High school sectional basketball games to be waged tonight

~ Oran girls, Advance boys, Saxony Lutheran girls put their seasons on the line tonight

The Oran girls basketball team doubled the program's district title count with a win over Bismarck last week. If the Eagles want to keep their playoff run alive they'll have to defeat a team that's been in the Class 2 state championship game the past two seasons.

Oran will face perennial power New Haven at 6 p.m. today in a state sectional at Park Hills Central High School.

"They're a very good team," Oran coach Ethan Evans said. "They're as good as advertised. They've been in the state title game the last two years, they start five seniors, they shoot the ball extremely well. They've got a point guard that's very, very quick."

Evans said he's spoken with his players about New Haven's resume.

"I've shared with them that they're a very good team, but they are beatable," Evans said. "We've got to play our best game of the year."

The foundation of the Eagles' success this season has been their pressure defense and ability to wear down opponents by maintaining an up-tempo pace throughout games. The foundation of the Shamrocks' success is much different.

"Our styles couldn't be more different. ... They'll pass the ball around until they get open shots, and they get back and they play half-court man," Evans said. "They don't press. They try to slow it down and keep games in the 40s or the 30s."

Top-seeded New Haven (20-8) won the Class 2 District 4 championship with a 44-32 win against Elsberry and gave up just 17 and 21 points in its other two district victories. Oran (18-5) won its district semifinal 61-25 over Chaffee after receiving a first-round bye and beat Bismarck 58-54 in the final.

Many of the players on the team were a part of Oran's softball team, which advanced to the state quarterfinals in the fall.

"They've been excited," Evans said. "They were excited to win the district, and we talked about that being a really big accomplishment but wanting to take the next step. I think they've been really focused the last few days in practice and just focused on the game plan and what we want to do and how we want to guard them. I think having that experience from softball has helped them a little bit."

Class 2 boys sectional

The Advance boys basketball team will face much of the same challenge when it faces New Haven at 7:45 p.m. at Park Hills Central High School.

"We're going to try to speed them up because they really play slow-down basketball," Advance coach Bubba Wheetley said. "They don't press. They'll play a half-court man-to-man. They've got a different play every time down the floor, so they're patient, they make the defense work and try to get us to relax. And then that's when we'll give up an easy basket. They're going to be pretty strong. They're hard to beat. They're very disciplined."

New Haven (20-8) was the No. 2 seed in Class 2 District 4 but upset defending champion Elsberry 55-44 for the title.

Advance (20-9) won District 3 by breaking a three-year losing streak to Oran in the final, beating the Eagles 88-79 behind a 40-point performance by senior Lane Below.

"I just want the kids to come out and play hard," Wheetley said. "You can't get focused about winning or losing. Just come out and play hard and good things will happen."

Class 3 girls sectional

The Saxony Lutheran girls basketball team (22-4) will get a chance to exact revenge on the team that ended its season a year ago when it faces Twin Rivers at 6 p.m. tonight at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter, Mo.

"We were happy we get to keep playing regardless of who it was," Saxony coach Sam Sides said. "But, yeah, probably a little bit of that. We were looking forward to playing them again from last year."

The Royals (15-11) defeated the Crusaders 66-51 in the state sectional round last season. But while Saxony returned the bulk of its roster, Twin Rivers did not.

"Last year they were all seniors except for one, I think," Sides said. "This year they've just got that one girl back, so they'll be a pretty much inexperienced team. ... I saw them play a little bit. They're probably a little bit faster and more athletic than they were last year. They're just not as experienced, I don't think."