Braves cure upset fever, win title

Central enjoyed a magical run through the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament.

But as has been the case with every tournament team the past two years, the Tigers were no match for Scott County Central.

Top-seeded SCC finished off a second straight dominant tournament, routing sixth-seeded Central 75-47 in Wednesday night's championship game at the Show Me Center.

"We still did a lot of things wrong, but it was a good night," SCC's Bobby Hatchett said.

The Braves (10-1) haven't done many things wrong in the tournament the past two years as they have won all eight of their games by at least 12 points.

Central's Blake Ozbun tries to pass the ball past Scott County Central's Otto Porter during the second quarter Wednesday at the Show Me Center. (Fred Lynch)

SCC's only remotely competitive contest during their two-year tournament reign was Tuesday's 79-67 semifinal victory over Charleston in which the Bluejays jumped out to an early double-digit lead before the Braves took control.

"We played harder than last night," Hatchett said.

Central (7-3) had been this week's Cinderella story after beating third-seeded Jackson in the quarterfinals and second-seeded Notre Dame in the semifinals.

The Tigers, reaching the championship game for the first time since 2003, envisioned making it three straight upsets.

SCC quickly dashed those hopes, scoring 19 of the game's first 21 points. Central rallied a bit before falling behind 40-20 at halftime. It was 66-32 after three quarters and SCC led by 38 points twice in the final period.

The Scott County Central Braves celebrate defending their Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament title.

"They're very talented. Not only do they have talent, they play hard, smart and unselfish, and they're well coached. That's a good combination," Central coach Drew Church said. "They came out and jumped on us. I think we were a little shell-shocked.

"But our kids battled. We played as a team. We had a hard road to get here [the finals], beating the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds. I couldn't be prouder of them."

Hatchett and Otto Porter, who are being recruited by various Division I programs, completed huge tournaments with impressive performances as Southeast Missouri State coach Dickey Nutt and Southern Illinois-Carbondale coach Chris Lowery looked on.

Hatchett, an electrifying 5-foot-11 senior point guard, scored 22 points while dishing out several dazzling assists and spearheading a press that forced numerous turnovers.

Porter, a smooth 6-8 junior forward, scored 18 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked five shots after he had 30 points and 20 rebounds in the semifinals.

The dynamic duo combined for two highlight-reel plays, with Porter throwing down two-handed dunks off alley-oop passes from Hatchett.

"We always try to have fun," Porter said.

Asked to compare the two Christmas Tournament championships he has been a part of, Hatchett didn't hesitate.

"My senior year, so this is better," he said.

Among the few things that went wrong for the Braves was when Hatchett stole a pass early in the third quarter and cruised in for one of his signature dunks -- only to come up a bit short.

"I'll shake it off and keep playing hard," said a smiling Hatchett, who had several impressive slams earlier in the tournament.

Porter finished with a tournament-high 104 points in four games. Hatchett was second among tourney scorers with 92 points. Each repeated on the all-tournament team.

But while Hatchett and Porter lead the Braves, SCC is much more than just those two.

Junior guard Stewart Johnson contributed 17 points in the title contest. Junior guard Trey Johnson and sophomore guard Dominique Porter both added eight points.

Junior forward Calvin Porter rounded out the Braves' scoring with two points while drawing praise from first-year coach Kenyon Wright for his strong defense.

"I enjoy all of them. They all push each other," Wright said. "The kids listen and do what they're supposed to do."

Junior center Zach Boerboom was Central's only double-figure scorer with 12 points. Junior guard Andrew Williams added nine points, followed by senior guard Kevin Casasola and junior forward James Lane with eight each.

"Cape Central is a good ballclub," Wright said. "They played their hind ends off to get to the championship game and coach Church does a great job."

Casasola, an all-tournament selection, limped off the court during the second quarter with a sprained ankle and missed about four minutes before returning late in the period and playing most of the final half.

"He's a tough kid," Church said.

SCC's game-opening 19-2 burst -- the Braves scored the first 10 points -- was fueled by several Central turnovers.

"We just wanted to come out and start from the jump," Otto Porter said.

Central regrouped with a 10-0 run to make it 19-12, but Stewart Johnson's 3-pointer at the buzzer gave SCC a 24-12 lead. Otto Porter had 10 points and seven rebounds in the opening quarter, while Hatchett added seven points.

The Tigers got within 10 points twice early in the second period before SCC pulled away.

Ahead 40-20 at the break, the Braves put the win on wraps with 14 straight points to start the third quarter. SCC led 54-20 less than three minutes into the period.

"Up 20 points at halftime, we came out and put them away, which we didn't do to Charleston [in the semifinals]," Wright said. "I was proud of that."

He also was proud of his first Christmas Tournament title as coach, although Wright deflected the credit.

"It feels good, but the kids are the ones that do it," Wright said.

Central 12 8 12 15 -- 47

SCC 24 16 26 9 -- 75

CENTRAL (47) -- Dylan Thomas 2, Blake Ozbun 4, Andrew Williams 9, James Lane 8, Josh Compass 2, Keyon Moore 2, Kevin Casasola 8, Zach Boerboom 12. FG 17, FT 10-16, F 11. (3-pointers: Williams 2, Casasola 1. Fouled out: none)

SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL (75) -- Stewart Johnson 17, Bobby Hatchett 22, Trey Johnson 8, Otto Porter 18, Dominique Porter 8, Calvin Porter 2. FG 34, FT 3-11, F 15. (3-pointers: S. Johnson 2, Hatchett 1, D. Porter 1. Fouled out: none)