Bernie bests Oran in battle of Class 2 rivals

~ The Mules defeated the Eagles 65-53 at the Show Me Center

The Oran boys basketball team found out just how difficult it is to beat a rival squad playing at the top of its game.

The Eagles watched Bernie hit eight of its first nine shots from the floor -- including seven straight to end the first quarter -- to build an early lead and hang on to defeat Oran 65-53 Wednesday evening at the Show Me Center.

Bernie (12-1), ranked No. 5 in Class 2 according to the latest Missouri Basketball Coaches Association / MoSports.com poll, led 19-12 after one period. The Mules allowed Oran, a Class 2 final four participant last season, to pull within 33-28 at the half but never allowed the Eagles to get any closer the rest of the way.

"They're a very well-coached basketball team, very disciplined," Oran coach Joe Shoemaker said. "They do a lot of things well. You could tell that tonight. They kind of took control [from the beginning]. We shot poorly, but a lot of that had to do with their good defense. That's something we have to do a better job of."

Oran's Hunter Schlosser shoots against Bernie's J.R. Pregel, but Bernie's Joey Walker knocks the ball away during the third quarter Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014 at the Show Me Center. (Fred Lynch)

Bernie's quick start certainly didn't help the Eagles (10-4), nor did Oran's start to the second half. After the Eagles had pulled within five points at intermission, the Mules opened the third quarter with an 8-2 run that pushed their lead to double digits at 41-30. Oran scored just eight points in the quarter and trailed 44-36 heading into the final period.

"That definitely hurt us," Shoemaker said. "We knew gambling with our pressure and trapping a little bit, if they continued to shoot well it was going to be bad for us, and they did."

In the fourth quarter, with Oran desperate to close the gap, Bernie's Jake Wagner connected on three 3-pointers from the deep corner within a 2-minute, 30-second span that pushed the Mules' lead to 59-44 with just over three minutes remaining in the game.

"You take your hat off," Shoemaker said. "If he misses those, you've got a chance."

Bernie coach Brad Botsch wasn't quite sure what to expect from his squad but was pleased with the results.

"You come into a big venue like this -- we've never played here before -- I thought our kids did a good job right out of the gate," Botsch said. "They did some nice things."

Bernie was 14 of 23 from the floor in the first half and finished 27 of 41 (66 percent) for the game. Junior guard B.J. Jennings and Caleb Ellenburg, a 6-foot-2 junior forward, each scored 19 points to lead the Mules.

"We have to play fundamental," Botsch said. "We're not extremely athletic. We have to be very disciplined. I thought our kids did for the most part what we wanted them to do. We did have a few too many turnovers (12) but Oran is a quality club, and they're gonna try to force some turnovers, get out and run in transition some. For the most part, we handled it OK."

Senior guard Seth Ressel, who led Oran with a game-high 20 points, said Bernie's defense was the difference in the game. Oran hit just 20 of 53 (38 percent) shots from the field, including 8 of 24 in the second half.

"We didn't shoot the ball too well," he said. "We could've played a little better, but I give credit to the defense."

The game was the first of two billed as "The Battle For Braggin Rights." Charleston defeated Sikeston 60-55 in overtime in the second game.

Those two teams attracted more than 2,000 fans to the Show Me Center for a regular-season contest last year, and this year the venue sought to add a second game to the marquee lineup.

"We've wanted to play Bernie the past few years, and they've wanted to play us," said Shoemaker, who credited Josh Hanlon of the Show Me Center and Sikeston athletic director Andy McGill with helping put the additional game together. "We didn't want to drive there, and they didn't want to come to Oran, so for us to be able to meet here was good."

Oran 12 16 8 17 -- 53

Bernie 19 14 11 21 -- 65

Oran (53) -- Thomas Trankler 2, Jacob Priggel 15, Chance Tenkhoff 5, Seth Ressel 20, Garrison Mangels 1, Hunter Schlosser 10. FG: 20. FT: 11-16. Total fouls: 12. (3-pointers: Ressel 1. Fouled out: none)

Bernie (65) -- Jake Wagner 12, B.J. Jennings 19, Justin Stansfield 5, J.R. Pregel 2, Bubby Schwent 2, Devin Trammel 2, Joey Walker 4, Caleb Ellenburg 19. FG: 27. FT: 4-6. Total fouls: 12. (3-pointers: Wagner 4, Jennings 1, Stansfield 1. Fouled out: none)