KELLY CLAIMS FIRST DISTRICT TITLE SINCE '83

BLOOMFIELD -- Scott City's Jon Beck and Kelly's Jim Hulshof have deservedly been touted as two of the area's elite basketball players this season.

But when the district championship was on the line midway through the fourth quarter, it was the Hawks' Jason Glastetter who hoisted his team on his broad shoulders.

Glastetter, a 6-foot-2 forward who is built like a middle linebacker, scored 14 of his game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter and came up with two crucial steals down the stretch in guiding second-seeded Kelly to a 67-52 win over No. 1 Scott City in the Class 2A, District 2 Championship Friday night.

"I just got open and they got me the ball," said Glastetter, who had shot after shot blocked by Ryan Weatherspoon in the first half ."I was pretty nervous (in the first half). I finally got in the flow of the game and then it just came to me."

"He just dominated in the fourth quarter," said Scott City coach Derek McCord.

Following the buzzer, Kelly's players embraced each other, celebrating the school's first district championship since 1983. The Hawks (19-8) will advance to Wednesday's sectional contest against Portageville, a 68-49 victor over South Pemiscot Friday night.

"After getting upset last year, this is the one thing that we used as motivation this summer," Kelly coach Kent Mangels said. "With all the adversity that this team has faced this year ... Everyone kept telling me to hang in there and that the injuries would get better. And that's exactly right. We're playing some good basketball right now."

"We've been through so much this year," said Hulshof, who ended up with 18 points. "We're really coming together now as a team and I'm proud to be a part of this."

Scott City's fans will want a footnote attached to Kelly's banner.

Beck, their top scorer, hobbled around on an injured ankle and didn't play until late in the third quarter and was basically limited to a spot-up role on the perimeter. He scored three points.

This was the second year in a row the all-stater suffered a crucial injury. Last year he suffered a concussion and missed the sectional game.

With Beck scoring 44 points, the Rams defeated Kelly in overtime earlier this year.

Without Beck, Scott City (26-3) relied heavily on 6-foot-6 center Ryan Weatherspoon. And he certainly delivered. The junior had a monster game, scoring 13 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and blocking 15 shots.

The outcome of Friday night's game was in the balance until the last two minutes, but Scott City -- which is ranked No. 2 in the state -- missed its final eight shots from the field and failed to score in the final 3:22.

With 2:54 left, Glastetter used a drop step to score and push Kelly's lead to 58-52.

On Kelly's next possession, Glastetter struck again, making the score 60-52. Glastetter sealed the game in impressive fashion when he stole the ball and went the length of the floor for a layup. He was fouled on the play and made his free throw to give Kelly a 65-52 advantage. After that, Scott City was forced to foul. The final score was Kelly's biggest advantage in the game.

As far as playing without their top player, the Hawks (19-9) know how their rivals feel. The Hawks were forced to play without Hulshof for about eight games this season.

"If you're a true team, you come together somehow and find a way to win," Hulshof said. "And that's what we did tonight."

"We would've liked to have seen a healthy Scott City team play tonight," McCord said. "But it wasn't the case and it was a tough pill to swallow. Jon wanted to go and we gave him a shot. That just shows the character that that kid's got. He never wants to quit or give up.

"You have to give Kelly credit. They played well and in the fourth quarter they hit big shots when they needed them."

Kelly took a 47-43 lead into the fourth quarter, and led by as many as seven on two different occasions in the third. Kelly, during a three minute span in the third, scored on six of seven possessions which resulted in a 12-2 run and a 43-36 lead with 3:36 to go in the third.

Scott City led 13-11 going into the second quarter, after both teams struggled to hit shots. The Rams made just five of 20 from the field in the first quarter, including two of 10 from 3-point range. Kelly made four of 19 from the field.

Scott City, which led 16-11, started out a little sloppy in the second quarter, turning the ball over on seven of its first 13 possessions. That, in part, allowed Kelly to go on a 9-0 run and move out to a 20-16 lead.

Scott City soon found its rhythm, though, and led 27-25 late in the second quarter.

Hulshof hit a tough 3-pointer over two defenders at the buzzer to give Kelly a 28-27 lead going into halftime.

Though it had its hot spurts, Scott City didn't shoot as well as normal. The Rams made just 18 of their 51 shots from the field and made only five of its 27 3-point attempts.

"If we shoot the ball well, I think the game goes down the wire even without a Jon Beck," McCord said.