Defending state champions hammer St. Elizabeth 96-46

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- With University of Missouri men's head basketball coach Mike Anderson in attendance, defending Class 1 state champion Scott County Central put on quite the show Tuesday night.

With all-staters Otto Porter and Bobby Hatchett leading the way, the Braves dismantled the St. Elizabeth Hornets 96-46 in a Class 1 sectional game at Park Hills Central High School in Park Hills, Mo.

Scott County advanced to play Risco on Saturday in a quarterfinal game at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

The Braves didn't rely soley on defense, rebounding or offense against St. Elizabeth (17-10). It was the combination of the three that showed why the Braves are the top-ranked team in Class 1.

"They are so quick and so long," Hornets coach Jason Ollison said. "We knew we were going to have to deal with that. But it's not something you can prepare for. It's tough to slow it down; they get you to hurry up. They are good at what they do, no doubt about that."

Scott County wasted little time in displaying their dominance.

Porter scored and netted a free throw, Hatchett added a quick four points and Dominique Porter added a deuce and free throw to make it 10-0 just 2 minutes, 27 seconds into the game.

The Hornets didn't score their first point until an Evan Bax layin nearly three minutes into the contest.

"We played good defense," Otto Porter said. "We limited them to one shot. We really wanted to concentrate on our defense."

The Braves forced 10 turnovers in the first quarter while holding the Hornets to 3 of 12 from the field, including 1 of 7 from beyond the arc.

"We wanted to limit their shots," Hatchett added. "We knew they could shoot, so we made sure to shade their shooters a lot."

Scott County extended its lead to 21-4 with just under two minutes to play in the opening quarter. The Braves closed the quarter in fitting fashion as Otto Porter forced a steal at midcourt and threw it ahead to Hatchett, who finished it off at the buzzer for a 33-8 lead.

"We have to stay focused," Braves coach Kenyon Wright said. "We came out ready to go. We try to make them think about the current situation and what the other team is doing and what we're going to have to do to them. [St. Elizabeth] can shoot. They didn't shoot well tonight, which helped us out."

Dominique Porter, a 5-foot-10 sophomore guard, had 11 of his game-high 23 points in the opening quarter.

"He plays with heart," Hatchett said of Dominique Porter. "He plays like that in practice every day, every drill. It pays off. He can put up big numbers."

Wright echoed Hatchett's statements.

"He goes out there and gives us a lot of energy," Wright said. "He plays so hard. All the work he does is a result of him playing hard. He has a nose for the ball and works his butt off."

The Braves put the game out of reach in the second quarter.

After the Hornets opened the scoring on a Caleb Heckemeyer basket, Scott County rattled off seven straight points to make it 41-10.

The Braves provided a highlight-reel play midway through the quarter when Hatchett lobbed an alley-oop pass to Otto Porter, who used a two-handed slam it to make it 55-17.

"That's my job every night," Hatchett said. "As a point guard that's what I have to do. That's what my coach and team wants. I have to make people better."

Hatchett finished with 21 points on the night.

Otto Porter led the Braves in the second quarter with 10 of his 21 points. He was a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the field.

"I looked for shots," Porter said. "I came out ready to play."

Lamarcus Steward hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer as Scott County extended its lead to 63-25.

The third quarter was more of the same as the Braves stretched their lead to 50 points. They took a 90-40 lead into the fourth quarter, where a running clock sped up the win.

Scott County shot 56 percent for the game (43 of 77), while the Hornets hit just 21 percent (18 of 58).

Wright said he had no problems getting his team focused, and hopes they can continue their run.

"We have to keep going," Wright said. "Keep getting the job done. They need to keep their mind on the game. Every game could be the last one we play, so we have to take it game-by-game and see what we can do. We're going to try and do our best."

Scott County 33 30 27 6 -- 96

St. Elizabeth 8 17 15 6 -- 46

SCOTT COUNTY (96) -- Blake Pobst 2, Bobby Hatchett 21, Trey Johnson 6, Lawrence Woodson 10, Lamarcus Steward 9, Otto Porter 21, Dominique Porter 23, Calvin Porter 2, John Rhoden 2. FG 43, FT 7-14, F 17. (3-pointers: Hatchett, Steward, Woodson. Fouled out: none.)

SAINT ELIZABETH (46) -- Caleb Heckemeyer 13, Trenton Holtmeyer 6, Ryan Loethen 1, Connor Beck 2, Kenney Schwartze 4, Tyler Struemph 6, Evan Bax 12, Brent Monteer 2. FG 18, FT 6-15, F 17. (3-pointers: Heckemeyer 2, Hotlmeyer 2. Fouled out: none.)