Oran boys basketball team will try to stop streaking Salisbury in Class 2 semifinals

Oran senior Kody Moore didn't know a thing about the Salisbury boys basketball team before his team's practice Tuesday evening.

That's the way he prefers it.

"Nothing," he answered, when asked what he'd heard about his team's Class 2 state semifinal opponent. "It's wonderful knowing nothing because there's nothing to be scared of."

Oran will take on Salisbury, a team with a daunting resume, at 6:40 p.m. today at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

The Panthers finished second in Class 2 and season ago and enter the final four with a 28-1 record this season. They've won their last 24 games in a row, the last 21 of which have been by at least 15 points.

"I've heard they're a tough team, and I know we're not the favorite, but anything can happen this time of year," Oran senior Alex Heuring said. "I mean, we're all here for a reason because we've played good ball and we've earned our shot here. I think when you go up there anything can happen. Yeah, they might only have one loss, but the way I see it we're both 0-0 this time of year."

Oran has an impressive resume of it's own. The Eagles are 27-3. They lost to Advance in the season-opening Oran Invitational, to Charleston at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament and Leopold in a regular-season game on Jan. 25.

Like most teams, Salisbury can't match the Eagles' balanced scoring, but it comes closer than most.

Four Oran players average double-digit scoring. Moore averages 16.1 points and 4.7 rebounds. Heuring averages 15.6 points and 10.5 rebounds, junior Seth Ressel averages 12.9 points and 4.3 rebounds and sophomore Hunter Schlosser averages 10 points.

Salisbury will counter with 6-5 senior Austin Francis who averages 16.2 points and 7.0 rebounds a game, 6-5 senior Austin Wyatt averaging 15.4 points a game, 6-3 senior Zach Wyatt averaging 13.9 points and 6-2 sophomore Brady Francis averaging 8.6 points.

"Very tall team," Oran coach Joe Shoemaker said. "We're going to have our work cut out for us. They haven't made it there two years in a row for nothing. Long and athletic."

Shoemaker said Winona, the team Oran beat in the quarterfinals, was the tallest team the Eagles had faced this season. Winona started players who were 6-8, 6-5 and 6-4.

"It presents the obvious challenges, rebounding and stuff, but their length is really what bugs you," Shoemaker said. "When their bigger players are taller than your guards, it makes it hard to see to pass the basketball to an open cutter. And their length can get out and challenge shots that normally you're accustomed to shooting when that defender's that far away, but with their length it'll make a big difference."

Oran isn't unaccustomed to being outsized. Heuring is the Eagles tallest player at 6-foot-4.

"I ain't really worried because all I know is if we play our normal game, if we all shoot good and actually run like we normally can, we can beat a lot of teams," Oran junior Chance Tenkhoff said.

Moore agreed that playing fast is a must.

"Run. Run. We've got to run," he said. "It's always a bonus when we shoot the ball well. We can kind of control that, but some nights you're just not shooting the ball well. And rebound. We've got to really focus on blocking out and rebounding against teams that are bigger than us. Obviously they're bigger, they get up higher, so we've got to really concentrate on running and rebounding and defense."

Moore said he knew he would eventually learn something about Salisbury when Shoemaker delivered his scouting report. That took longer than expected to develop when multiple coaches who faced Salisbury this season said they wouldn't share game film, either because of rules or because they were friends with the coach.

"We've talked a little bit," Shoemaker said Tuesday. "We'll usually, we'll do some preparation on the other teams, try to have our plan of attack -- what we want to take away defensively from them, or try to take away, how we want to attack them on the offensive end. Like I said, it's a little more difficult this week because I just got the game tape shipped overnight yesterday, so I haven't had a chance to watch them yet."

Iberia (27-3) will face West Platte (29-0) in the other Class 2 semifinal at 8:20 p.m. today. Undefeated West Platte is led by 6-5 junior Adam Roe, who averages 20 points and 6.8 rebounds a game, and 6-10 junior Bryce Cashman, who averages 10.7 points and 6.2 rebounds. Iberia is led by the 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds of 6-1 junior Darrien Dickey.

"We've definitely been practicing, I'd say, with a little more arrogance," Heuring said. "I think we are feeling a little big-headed right now, but it's just the experience that it's all been. We've still got to focus in practice, and you've still got to come out and work hard. We had an OK practice yesterday. I wouldn't say it was a great practice, but it wasn't a terrible practice. But, I mean, we've just been feeling a little more arrogant about ourselves.

"It's definitely confidence. You just feel good about yourself. You just want to come out and perform."