BRAVES END CUBS' SEASON IN OT THRILLER

ORAN, Mo. --There were no major surprises in the first round of the Class 1A, District 2 Tournament as all the higher seeds advanced with the exception of No. 4 Bell City which fell to No. 5 Scott County Central.

In the most competitive game of the evening, Scott Central and Bell City battled into overtime, before the Braves prevailed 79-72.

With three players in double figures -- Todd Blissett (27), Chris Johnson (19) and Desmen Johnson (14) -- Scott Central overcame the offensive explosion of Bell City sophomore Eric Henry who poured in 37 points. Gabe Scherer netted 14 points for the Cubs.

Tied at 61 at the end of regulation, Scott Central outscored Bell City 18-11 in the overtime period to secure the win.

Top-seed Advance trounced ninth-seed Zalma 82-40, as Jared Ritter and Adam Rainey led the Hornets with 21 and 18 points, respectively.

Chad Wiseman paced Zalma with 16 points.

Second-seed Oran won handily over No. 7 Delta, breaking open a close game in the second half.

The Eagles held a narrow 35-32 lead at the end of the first half, but erupted for a 46-17 advantage in the final half.

Oran had five players in double digits as Garrett Cook led with 15 points, Adam Friga had 14 and Ryne Wood had 11. Nathan Seyer and Tyler Cookson contributed 10 points apiece.

Joey Keyes tallied 20 points for Delta.

Third-seed Richland, leading by only one point after the third quarter, 44-43, knocked off No. 6 Bernie 70-62.

Advance will meet Scott Central in the semifinals on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Richland-Oran matchup at 8 p.m.

Class 2A, District 2

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Charleston breezed to a 67-37 victory in first-round action Monday night.

The Bluejays will face No. 4 Kelly in a 6:30 p.m. semifinal on Thursday. Kelly had a tougher first-round contest, using a strong fourth quarter to defeat No. 5 Woodland 58-51.

In Charleston's victory, the Bluejays bolted out to a 42-14 halftime lead. Lezcano Dean led the way with 19 points while Jemorrio Betts added 12. Eleven Charleston players found their way into the scoring column.

Ryan Poyner led East Prairie with 10 points.

Kelly had to rally for its victory as it trailed 28-24 at halftime. The Hawks tied the game at 37-37 entering the fourth quarter and outscored Woodland 21-14 down the stretch.

Jon Heuring and Michael Romas each scored 18 points to lead Kelly to victory. They were the only Hawks in double figures.

Luke Johnson scored a game-high 20 points for Woodland while Jared Houchins had 12 points and Chris Masters had 10.

First-round action continues today when No. 2 Notre Dame takes on No. 7 Puxico at 6:30 p.m. Third-seed Scott City and No. 6 Greenville will follow at 8.

Class 1A, District 3

FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. -- Top-seeded South Iron advanced as three first-round boys games were played without an upset.

South Iron disposed handily of No. 8 Marquand 73-49 to advance to a 7:30 p.m. semifinal Thursday against No. 4 Valle of Ste. Genevieve, a 74-49 winner over No. 5 Marquand. In the other first-round game, No. 3 Viburnum defeated No. 6 Leopold 75-63.

Viburnum will play the winner of tonight's final first-round game between No. 2 St. Vincent and No. 7 Oak Ridge.

The championship game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday.