Advance outlasts Oran

Brad Steil had a monster game and Advance used a decisive run in the third quarter to gain separation and knock off Oran 75-58 in a fifth-place semifinal Tuesday at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament.

Steil was everywhere on the court, consistently hustling to find ways to better the Hornets. He had a game-high 23 points with 15 coming in the second half.

"Brad's active," Advance coach Josh Dowdy said. "He works extremely hard. I always tell the kids hard work pays off and it's nice to see that pay off for him."

The fifth-seeded Hornets (7-2) were tested throughout the first half.

Advance jumped out to a 22-17 lead after the first quarter, but Oran wouldn't budge.

The combination of Nathan Michelsen and Jon Morrow came up big for the eighth-seeded Eagles in the second.

Michelsen scored a quick five points and Morrow laid one in to tie the game at 24-24 early in the quarter.

Dowdy noted the poor performance of his team on the glass.

"Early on they outrebounded us," Dowdy said. "If we get outrebounded, we lose. We talked about it at half and did a better job to start the third quarter and overall in the second half."

Advance took a 35-31 lead into halftime.

The 3-point ball came up aces for the Hornets in the third.

With the Hornets clinging to a 37-33 lead, Darren VanGennip started the 3-point barrage for Advance.

Oran's Morrow answered with a bucket, then Steil hit two free throws, Grant Gray buried a long ball and Luke Steil hit a 3 to stretch the lead to 52-35.

"It was crucial," Dowdy said. "They played a zone, we hit some shots and that's what you have to do. After that, they went to man and we created some separation on the dribble."

"That was nice," Hornets senior Matt Ware said. "We shot the ball well and ran the press better."

The Hornets constantly pushed the tempo in the second, earning multiple layups.

"The kids played free tonight," Dowdy said. "I thought we could outscore them if we pushed the tempo."

Dowdy knew the Hornets had to limit Morrow inside.

"Darren VanGennip has been playing good defense," Dowdy said. "We put him on Morrow and tried to deny the ball, and if he caught it, to dig down and scrap."

The Hornets were effective for the most part, although Morrow scored a team-high 19 points, but only two in the final quarter.

In the fourth, a basket by Brad Steil pushed the lead to 56-43, but Oran wasn't finished.

A quick 9-2 run made it 58-52 midway through the fourth.

Oran got no closer the rest of the way. Brad Steil had 10 points in the fourth to secure the win.

"I didn't play well in the first," Steil said. "I thought I could play harder, so in the third I started getting offensive rebounds. Granted some of them were my own shots, but that still counts. I ran the court and just played the spot coach gave me."

Advance 22 13 19 21 -- 75

Oran 17 14 7 20 -- 58

ADVANCE (75) -- Luke Steil 16, Grant Gray 18, Matt Ware 4, Darren VanGennip 12, Dylan Dunivan 1, Brad Steil 23, Ethan Barr 1. FG 24, FT 19-27, F 16. (3-pointers: L. Steil 2, Gray 4, VanGennip 2. Fouled out: none)

ORAN (58) -- Preston Scherer 2, Gabe Kielhofner 7, Nathan Michelsen 16, Zac Chasteen 10, Reece Mangels 4, Jon Morrow 19. FG 20, FT 14-18, F 18. (3-pointers: Michelsen 4. Fouled out: none)