The Scott City boys basketball team sent out a clear message Tuesday night to any opponent that might be waiting in its path.

Don't catch Dylan Keller on a good night.

The Scott City junior finished with a game-high 38 points, leading the third-seeded Rams to an 83-75 win over sixth-seeded Kelly in the opening round of the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament at Scott City High School.

Keller shot 48 percent (11 of 23) from the floor, including 42 percent (5 of 12) from beyond the arc. Several of his treys came from well behind the 3-point line, and Dannenmueller said he has no problem when the sharpshooter decides to release an NBA-range triple.

"Before he hurt his thumb, he was somebody that was in the gym all the time," Dannenmueller said. "He comes in the gym and shoots in the mornings and comes in early, stays late -- always shot in the offseason a lot. Even when he was playing football, he was still coming in and shooting. He puts the time in, and if I see somebody who's in the gym constantly putting in the work, I really don't care where they can shoot it from, especially if I've seen him do it enough."

Scott City's Dylan Keller passes the ball to Braden Cox as Kelly's Ty Householder looks on during the first quarter of a first-round game in the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 in Scott City, Missouri.Fred Lynch

Keller scored the Rams' first five points of the game, putting them ahead for good, 5-2, when he knocked down a 3-pointer from the left corner at the 6:21 mark of the opening period. Scott City (9-6) opened up a 12-5 lead when Trent Pobst turned a putback into a conventional three-point play with 3:39 left in the first quarter, and the Rams carried a 21-14 advantage into the second frame.

Keller put his long range on display when he pulled up from five feet behind the right key and drained a triple that gave the Rams their largest lead of the first half, 24-14, only 17 seconds into the second quarter. Skylar Lemons knocked down a 3-pointer to pull Kelly (8-8) within five points, 34-29, but Keller converted a conventional three-point play that pushed Scott City's lead back to eight points. The Rams led 39-31 at halftime, as Keller contributed 21 first-half points.

Hawks coach Ryan Garnett said Keller exposed his team's defensive struggles in a big way.

"He's just a good player," Garnett said. "... If you close out his shot, then he's going to drive around you. If you stop his drive, he's going to pull up five feet behind the line."

Kelly scored five quick points to open the second half, trimming its deficit to 39-36 on a 3-pointer by Ty Householder with 7:10 left in the third quarter. Householder drove to the basket and scored, pulling the Hawks within one, 45-44, at the 4:14 mark of the period, but Isiah Berry got a steal and scored on the fast break, paving way for a 14-4 Scott City run to end the period. The Rams carried a 59-48 lead into the final eight minutes.

Kelly's Ty Householder passes the ball as Scott City's Dylan Keller defends during the fourth quarter of a first-round game in the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 in Scott City, Missouri.Fred Lynch

The two teams have already met three times this season on neutral courts -- Scott City defeated Kelly 73-45 in the first round of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament before handing the Hawks a 55-51 loss Jan. 14 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. Dannenmueller said he didn't believe his team played to the best of its ability, but he was pleased to see his players surge ahead with their lead in jeopardy.

"We had talked about it. We knew they were going to hit us with a run. We just didn't know when it was going to come," he said. "I thought we responded well. That's what we struggle with, when teams hit us with runs. A few weeks ago, it was like teams were hitting us with 20-0 runs and stuff like that. We were able to respond and take the lead, so it was good.

"It was a good win for us. I was proud of the kids."

The Rams went ahead by as many as 17 points in the final period before Kelly closed the game with a 14-5 run, drawing within single digits inside the final minute. Both teams were whistled for a combined 48 fouls, as Keller knocked down his first 11 free throws before missing his last.

The Hawks finished 27 of 57 (47 percent) from the field and had four players reach double figures, led by Householder, who finished with 23 points before fouling out in the fourth. Lemons added 17 points, Levi Alsup contributed 12 off the bench and Maurice Davis pitched in 10.

Kelly's Ty Householder grabs a rebound as Scott City's Dylan Keller defends during the second quarter of a first-round game in the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 in Scott City, Missouri.Fred Lynch

"Ultimately we climbed back. I think we ended the game about where we started at the half," Garnett said. "I think we just got down early, and they came out. They're really good. They play hard the entire time. ... When it comes down to it, they're a big, strong, physical team, and I think that's where they're a little bit stronger than us. And I really think that was the difference."

Scott City shot 29 of 54 (54 percent) from the field and missed only two of its nine shot attempts in the final period. Pobst added 18 points while Braden Cox finished with eight.

