Advance takes slow route to 53-29 loss to Braves

ADVANCE — Jacob Bond and his Advance boys basketball teammates decided the best chance to beat high-flying Scott County Central was to play a game of keep away.

The Hornets methodically worked the ball around during the first two quarters, working for an open shot Tuesday in front of an emotionally charged crowd.

The Braves even came out of their zone defense and played man-to-man for a bit to counteract the Hornets' tactics.

But in the end it only limited the scoring for both teams as Scott County posted the 53-29 victory in a battle of state-ranked teams.

"We wanted to slow them up, minimize their possessions each quarter, keep them from getting good shots," Bond said. "We wanted to keep the ball in our hands more than they had it."

Scott County, ranked second in Class 1, couldn't play its fast-paced style because Advance, ranked 10th in Class 2, took its time on every possession.

"Without a doubt, we were trying to control the ball," Advance coach Josh Dowdy said. "That showed. We were going to throw it around and make them come chase us. We were going to try to hold it down and give ourselves a chance."

The Braves managed 28 points in the first half, but their offensive touches were limited. They shot 52 percent (12 of 23) in the opening half.

"It gets frustrating sometimes," Scott County sophomore Otto Porter said. "It's pretty boring, but more teams are going to do that to us. We just got to keep prepared for it. Hopefully when we play our man-to-man, we put more pressure on the ball and make them turn it over."

Scott County coach Ronnie Cookson appreciated the Hornets' defensive strategy, and admitted Tuesday's game will help his team prepare for the postseason.

"I really liked that myself because we need to play that way for one game," Cookson said of the pace. "We've been playing wild and crazy for the last two or three weeks. We needed to play one where we do some things we don't normally do."

Drew Thomas, who scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Braves, said he learned a lot from Advance's defense, including how to attack it.

"You have to get up on them and have one foot in their pants the whole time," he said. "Eventually, they'll come at us and we'll force turnovers."

Scott County turned the tables in the fourth quarter, when it held onto the ball to run clock. The Braves only scored seven points in the quarter.

"We just didn't want to get nobody hurt," Thomas said. "That's all."

SCC1414196—53

Advance45137—29

SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL (53) — Drew Thomas 21, Randy Timmons 12, Otto Porter 14, Bobby Hatchett 5, Desmin Williams 1. FG 24, FT 5-11, F 13. (3-pointers: None. Fouled out: None)

ADVANCE (29) — Luke Steil 2, David VanGennip 17, Jacob Bond 10. FG 10, FT 7-11, F 16. (3-pointers: VanGennip 2. Fouled out: None)