, but it wasn't enough to close ground, and Advance left no question in the fourth quarter, holding the Green Wave to just five points during the contest's final eight minutes.

"There wasn't anything working," Malden coach Andrew Halford said. "We weren't executing offensively and defensively, obviously, giving up 81. It was just our execution was bad all around.

"We made adjustments before the game even started, we just didn't execute. We executed a few times in the third quarter, and then went back to making mistakes. They shoot the ball way too well for us to make those mistakes and not follow our preparation."

Malden never led, and a 9-all score after a Dishon Ross 3-pointer at 4:00 of the first quarter was as close as things got.

Advance responded by getting the ball down low via the drive from Vermillion or the post play of Mayo, and then broke out in transition in the quarter's waning minutes to take a 21-14 advantage after eight minutes of play.

The second quarter was a decisive one for the Hornets, as they pushed out on a 14-0 run late in the period, sparked by the play of Wuebker and Ladd, and took a 44-26 lead into the break.

The Green Wave offered a little pushback after halftime, with the Ison brothers heating up under the hoop, but the Hornets grabbed back momentum with three straight baskets off turnovers.

That strong play continued the rest of the way, holding Malden to just seven points through the last 11:18 of the game.

"[We had to] block out and don't give up the dribble drive -- keep them shooting 3s," Ladd said. "They can make them, but don't give up the drive. They try to drive, get in the paint and get rebounds and putbacks.

"I don't think anything much changed [late in the game]. It just seemed like the game slowed down and we saw what they were doing, and we could pick out our plays."

By the time it was all over, Advance had strolled out to a 37-point win.

Advance 21 23 16 21 -- 81

Malden 14 12 13 5 -- 44

ADVANCE (81) -- Armani Vermillion 18, Preston Wuebker 23, Brian Whitson 9, Austin Ladd 20, Dawson Mayo 11. FG 35-63, FT 7-9, F 12. (3-pointers: Wuebker 2, Whitson 2. Fouled out: none.)

MALDEN (44) -- Nikylus Thompson 4, Tyler Currie 3, Tyler Ison 8, Shamaudre Barber 4, Trevor Ison 15, Dishon Ross 6, Reggie Reed 2 Jamilyn Criglar 2. FG 17-53, FT 8-10, F 11. (3-pointers: Ross 2. Fouled out: none.)