SCOTT CITY LOOKS FOR MORE GOOD THINGS IN TOURNAMENT

Although Scott City coach Derek McCord believes top-seeded Charleston is athletically superior to the other 15 teams in the tournament, he still has a lofty goal for his Rams.

"We want to win it," McCord said.

The Rams have done nothing but win so far. Scott City was 6-0 entering its game last Friday against Advance.

Scott City, the No. 4 seed, plays No. 13 Oak Ridge in an opening-round tournament game at 1:30 p.m. Friday. Last year, the Rams made it all the way to the tourney finals before losing to Cape Central in an exciting championship game.

So far, McCord has praise for nearly all facets of his team's game. Scott City owns wins over St. Vincent, Hayti, East Prairie, Egyptian of Tamms, Ill., Oran and Oak Ridge.

"We're real pleased with our start, especially defensively," he said. "We're giving up 49.6 points a ballgame. We're getting up and guarding people fairly well, even with our lack of size.

"I think we've got a real good mix this year. We've got several people that can shoot the ball and a lot of guys that can handle the ball."

Scott City won its first six games by an average of 35 points. The Rams are shooting 3-pointers at a 43.8-percent clip and are averaging 8.8 3-pointers a game.

"Our offense is averaging 84.5 points," McCord said. "We're shooting the ball extremely well. We really haven't been tested yet this year, but I'm afraid we're going to get tested in the Christmas tournament."

Jon Beck, a 5-11 junior shooting guard who hit 16 3-pointers and scored 59 points against Egyptian, is averaging 27 points. Ryan Weatherspoon, a 6-5 sophomore, is averaging 14 points and Tim Lowery, a 5-10 senior point guard, is the other double-digit scorer at 12 points.

Although the Rams have already beaten Oak Ridge 98-51 this season, McCord said his team won't overlook the Blue Jays.

"I'm sure Oak Ridge will come in and play loose and try for the upset," he said. "So we're not looking past them at all. We're going to try to get after them."

McCord was one of a number of coaches who said this should be one of the most balanced tournaments in years. He added that second-round games should be better than usual.