2023 Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament: Hobeck's 39 sees Oak Ridge fly by Leopold

Projected to be one of the closest matchups of the day, seventh-seeded Oak Ridge took little time to rack up a steep edge on No. 10 Leopold, cruising to a 73-47 victory to advance to the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament quarterfinals.

Fueled by the craftsmanship of Ty Wilson and an unstoppable 39-point effort from Konnor Hobeck, the pressing Bluejays got ahead early with a fiery midcourt attack and used their speed to take control.

“It was an honor for us to be getting a seven-seed here,” Bluejays coach Cody Bova said. “That means a lot of coaches put faith in us.

“Jackson's gonna be a tough, tough game for us, but I told them that before we get to Jackson, we can't overlook Leopold. I thought they played well – I thought we played well tonight.”

A handful of turnovers dictated the first few minutes, but Oak Ridge eventually pulled ahead and relied on its transition game to pile on a big lead early in the first quarter.

Holding a 15-2 advantage over the Wildcats after the first quarter, Oak Ridge seemingly let off the gas at the start of the second quarter.

Leopold began the second period on a 14-9 run to close the gap, but the turnovers kept falling as Ty Wilson and company picked apart a lackluster Leopold transition game en route to a 28-16 lead heading into the locker room.

Still fighting to get back into the game, the teams saw more of the same happen in the third quarter. At the end of the period, the lead stayed at 12 with a 43-31 Oak Ridge lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Looking for a dagger, Hobeck splashed a pair of 3-pointers early in the fourth to increase the lead to 19 points, and Oak Ridge began to run away with the score after Leopold cut down momentum earlier in the game.

A crushing fourth-quarter effort ensured that Oak Ridge took home the victory. The Bluejays’ 73-47 win moves them into a big quarterfinal matchup with Jackson on Wednesday night, advancing to the quarterfinal for the second consecutive year.

Konnor Hobeck’s unstoppable night saw him drain seven triples – six of which came in the fourth quarter – in an undeniable 39-point effort. Ty Wilson added on another 16 points in the win for the Bluejays.

Keegan Deck led the Wildcats in scoring with 15 points, with Preston Campbell chipping in another 12 to finish in double-digit scoring. The most impactful two points of the night, however, came from senior guard Caleb Rosanna.

Now 5-2 on the season, Oak Ridge notched another big win in a season of many so far. After leaving some unfinished business in last year’s quarters against Cape Central, the Bluejays are going back to the drawing board.

Against a talented and tall Jackson team, however, they’ll have their work cut out for them with roughly 20 hours to prepare for battle against the Indians.

“I watched some film on them,” Bova said. “I’ll watch some more tonight and some more tomorrow. But the big thing is that we can't be scared of the moment. Last year, we drew Cape Central and we weren't scared of that moment then.

“I told them, a lot of pressure is gonna be on Jackson. We just gotta go out and play our game and see what happens. I believe in them, they believe in each other, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”