RAMS, HAWKS ARRANGE BIG 2A SHOWDOWN; SCOTT CITY SWITCHES ROLES, WHIPS PUXICO

BLOOMFIELD -- Several Scott City Rams were pressed into filling unfamiliar parts in the Class 2A, District 2 semifinal boys basketball game here Thursday night, but the role-swapping really didn't matter much.

The injured Jon Beck played waterboy as his teammates -- foremost among them Ryan Weatherspoon -- occupied the limelight in top-seeded Scott City's 83-59 rout of No. 5 Puxico.

Scott City's win sets up tonight's championship clash, pitting the Rams against No. 2 Kelly, a 78-63 winner against Notre Dame. In the teams' last meeting, Scott City slipped past the Hawks 77-74 in overtime in one of the most rousing games in memory.

Beck, arguably the best player in Southeast Missouri, missed his second straight game with an ankle sprain, but Weatherspoon, a 6-foot-6 junior center, did all he could to soften the impact of Beck's absence.

Weatherspoon finished with 24 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks -- an effort capped by an emphatic two-handed dunk in the closing minutes.

"At times Weatherspoon was unstoppable," said Scott City coach Derek McCord.

"We knew without Beck, we needed people to step up," Weatherspoon said. "They (Puxico) didn't have anybody over about 6-2, so they just gave me the ball and I did what I had to do. I felt like I played a real good game. Everybody played well."

Scott City's Lance Amick had 15 points, Luke Sample 14 and Scott Johnston 10 off the bench. Ronald Watson added 11 assists.

"We ran through the offense really good and moved the ball around and found the open man," Weatherspoon said.

Scott City, which has won 17 games in a row, will shoot for its fourth district title in succession tonight at 8. The big question surrounding the game obviously concerns whether or not Beck will play. As of Thursday night, the question remained unanswered.

"We'll find out (tonight)," McCord said. "We'll have to wait and see."

Said Weatherspoon: "He says he is, but we don't know yet. The trainers have been working with him real hard, and he's been working on it a lot."

Sample had seven points and Weatherspoon had six points and a handful of blocked shots as Scott City, 26-2 and ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, carried a 19-10 edge into the second quarter.

"Coach told me not to get in foul trouble but still be a presence inside," Weatherspoon said.

The Rams, who never trailed, retained the momentum and led 39-23 at halftime.

Scott City maintained at least a 12-point bulge through the third quarter. Puxico (14-13) came no closer than 15 in the fourth period.

Most of Puxico's offense came from Ryan Harmon, a 5-11 senior, and Mike Owens, a 6-2 senior. Harmon had 22 points and Owens posted 16.