Braves ruled boys hoops in 1980s

Few schools have dominated a sport like the Scott County Central boys basketball team.

Starting in 1976 and ending in 1994, the Braves racked up 13 state championship appearances, 12 state titles and scattered their names throughout the state record books.

Under the watchful eye of head coach Ronnie Cookson and with more talent than any Class 1 school could ever dream of having, Scott County won seven of 10 state titles in the 1980s. The Braves set the state record with seven straight state titles from 1985 to 1991.

It wasn't enough for the Braves just to win state titles, Scott County dominated the opposition. Of its 12 state championships, Scott County's winning margin was below 10 points only twice.

Leading the way for the Braves were players such as Marcus Timmons and Otto Porter. Both players went on to successful college careers.

Of course, the Braves' success was most notably tied to the man at the helm -- Cookson. The coach compiled a 631-132 record in 25 years of varsity coaching, which ultimately led to a place in the Missouri Hall of Fame.

While Scott County occupies spots all over the state tournament record book, the winning percentage sticks out. The Braves are tied for the fourth-most final four appearances at 13, the Braves have three more titles than any other school.

Scott County girls got in on the act

Morley, Mo., was the place to be for high school basketball from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s.

While the boys program got much of the recognition, Scott County Central's girls basketball team won seven state titles from 1982 to 1993. Five of those titles came under the watchful eye of Danny Farmer, now the boys coach at Charleston.

The Bravettes are tied with Marshfield for the most titles in girls basketball. The program's dominance was highlighted by a three-year span from 1991 to 1993 when the team won three straight titles while losing just three games. Scott Central won those three championship games by an average margin of 28.7 points.

The Bravettes hold the final four records for points (97), scoring in a half (53), scoring in a quarter (32), field goals (47), field goal attempts (93), free throw attempts (49), rebounds (66), assists (24) and margin of victory (47).