Oran boys basketball team soars into Class 2 state quarterfinal

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- The Oran boys basketball team got off to the exact kind of start it wanted.

The Eagles rode that early wave to their first state quarterfinal berth since 1969, when Oran finished as state runner-up.

Oran scored the first eight points of Wednesday night's Class 2 sectional and held off every Crossroads rally to post a 59-54 victory at Park Hills Central High School.

The Eagles (19-10) will play Hayti (20-9) at 2:45 p.m. Saturday at Dexter High School. The winner advances to the Class 2 final four. Hayti slipped past Thayer 67-55 in three overtimes Wednesday.

"It feels really good," Oran junior forward Alex Heuring said. "It's great for the school, it's great for the town."

Oran fans support the Eagles during the Class 2 sectional game with Crossroads Wednesday, March 7, 2012 in Park Hills, Mo. (Fred Lynch)

Oran finds itself in something of an unlikely position after graduating eight seniors from last year's squad that won the program's first district title since 1999 before losing to New Haven in the sectional round.

The Eagles, who returned just one starter, weren't even favored to win their district but upset Advance in the finals after having lost to the Hornets twice during the regular season.

"I don't think anybody really expected us to do much this year," said Oran junior guard Kody Moore, the only returning regular from a year ago. "It definitely feels real good. It feels a little bit better than most sectional wins because we couldn't get it done last year."

Crossroads, which is located in St. Louis, was even more of a surprise. The Current (16-12) won the program's first district title after being seeded fourth.

"Too little, too late. Their team was good," said Crossroads coach Stephen Abdul-Hamid, whose squad trailed by 13 points early in the second half but cut the deficit to three late. "They hit us with the first blow. They were the better team tonight."

Oran's Seth Ressel takes a shot against Crossroads' Jeremy Holley during the first quarter of the Class 2 sectional game Wednesday, March 7, 2012 in Park Hills, Mo. (Fred Lynch)

Oran coach Joe Shoemaker said it was imperative that the Eagles start fast, something they didn't do in last year's sectional matchup. He had seen Crossroads get off to fast starts during its district tournament.

"It's one thing we talked about in the locker room," Shoemaker said.

The Eagles heeded their coach's advice by jumping out to an 8-0 lead that they expanded to 13-2 late in the opening quarter.

"Coach told us if we didn't come out ready to play they would jump on us," Moore said.

It was 13-6 after one quarter. Oran built a pair of 13-point leads in the second period and entered the intermission ahead 31-20.

Oran's Hunter Schlosser tries to maneuver between Crossroads' Kevin Rogers, left, and Sean Monroe during the third quarter Wednesday.

Moore's basket in the opening minute of the third quarter gave Oran its third 13-point advantage of the night. But the Eagles knew the game was far from over.

"Coach said they like to go on runs," Moore said.

Crossroads cut the deficit to 41-36 entering the final quarter by taking advantage of Heuring -- Oran's best inside player -- picking up his fourth foul with about two minutes left in the third period. That landed him on the bench.

Heuring stayed on the sidelines for the first 2 minutes, 22 seconds of the fourth quarter. He watched the Current pull within 41-38.

"I was doing whatever I could to stay in that game," Heuring said about his mindset after re-entering the contest.

Oran's Kody Moore drives against Crossroads' Sean Monroe during the fourth quarter of their Class 2 sectional Wednesday in Park Hills, Mo. (Fred Lynch)

Heuring scored four quick points after coming back in to put Oran up 50-43. It became 52-43 after two free throws by sophomore guard Seth Ressel following a technical foul.

The Eagles still were not out of the woods. Crossroads cut the deficit to three points two more times, with 34 seconds left and 19 seconds left.

"They're an excellent team, well coached, with a couple of just dandy players," Shoemaker said about the Current. "They hit some shots late and made a great run."

But Oran had the answers. It hit 7 of 8 free throws in the final 45 seconds and 11 of 12 overall in the fourth quarter.

Moore was 5 of 6 from the line in the last 45 seconds, while freshman forward Hunter Schlosser made both of his attempts.

"We just played our game and hit free throws," Heuring said.

Heuring led Oran with 18 points and 15 rebounds. He dominated the boards against a team that had similar size to the smaller Eagles.

"We're not the biggest team. We really have to hustle," said the 6-foot-2 Heuring, who added with a smile: "I love rebounding."

Ressel scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half to spark the Eagles' strong start. Heuring added 10 points in the opening half.

Moore, Oran's top scorer at 16.9 points per game, was held to two points in the first half but finished with 14.

Oran also got a lift from Schlosser, who was called up to the varsity for the postseason. He added eight points.

"Everybody did their job," Heuring said.

Sophomore guard Trevor Clay paced the Current with 20 points. Junior guard Milton Spaulding hit four 3-pointers and scored 16 points.

Oran 13 18 10 18 -- 59

Crossroads 6 14 16 18 -- 54

ORAN (59) -- Kody Moore 14, Seth Ressel 16, Alex Heuring 18, Adam Schaefer 3, Hunter Schlosser 8. FG 21, FT 14-16, F 13. (3-pointers: Moore 1, Ressel 1, Schaefer 1. Fouled out: none)

CROSSROADS (54) -- Milton Spaulding 16, Jeremy Holley 3, Sean Monroe 14, Trevor Clay 20, Andrew Witherspoon 1. FG 19, FT 9-11, F 17. (3-pointers: Spaulding 4, Monroe 1, Clay 2. Fouled out: Holley)