Christmas tournament: Scott County Central rushes past Advance

The Advance Hornets played with Scott County Central at times Tuesday.

The Braves then showed why they're the top seed in the Southeast Missourian Christmas tournament.

SCC gained separation in the second quarter and broke away in the second half for a 100-52 victory.

It was the second straight game that the Braves hit the century mark.

SCC displayed a plethora of scoring options against the eighth-seeded Hornets.

Four Braves reached double figures, led by Otto Porter's 35 points.

"I got some kids that can put the ball in the hole," Braves coach Kenyon Wright said. "They just have to break out and do it. I got some kids that come off the bench that can put the ball in the hole. I thought tonight they did a pretty good job of doing it.

"Hopefully we can keep that going. They got to understand that when their time comes they have to be ready to go, whether they come off the bench and do it or it's the guys that's in there or whoever, but it definitely helps the teams out."

The Hornets held their first and only lead at 2-0 seconds into the game, but the Braves rattled off 12 straight points to erase the early deficit.

SCC forced 10 turnovers in the first quarter and 17 for the half.

"I mean their pressure was just getting to us, just like everybody else," Advance coach Andrew Halford said. "At times we would attack and find an open man. If we cut it down to 10 turnovers, maybe it's a 10-point game. Maybe it's a little closer and it gives us a chance to be in it."

The Hornets cut into the Braves' lead at 18-13 after Grant Gray's conventional three-point play. The Braves then closed the quarter on a 10-2 run to take a 28-15 advantage.

Porter opened the second quarter with a basket, but Advance countered with a John Middleton deuce and a Gray 3-pointer to bring the game to 30-20.

"We took care of the ball at times," Halford said. "There was times when we pushed and would get easy buckets at the other end, but what was killing us was we'd get an easy bucket and they were gone. They were back down the floor in no time."

Added Wright: "Advance, they're not going to quit. They get down 10, 12, 15 points, they aren't going to stop playing. They kept their head and did a good job of moving the basketball and getting it around. They shot the ball good too there in the first half and did a good job of moving it and getting it where it's supposed to be."

The Hornets handled the Braves' pressure at times but had no answer for Porter in the middle. They fell behind 58-35 at the half.

Porter had 14 points in the decisive second quarter.

"I was just trying to take the pressure off my teammates," Porter said. "I was able to score in the middle."

The Braves wore down the Hornets in the second half, forcing turnovers and converting them into easy layups.

Even when Advance scored, the Braves raced to the offensive end.

"That's what you try to do," Wright said. "That's one thing you try to get done. In the first half, we missed seven or eight layups in a row. Killers. It should have been 20, and we're at 10. Second half we finally stuck the ball in the hole a little bit. That helps whenever you can get you a little bit of cushion and put some more pressure on."

Advance mustered little in the third quarter, falling behind 87-51, and only tallied one point in the fourth quarter that featured a running clock.

The Hornets finished with 26 turnovers.

"We're probably not as talented as them," Halford said. "Not many people are. We just got winded there at the end. There wasn't a whole lot you could do about it."

SCC 28 30 29 13 -- 100

Advance 15 20 16 1 -- 52

SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL (100) -- Stewart Johnson 11, Trey Johnson 18, Reggie Woodson 6, LaMarcus Steward 9, Dominique Porter 10, Otto Porter 35, Bryan Freed 5, Tyrell Avance 2, Calvin Porter 4. FG 47, FT 5-6, F 14. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none)

ADVANCE (52) -- Grant Gray 13, Hunter Wilson 6, John Middleton 11, Darren Van Gennip 9, Jacob Spears 2, Ethan Barr 11. FG 20, FT 9-13, F 12. (3-pointers: Gray 2, Middleton 2. Fouled out: none)