Dannenmueller believes his team is best when it plays without thinking. The Rams had 10 turnovers in the first half but only four in the second half.

"There was a lot of times we turned the ball over, and we weren't even getting pressured. It was just because we were overthinking," Dannenmueller said. "We were wanting the defender to do something that he wasn't, and instead of us just reacting, we'd turn the ball over. We'd shuffle our feet. We always tell our kids, 'Just react.' We've got guys who are athletic enough and who have played enough, so I was just proud of the kids.

"We had a lot of people step up, and I thought everybody that played in the game helped us. And I thought everybody on the bench did a great job. They were talking more than I was half the time, so it was good. It was a team win, so I'm proud of them."

Winter weather moved through the area later in the evening, forcing the postponement of the last opening-round game between fourth-seeded Oran and fifth-seeded Chaffee. The two teams will reconvene at 6 p.m. today. The winner will advance to the semifinals to face top-seeded Scott County Central, which eased past No. 8 Delta 79-20 in the opener.

Meanwhile, the Rams will take on second-seeded East Prairie in a semifinal at 7:45 p.m. Thursday. The Eagles cruised past past No. 7 Oak Ridge 56-26.

"They have some athleticism. They play hard," Dannenmueller said. "We know it's going to be tough. We're not the type of team where we can just come in and overpower people. That's just not who we are, so we know it's going to be a tough ball game. ... They're well-coached. They've got some tough players, and we're going to go out there and give it our best shot."

Scott County Central 79, Delta 20

The Braves repeated a dominating effort from earlier in the season by dropping the Bobcats in the quarterfinals of the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament.

Top-seeded Scott County Central (10-7) jumped out to a fast start and never looked back, with Jeffery Porter's 19 points leading the way. Deantrell Beard added 14 points for SCC.

No. 8 Delta (1-13) got eight points from Quentin Little.

Scott County Central awaits the winner of No. 4 Oran and No. 5 Chaffee, which was postponed to tonight at 6 due to inclement weather. The semifinal will be played Thursday.

East Prairie 56, Oak Ridge 26

Derez Tipler scored 15 points to lead four double-digit scorers for the No. 2 Eagles, as they downed the seventh-seeded Blue Jays in a quarterfinal of the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament.

Brett Ellis added 14 points for East Prairie (8-7), while Deverence Jones and Alex Cowgill each had 10.

Oak Ridge, which slid to 3-11 with the loss, got 12 points from Nathan Bolin.

Kelly 14 17 17 27 -- 75

Scott City 21 18 20 24 -- 83

KELLY (75) -- Ty Householder 23, Skylar Lemons 17, Levi Alsup 12, Maurice Davis 10, Jake McClain 7, Conner Dittlinger 4, Kade Proctor 2. FG 27, FT 15-23, F 27. (3-pointers: Lemons 4, Householder 2. Fouled out: Proctor, Householder.)

SCOTT CITY (83) -- Dylan Keller 38, Trent Pobst 18, Braden Cox 8, David Smith 7, Isiah Berry 7, Jordan Kluesner 5. FG 29, FT 20-28, F 21. (3-pointers: Keller 5. Fouled out: None.)

Oak Ridge 8 7 6 5 -- 26

East Prairie 17 16 15 8 -- 56

OAK RIDGE (26) -- Steven Masterson 5, Zack Moore 2, Nathan Bolin 12, Trevor Dillard 3, Tyee Curry 2, Scott Palmer 2. FG 10 FT 3-4 F 7. (3-pointers: Masterson 1, Bolin 1, Dillard 1. Fouled out: none.)

EAST PRAIRIE (56) -- Luke Marcum 3, Deverence Jones 10, Dylan Lingle 2, Derez Tipler 15, Brett Ellis 14, Jon Ross Slayden 2, Alex Cowgill 10. FG 25 FT 2-8 F 10. (3-pointers: Marcum 1, Tipler 2, Ellis 1. Fouled out: none.)

Delta 8 4 4 4 -- 20

SCC 21 19 21 18 -- 79

DELTA (20) -- Bryan Schien 2, Adam Hodge 2, Quentin Little 8, Triston Perry 8. FG 7 FT 6-8 F 6. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none.)

SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL (79) -- Jacob Brown 6, Marshohn Woods 6, Eric Smith 8, Deven Blackmon 8, Deantrell Beard 14, Jaden Lane 4, Garry Wilkerson 6, Jeffery Porter 19, Keyth Blissett, Jr. 8. FG 36 FT 3-6 F 11. (3-pointers: Smith 2, Porter 2. Fouled out: none.)