Braves feel pressure to grab No. 13

Sophomore Otto Porter hopes a shot at the state title doesn't come down to free throws like it did last year.

But just in case, Porter said he and his Scott County Central boys basketball teammates put in extra preparation.

"We shoot a lot more free throws than we did," Porter said. "Now if we get to the state finals, we've just got to work on our free throws just in case."

The Braves' title run ended last season when they lost to Jefferson in a Class 1 semifinal. D.D. Gillespie stepped to the line with 1 second left and his team trailing by two. He missed the first attempt then missed the second on purpose. The Braves lost 70-68, and had to settle for third place.

"We practice free throws so much," Scott County junior Bobby Hatchett said. "We still aren't shooting where we should be."

KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.comBraves junior Bobby Hatchett is averaging 13 points a game this season.

Scott County will get its shot at redemption today when it faces Glasgow in a Class 1 semifinal at 4:30 p.m. at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. The other semifinal pits Chadwick (25-4) against Newtown-Harris (28-1).

Glasgow was the state runner-up last season, falling to Jefferson 59-30 in the state title game. The Yellowjackets (25-5) return all five starters from last season's runner-up team.

Jay Lee, a 6-foot senior guard, leads Glasgow's offense. He averages 29 points a game and hit 86 3-pointers. Ben Meyer, a 6-4 junior center, is the only other Glasgow player who averages more than 10 points a game. He scores 11.7 per contest.

The Yellowjackets averaged 70.2 points a game, while allowing 45.8 a game.

The one common opponent this season was Harrisburg. Glasgow lost to Harrisburg 66-46 on Dec. 6, while Scott County beat Harrisburg 76-45 on Jan. 3.

Even though Glasgow returns its entire starting lineup, Hatchett said the Braves feel pressure to win another state title after getting so close last season.

"I feel like we just got to win," Hatchett said. "We've been having fun the whole year. But when we go to state, that's the one thing we really focus on. We've got to win. It's not going to be easy like it was during the regular season. We know that."

The Braves averaged 86.2 points a game this season, while allowing 47.7 a game. Senior guard Drew Thomas leads the way, averaging 25.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Porter adds 16.2 points and 11 rebounds a game, while Hatchett chips in 13 points, 2.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists a game.

Scott County is shooting 59 percent from the field, which is bolstered by its pressure defense.

"We try to make them speed up to our tempo where they can make more turnovers or mistakes," Porter said. "We try to make them play our game instead of theirs by our defensive pressure. On our press, we try to make them speed up. If they speed up, usually they turn it over a couple times."

Scott County will be trying for state title No. 13, and first since 1993. The Braves already own the record for state titles with 12, while Charleston is second with 10. Hatchett said that while last year's team came close to adding No. 13, there's something special about this year's team.

"Last year, we were really talented," he said. "We had a lot. But the kids we got now, it's more of a heart team. We're more of a stick together like brothers."