JACKSON OVERPOWERS SECKMAN 69-39

JACKSON -- Trailing 21-20 at halftime, Jackson exploded in the second half, outscoring Seckman 49-18 for a 69-39 victory Tuesday night.

"We got some easy shots off the press," said Jackson coach Steve Burk, whose team improved to 8-8. "We bothered them with the press. Once we did that, the offense opened up and the shots started going in. I thought (Tory) Meyr carried us offensively in the first half, while (Brad) Hilbert and (John) Oehl carried us in the second half."

Oehl led Jackson with 15 points, followed by Hilbert's 14 and Meyr's 13.

With Levi Bollinger out because of illness, Jackson got some big minutes at point guard from Bryant Buessink and Lucas McCulley.

"They both did a good job filling in," said Burk.

Perryville 66, Herculaneum 52

PERRYVILLE -- The Pirates outscored Herculaneum 21-8 in the opening quarter and picked up its first Jefferson County Conference win.

After the fast start, Perryville (4-11, 1-3) only outscored Herculaneum 45-44 over the remaining three quarters.

Thomas Barber netted a game-high 25 points for Perryville while Ryan Wichern scored eight of his 13 in the opening period. Kyle Abernathy added 10 points.

St. Vincent 62, Festus 58

FESTUS -- St. Vincent had four players finish in double figures as it picked up a Jefferson County Conference victory.

Justin Amschler led the way with 15 points while Todd Meyer scored 15, Gabe Hotop added 13 and Ryan Prost had 11. Cory Strattman had just two points but helped out offensively with 14 assists.

"It was a big win for us," said St. Vincent coach Bruce Valleroy. "Especially on the road. Our kids stayed in it."

St. Vincent led 18-13 after one quarter and 24-22 at halftime. Festus managed to tie the score 41-41 by the start of the fourth quarter, but St. Vincent pulled away with the help of 9 of 11 free-throw shooting in the final period.

Leopold 62, Meadow Heights 55

LEOPOLD -- The Wildcats held a 19-8 scoring advantage in the third quarter as it extended a 27-26 halftime lead to capture its first Mississippi Valley Conference victory.

Leopold improved to 10-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

Danny Schaab led the way for Leopold with 15 points while Lee Vandermierden tallied 14 and Jason Van de Ven had 11.

Cody Thompson scored 15 for Meadow Heights and Joe Jones added 14.

"I thought our kids played hard, but we didn't shoot real well," said Leopold coach Carlton Thoma.

Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament

ORAN -- Top-seeded Scott City bombed No. 8 seed Chaffee right out of the gate, notching a 74-17 victory in first-round play.

The Rams, ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, will face fourth-seeded Oran Thursday at 7:30.

The second seed, Scott County Central, also advanced with little trouble, defeating No. 7 East Prairie 73-50. The Braves will face No. 3 Kelly at 9 p.m. in Thursday's other semifinal.

Ronald Watson led Scott City with 21 points and Matt Miller added 15. The Rams outscored Chaffee 31-3 in the first quarter and led 44-10 at halftime.

Scott Central also got off to a quick start, outscoring East Prairie 16-7 in the first quarter. The Braves took a 31-21 lead into halftime. Jreece Johnson again led the way with 36 points.

Stoddard County Conference Tournament

The top two seeds advanced past the opening round with ease Tuesday night.

Top-seeded Dexter, led by 16 points from Brett Hale, disposed of No. 8 Richland 80-39. No. 2 Advance, also discarded No. 7 Bloomfield 68-37.

In Thursday's semifinals, Dexter will face No. 5 Bell City at 7 p.m. while Advance will take on No. 3 Bernie at 8:30.

In Monday's opening games, Bell City upended No. 4 Woodland 44-41 while Bernie slipped past No. 6 Puxico 54-52.

In Advance's victory, Garrett Broshuis scored a game-high 18 points while Adam Rainey added 14.