Delta boys basketball team posts 74-70 win vs. Meadow Heights

DELTA, Mo. -- It all came down to handling the ball.

Delta finally did it in the fourth quarter after struggling the previous three quarters with Meadow Heights' relentless pressure and held on for a wild 74-70 victory.

The Panthers (2-3) scraped, clawed and hustled their way on the defensive end to make up for a less-than-stellar performance on the offensive end. But the Bobcats (4-2) protected the ball when they needed to most and came from behind to notch the win on their home court.

"It came down to we took care of the ball and got buckets," Delta coach Justin Simpher said. "And then we got to the free-throw line and knocked down some free throws. When we got the lead, we told them all we want to do is spread them out and get better openings. They had to come get us when the clock was on our side, and we have some guys that can knock down free throws so that was kind of what we told them -- be patient and take your time."

The Bobcats did just that, finding ways through Meadow Heights' constant pressure and knocking down free throws when it mattered most.

Meadow Heights' Daylan Davis goes up for a shot against Delta's Zach Riegert during the second quarter Tuesday in Delta, Mo. (Kristin Eberts)

Delta was 8 of 11 from the charity stripe in the final quarter.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth race, with both teams coming up with clutch baskets.

Delta took a 55-51 lead in the early going of the fourth, but the Panthers quickly tied it.

The Bobcats went up 59-55 after two free throws by Greg Brawley and a bucket by Zach Riegert, but the Panthers' Daylan Davis came up big.

Davis made it 59-58 on a conventional three-point play and added another basket to regain the lead.

Meadow Heights' Trent Kiefer, left, and Adam Walker double team Delta's Brandon Horman during the second quarter Tuesday in Delta, Mo.

Delta found an answer with the Panthers clinging to a 68-65 lead.

Brawley buried a trey in transition and later added a bucket for a five-point swing that gave Delta a 70-68 lead it wouldn't relinquish.

"I'm sure my team was happy," Brawley said of the swing. "And I was real excited for it."

Added Simpher: "It was huge. Greg, he knows he's a good shooter. He's starting to understand the good shots. Once we can get everybody knowing to take good shots and when the time is to take good shots, we can become a better ballclub. That was huge though, to come down and he got a good opportunity and he knows he can shoot it. I tell him if you're open, knock it down."

It wasn't all pretty for Delta.

The opening quarter saw poor offensive execution by Meadow Heights and numerous turnovers by the Bobcats.

The Panthers hounded Delta from the opening tip.

"I think that we cut off the reverse pass and that helped us a lot," Panthers coach Tom Brown said. "Because they were reversing the ball and hitting that open 3. We talked about it in a timeout and the guys went out and stopped that and made them go inside, and we did a much better job."

Added Simpher: "They're going to put pressure on you and try to play their game and move the ball quick up the floor in the running game. At times, we showed we weren't going to let that happen and we took our time and worked the ball. And when we did that, we either got the lead or came back, but then we'd kind of fall into what they were doing and it played into their hands."

Delta used an 8-0 run to erase a one-point deficit and go up 17-10 after the first period.

"It all comes back to we didn't panic under the pressure of their press," Simpher said. "And we got down on our end of the floor and took care of the basketball. When they got ahead and made their runs and got ahead, we didn't take care of the ball. That 8-0 run, we took care of the basketball and got good shots. If we do that, we can score some points and play pretty good basketball."

Brawley buried two of his four triples during the run. He finished with 20 points to lead the Bobcats.

"I was just reading the defense," the soft-spoken junior said.

The Panthers used a run of their own to pull close in the second quarter.

Meadow Heights closed the half on an 8-2 run after trailing 27-20 with just more than a minute to go.

"That was really huge," Brown said. "We're a team of runs. We get a large run and then let them come back."

Davis led the charge with six of the eight points in the spurt and finished with a game-high 23 on the night.

"He did a great job of penetration," Brown said. "He's just a junior, but he played all year last year. I'm really proud of him. He stepped up, made penetration work and then passed."

Delta had four players in double figures, led by Brawley's 20. Riegert poured in 18, Austin Lashley added 12, and Chase Crowden netted 11.

"That's great," Simpher said of the balanced attack. "We haven't had that early on. Our first few games we had just a couple guys that were doing that. We knew we had some of our guys that could score in double figures. I hope we keep getting better and better on the offensive end with team basketball. ... Defensively, we got some work to do. We have to pick it up a little bit."

Meadow Hts 10 18 23 19 -- 70

Delta 17 12 22 23 -- 74

MEADOW HEIGHTS (70) -- Adam Walker 11, Aaron Mayfield 2, Daylan Davis 23, Aaron Rankin 1, Trent Kiefer 8, Curtis Braswell 2, Calen Buerck 17, Tanner Bollmann 6. FG 32, FT 5-11, F 20. (3-pointers: Walker. Fouled out: none)

DELTA (74) -- Greg Brawley 20, Brandon Horman 2, Zach Riegert 18, Chase Crowden 11, Austin Lashley 12, Dallas Naramore 9, Frankie Rozmirsky 2. FG 25, FT 17-26, F 12. (3-pointers: Crowden, Brawley 4. Fouled out: none)