Oran boys basketball team fends off Bell City

Oran junior Kody Moore let his arm hang in the air for a couple of extra seconds after a few of his fourth-quarter free throws Tuesday.

"That's just to make sure it goes in, that's all that is," he said.

Moore's free-throw shooting down the stretch ended Bell City's upset bid during their consolation-bracket quarterfinal at the Southeast Missourian Christmas tournament.

Moore went 7 of 7 from the line in the fourth quarter to help the Eagles prevail 73-65.

"It's always a lot easier when you hit your first couple," he said. "You miss your first couple and you're thinking, 'Oh no, what am I doing,' and you try to fix stuff. When you make the first two, it always make you feel good."

Oran opened a 14-point lead on a basket by Moore with 5 minutes, 1 second left in the game. But the Cubs answered with a 14-3 run to trim their deficit to two points with 1:13 left.

That's when Moore drove to the basket and missed a layup. But he grabbed his own rebound and put it back and was fouled. He sank the free throw to push the lead back to five points with 44.5 seconds remaining.

"I drove the lane and saw the opening," said Moore, who scored 16 points. "I missed my first shot, and it was an easy layup. I don't know how I missed it. But it came off the rim and it came off the rim well, like right to me. I grabbed that rebound and threw it back in."

Moore said he never considered passing after grabbing the rebound just to the left of the basket.

"They cut the lead to three or four there and it was getting close," he said. "It was a little too close for my comfort, so I decided I had to do something about it."

Moore's conventional three-point play deflated the Cubs.

"You've got to keep going, but it definitely was a momentum swing," Bell City senior Josh Overbey said.

Moore wasn't done impacting the outcome. He swiped the ball for a steal and was fouled, then hit the two free throws. All seven of his free throws in the fourth quarter came in the final minute.

"He takes on a more focal point of our offense," Oran coach Joe Shoemaker said about Moore. "He's a kid you can count on to hit free throws and do the right things at the end. He's developing into a better leader for us."

Oran kept Bell City at arm's length for much of the contest. Alex Heuring went 4 of 4 from the field and scored 11 of his team-high 17 points in the first half.

The Eagles committed 19 turnovers through the first three quarters, but Bell City couldn't make up much ground. The Cubs shot 30 percent from the floor over the first three quarters.

"I felt like in this tournament it took us a game and three quarters to get going and find our rhythm back to where we were playing before Christmas break," Bell City coach Nate Wills said. "That's kind of what I told them. If we're going to end our tournament, at least we're ending it knowing our effort was solid."

Overbey shook the Cubs from their slumber in the fourth quarter. He scored 11 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter.

"I don't really shoot much," he said. "In practice I do, so today I just go out with a bang. It's my senior year and I get to play here one last time."

The Cubs shot 61 percent in the fourth quarter (11 of 18), but Moore's shooting down the stretch extinguished the threat.

"Kody did a good job hitting free throws and playing there late," Shoemaker said.

Bell City 10 14 15 26 - 65

Oran 18 14 17 24 - 73

BELL CITY (65) -- Jerad Yates 12, Aaron Smith 7, Trey Geiger 10, Josh Overbey 24, Shane Hughes 11, Colen Carpenter 1. FG 23, FT 16-25, F 27. (3-pointers: Smith 1, Geiger 2. Fouled out: Yates, Smith, Geiger)

ORAN (73) -- Kody Moore 16, Seth Ressel 19, Dalton Elfrink 2, Alex Heuring 17, Blake Henson 11, Adam Schaefer 8. FG 22, FT 26-34, F 19. (3-pointers: Moore 1, Ressel 2. Fouled out: none)