Christmas Tournament: SCC pulls off first upset with last-second win over Notre Dame

Scott County Central sophomore Jeffery Porter stood under the basket waiting for the referees to make a decision.

"I was hoping it was our ball," Porter said. "Just hoping."

With 20 seconds left in his team's Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament quarterfinal against Notre Dame, Porter drove the lane but was unable to get off a clean shot.

The ball ended up in a Notre Dame player's hands and he signaled for a timeout, but the Braves were able to tie it up.

After a brief discussion the referees called for a jump ball and SCC's retained possession.

"I was just happy that we got it, just wanting that other chance," SCC coach Frank Staple said. "He kind of drove -- he did what we wanted him to do -- he just kind of lost the ball, unfortunately. We got a break right there and got the ball."

Porter took the ball out of bounds on the baseline and inbounded it to senior Larandis Banks. Banks attacked the Bulldogs' defense and dished it to junior Javonta Daniel for a layup to take a 65-63 lead with 2 seconds left.

Banks intercepted Notre Dame's inbound pass near midcourt to secure No. 5 SCC's 65-63 upset of No. 4 Notre Dame on Friday night at the Show Me Center.

"You know, we work every day pretty much on last-minute situations and we ran a play that we've been working on," Staple said. "Javonta got in there and hit the layup and won the game for us."

Notre Dame coach Kevin Roberts voiced his displeasure with officials when his team didn't get the timeout call but didn't after the game.

"They out-scrapped us tonight and it came down to that last play," Roberts said. "You know, we had possession of that ball and they just out-scrapped us and got the jump ball, which basically won the game for them, so you've got to give them credit. ... It was just one of those things where we should've been a little tougher to gain possession. It was a 50-50 ball that we lost."

The Braves used a 16-6 run during the first quarter to take a 10 point lead -- its largest of the game -- with 1 minute, 30 seconds left in the first quarter.

Roberts felt that his team turned the ball over too much.

"Our main thing was don't turn it over," Roberts said. "We knew that they were going to press us man-to-man full-court and we just could not get into an offense. You've got to give them credit, but we've got to find people that can get us in an offense and then when you get open shots you've got to make them. We missed way too many 'gimmes' tonight. Way, way too many."

Notre Dame held the Braves to single-digit scoring in the second quarter. The Bulldogs outscored SCC 13-8 to cut the deficit to two points and went into halftime trailing 31-29.

"Well, they had a lot to do with it," Staple said. "Their pressure will take you out of some things that you want to do and I think offensively we were just kind of making bad passes and floating passes and just kind of rushing and not moving, and Notre Dame had a lot to do with that. I think when we were able to settle and really play more defensively we were able to get a little momentum going -- it helped us win that game."

The Bulldogs tied it 31-31 just 23 seconds into the third quarter when Dean Crippen was fouled and made both free throws.

The two teams traded baskets and Notre Dame took its first lead since two minutes into the first quarter on a turnaround jumper from Poythress to make it 35-33.

SCC knotted it at 35 before Poythress answered with a dunk, but a 3-pointer by Banks at the top of the key gave SCC a one-point lead. Notre Dame regained the lead, extending it to as much as four, and held a 44-42 advantage heading into the final quarter.

Notre Dame missed 4 of 6 free throw attempts over the last 2:48 of the third quarter.

The lead changed four times in the fourth quarter, but SCC never trailed after a Porter conventional 3-point play with 2:39 left to take a 57-54 lead. SCC led by as much as four with under two minutes left in the game but pulled within one with the help of a Jordan Barber conventional 3-point play. Porter hit two free throws to take a 63-60 lead before Poythress tied it with his 3. Poythress led Notre Dame with 17 points.

Porter scored a game-high 21 points -- 11 of which came in the fourth quarter.

No. 5 SCC advanced to play top-seeded Jackson in a semifinal.

Fourth-seeded Notre Dame moved on to play Leopold in a fifth-place semifinal.

SCC 23 8 11 23 -- 65

Notre Dame 16 13 15 19 -- 63

SCC (65) -- Juwan Owens 12, Larandis Banks 14, Jeffery Porter 21, Kendall Blissett 5, Javonta Daniel 9, Matthew Blissett 4. FG 23, FT 15-24, F 20. (3-pointers: Owens 2, Banks 1, Porter 1. Fouled out: none)

NOTRE DAME (63) -- Chase Urhahn 4, Hunter Eftink 1, Jordan Williamson 4, Quinn Poythress 21, Grant Ressel 5, Jordan Barber 17, Thomas Himmelberg 3, Dean Crippen 10. FG 22, FT 15-24, F 21. (3-pointers: Williamson 1, Poythress 2, Himmelberg 1. Fouled out: none)