Meadow Heights overpowers Kelly 75-45

Meadow Heights senior Dustin Hubler said the Panthers' goal was to put pressure on the ball and force turnovers.

That pressure proved to be too much for Kelly as the Panthers defeated the Hawks 75-45 in a consolation bracket game Monday at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament.

Both teams started out slow in a turnover-filled first quarter.

The Panthers applied pressure and forced four Kelly turnovers to spark a 7-0 Panthers run to start the second quarter. The Hawks answered with five straight points, but couldn't continue the run as the Panthers tallied 32 points in the quarter for a 47-26 lead entering halftime.

The Panthers' full-court press proved bothersome for the Hawks in the second. Panthers coach Tom Brown said the press was the difference in the game.

"I think if we wouldn't have pressed them, I think it would have been a real tight game," Brown said. "That's why we kept the press on. It made a big difference and our kids are stepping up and playing better."

Hubler, who finished with a game-high 16 points for the Panthers, said the team could feel the Hawks' frustration and made steals by applying pressure.

The fourth quarter featured a running clock as the Panthers outscored the Hawks 15-9.

Meadow Heights advanced to today's consolation semifinal against Delta, a team it beat 52-50 on Dec. 15.

"Well, we played them once and beat them by I think one point, so we got a tough game to go, and they've really improved over the years, and we're gonna have to play tough to beat them," Brown said.

Kelly 9 17 10 9 -- 45

Meadow Heights 15 32 13 15 -- 75

KELLY (45) -- Trey Drury 5, Trent Felter 9, Stosh Lovett 2, Michael Fisher 7, Shawn Heuring 3, Ethan Lee 4, Dustin Crowden 12, Dambach 3. FG 16, FT 12-21, F 18. (3-pointers: Heuring 1. Fouled out: none.)

MEADOW HEIGHTS (75) -- Adam Walker 13, Dustin Hubler 16, Daylan Davis 12, Josh Keller 2, Ethan Mayfield 3, Calen Buerck 13, Nick Farrow 3, Nick Webb 11, Trever Hotop 2. FG 29, FT 13-18, F 21. (3-pointers: Walker 1, Buerck 1, Farrow 1, Webb 1. Fouled out: none.)