Oran boys basketball team holds off Bell City, moves into Christmas Tournament consolation championship

Team basketball is always a point of emphasis for Oran coach Joe Shoemaker, and his players are beginning to put that on display.

Three players reached double figures and the No. 9 Eagles shook off a slow first half and used a big third quarter to come away with a 64-58 win over 12th-seeded district rival Bell City in a consolation semifinal Tuesday at the Show Me Center.

"This group's so unselfish right now," Shoemaker said. "They don't care who's hot. They don't care about points in the end. It's about the team score, and I've really got to give our team some props for that because they do a good job of it."

Oran had to overcome a huge performance from Bell City guard Cole Nichols, who scored 37 points -- the tournament's best scoring performance through two and a half days.

Bell City coach C.J. Hadley said he's been emphasizing to Nichols the importance of playing aggressively.

"Cole right now is still learning how to play without a whistle, and I hope he continues to do that," Hadley said. "I was proud of him. I looked at him and said, 'Cole, that's playing with heart, and that's playing aggressive and playing like you don't care if there's six people in there. You just go in there and score.'"

The Cubs held a 29-24 advantage at halftime, but Oran (5-5) opened the third period with a 9-3 run that was capped by a 3-pointer from Layne Johnson at the 5:08 mark of the quarter. Junior Cole Nichols answered with a trey that gave Bell City the lead, but a 10-foot jumper from Max Priggel sparked a 15-1 run for the Eagles, who increased their lead to 48-36 in the final seconds of the quarter. A last-second heave by Nichols from near half court cut the Cubs' deficit to nine points entering the final period.

Oran players watch from the bench during the fourth quarter against Bell City in a consolation semifinal game of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015 at the Show Me Center. (Glenn Landberg)

The Eagles got off to a slow start for the second straight day, and Shoemaker said he discussed several offensive and defensive adjustments with his players at the break.

"We knew we didn't want to play behind against that crew," Shoemaker said. "... I'm glad we made some adjustments at halftime, and the kids did a good job of making those adjustments on the floor.

Bell City (5-5) used a 9-2 run to draw within two points, 50-48, with 5:33 left in the game. However, a baseline runner from Preston Hahn, a bucket from Johnson and six clutch free throws from Jacob Shoemaker allowed Oran to balloon its lead to 11 points in the quarter, and the Cubs were never able to recover.

"I felt like we were both going back and forth. I just feel like we're still having problems with our third quarter. It's like our kryptonite right now," Hadley said. "We shot the ball real fast, and then the next thing you know, Oran gets out on a big run."

Bell City's Cole Nichols drive the ball down the court during the second quarter in a consolation semifinal game of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015 at the Show Me Center. (Glenn Landberg)

Max Priggel finished with a team-high 20 points to lead the Eagles while Jacob Shoemaker added 14 points and Johnson contributed 11 points.

"I thought we came out with a little more energy in the second half," Joe Shoemaker said. "They're tough. I thought they beat us on the boards today. I thought that was something we did a good job of early in the third quarter, trying to control the boards, and that kind of helped us get out and run a little bit."

Along with Nichols' big day, Bobby Wright added 10 points for Bell City.

The Eagles will take on No. 14 Chaffee in the consolation championship at 3 p.m. today.

Bell City 10 19 10 19 -- 58

Oran 11 13 24 16 -- 64

BELL CITY (58) -- Cole Nichols 37, Kolten Siebert 5, Logan Yates 5, Peyton Maddox 1, Bobby Wright 10. FG 20, FT 9-16, F 19. (3-pointers: Nichols 6, Wright 2, Siebert. Fouled out: None.)

ORAN (64) -- Cole Priggel 9, Jacob Shoemaker 14, Max Priggel 20, Preston Hahn 5, Layne Johnson 11, Garrison Mangels 5. FG 24, FT 12-19, F 16. (3-pointers: M. Priggel 3, Johnson. Fouled out: None.)