After the ice melted, the semifinal rounds of the Scott-Mississippi County Conference Tournament resumed on Friday.
The home fans had to wait until the end to see Oak Ridge take on Kelly for a trip to the championship round. The two teams have played twice before, with the Blue Jays winning each time.
Konnor Hobeck sealed the Blue Jays’ third victory over the Hawks with two lay-ups in transition and a free throw to end the game 46-39 at Oak Ridge.
“It felt really good,” Hobeck said. “I’ve been working all day and practicing half-court breaks and everything else for this time right here, and it paid off.”
Camren Volz led the Blue Jays with 13 points, Tyler Bishop scored nine and Hobeck finished with eight.
Reece Eftink scored his team-leading 10 points in the first half to give the Hawks a 28-26 halftime lead.
The Blue Jays outscored the Hawks 13-6 in the third quarter to take a 39-34 lead and maintained it with a 7-5 fourth quarter.
“I feel like we outplayed Oak Ridge, but they were a lot smarter team and they made the big plays because they’re a good team and that’s what you do,” Kelly head coach Jeremy Brinkmeyer said. “If we take care of the basketball, it’s a different story.”
Oak Ridge will take on East Prairie for the tournament title at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Kelly will fight for third place against Oran on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
__East Prairie 58, Oran 47__
The East Prairie Eagles earned a spot in the Scott-Mississippi County Basketball Tournament Championship as they knocked off the Oran Eagles on Friday at Oak Ridge High School.
The two teams went back and forth in the first quarter as East Prairie jumped out to a 10-8 lead after one quarter of play.
The second quarter featured much of the same back-and-forth as the two teams entered the locker room at halftime tied at 24.
East Prairie was able to gain some separation as they led 41-36 after three quarters.
“They do a good job of slowing it down,” East Prairie head coach Gary Scott said. “They’ll get back on defense and get a transition layup or they’ll pressure the ball forward or whatever to try to just slow you down, and that just keeps you from you know getting out in transition.”
The fourth quarter saw East Prairie hold on to beat Oran 58-47.
Noah Johnson led the way for East Prairie with a 15-point night. Wyatt Williams had 14 points and Rafe Byassee had 12 points on four made threes.
“We’re probably the main scorers of our team,” Johnson said. “So when the game is on the line, we know we have to take over.”
Kolten Payne led the charge for Oran with a game-high 21 points in the loss. Riley Schlosser had 9 points and Elijah Shoemaker had 7 points.
With the loss, Oran will play the loser of Oak Ridge and Kelly in the third place game at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow at Oak Ridge High School.
East Prairie now awaits the winner of Oak Ridge and Kelly in the championship game at 5 p.m. tomorrow.
__Scott City 62, Scott County Central 29__
The Scott City Rams started quickly and never looked back as they knocked off the Scott County Central Braves to advance to the consolation championship of the Scott-Mississippi County Basketball Tournament on Friday at Oak Ridge High School.
The Rams raced out to a 21-5 lead after the first behind 6 first-quarter points from Jaylen Rulo. The Rams would keep their foot on the gas as they took a 36-15 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The second half proved to be no different as the Rams won the third quarter 16-7 to take a 52-22 lead into the fourth quarter before winning 62-29.
Luke Umfleet led the scoring for the Rams as he posted a 12-point night. Colin Blaylock had 11 points and Jaylen Rulo had 10 points.
Asher Britt led the charge for the Braves with 8 points in the loss. Also contributing were Zavior Mize, Elija Powers, and Marcus Warren with 6 points each.
Scott City will take on Chaffee at noon tomorrow in the consolation championship at Oak Ridge High School.
__Chaffee 65, Delta 35__
The Chaffee Red Devils advanced to the consolation championship with a convincing 65-35 win over Delta in the Scott-Mississippi County Basketball Tournament on Friday at Oak Ridge High School.
Chaffee led 17-6 after one quarter of play before outscoring the Bobcats 21-6 in the second to take a 38-12 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Chaffee put up another 17 points in the third quarter to hold a 55-22 lead heading into the fourth before eventually winning 65-35.
Shelton Simmons and Blake Yarbro both posted 12-point nights to lead the offense for the Red Devils. Aiden Cruse and Levi Mckinnie had 11 points each in the win.
Delta was paced by Coleton Deckard who had a game-high 18 points in the loss. Carter Scherer also contributed with 11 points for the Bobcats.
Chaffee will take on Scott City in the consolation championship at noon tomorrow at Oak Ridge High School.
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