OT win puts Oran boys in state sectional

~ improbable shot helps Eagles upend Elsberry 64-52

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- There were some big moments at the end of the Class 2 sectional contest between the Oran and Elsberry boys basketball teams Wednesday night.

Some important defensive plays were made and an impressive amount of high-pressure free throws were made, both of which helped Oran win 64-52 in overtime to advance to the state quarterfinal for a second consecutive season.

But it's possible none of those moments would have happened without the one that happened at the end of the third quarter.

Oran led 30-28 with 3 minutes, 10 seconds left in the period before Elsberry went on a 13-0 run with the help of three unforced Oran turnovers.

The run was capped by Rahiem Porter's 3-pointer with about three seconds left in the quarter.

Oran's Seth Ressel caught the inbound pass and launched a shot from three-quarter court that banked in.

Suddenlyn an 11-point lead was eight, and the Eagles' outlook was much different.

"It was amazing," Oran coach Joe Shoemaker said. "I told our kids we don't want to give up end-of-quarter shots, and we gave up two of them tonight. Without those, it doesn't go to overtime, but without Ressel's it doesn't go to overtime either. I think that was a huge momentum swing. We gave up a 3, and Seth comes back and answers with a 3, so that was awesome."

Ressel said it would have "been a different game" if the shot had missed.

"It looked good, but then I started thinking maybe it was too long," Ressel said. "But it hit off the backboard and went it."

Ressel played a big role in the fourth-quarter comeback at well. It was his steal with 4:44 remaining that sparked a 7-0 Oran run. Ressel, who scored all 24 of his points in the second half and overtime, had five points and two steals during the run.

A couple free throws by Elsberry's Charles Fraction have game the Indians a 52-48 lead with 2:50 remaining. They were the last points Elsberry would score in the game.

"I knew we had a lot of time left," Ressel said. "2:50 is a lot of time in basketball and it was just four points, so I knew it was still a close game. I wasn't that worried. I knew we could do it. I had faith in us."

Alex Heuring rebounded his own miss and made two free throws after being fouled. Then Chance Tenkhoff made a steal that led to two free-throw makes for Ressel.

The Eagles forced 17 turnovers in the game, the majority of which came in half-court situations.

"There was a couple things that we were working to try to take away and have active hands defensively," Shoemaker said. "Those guys did it. I think Chance Tenkhoff had a big game defensively for us, too. I can't count the number of deflections in the half-court sets."

Oran had a chance to win the game with 11.5 seconds to go in regulation, but failed to get a shot off.

"We were wanting a last-second shot," Shoemaker said. "We didn't execute very well. We had a couple people out of position, and obviously you don't want to dribble out the clock and not get a shot, but that's something we'll work on a little bit."

The teams exchanged turnovers and missed shots to start overtime before Heuring was fouled with 2:14 to go. He made both shots in a 1-and-1 situation and the Eagles went on to make 12 of 14 free-throw attempts in the extra period.

"We've been putting a lot of emphasis on our free throws in practice, and coach always tells us each one's a game winner and you really get that mindset," Heuring said. "When it comes to the game, it's like you've been there."

Heuring sat out almost two full quarters of the game after being called for his third foul with 4:58 left in the second quarter. He did not return until the start of the fourth.

"We wanted to be able to finish the game with him not being in foul trouble and being able to play aggressive," Shoemaker said. "It was one of those situations where we could try to keep it close, keep him on the bench. We really didn't have a number. It was just one of those things we kind of go off our guts. It worked out tonight."

Sophomore forward Hunter Schlosser helped bring Oran back from a 10-point first-quarter deficit. He scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half.

"He was huge," Heuring said. "He just came out and was being aggressive. He wasn't being nervous. He was just attacking the rim, making his shots. He stepped up huge for us tonight."

Oran held Elsberry to 2 of 10 shooting in the second quarter and forced six turnovers, most of which came with Heuring out of the game.

"It was just a total team effort," Shoemaker said. "We've played a little bit without him at games, and the kids kept confidence in themselves. Cash Kinney came in off the bench and played some good minutes for us in the second quarter. Like I said, it was just a team effort right there."

The Eagles will face Winona, which defeated Bernie Wednesday night, at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Farmington Civic Center.

"It's very nice," Shoemaker said of his team's back-to-back quarterfinal appearances. "It's different each time with a different group of kids. We've worked hard to get there. Hopefully we have a different outcome from last year. We'll go give it our best shot and see what happens."

Elsberry 17 5 19 11 0 -- 52

Oran 7 16 10 17 12 -- 64

ELSBERRY (52) -- Charles Fraction 20, Rahiem Porter 15, Kenny Lesley 12, Dylan Howard 3, Adam Sherrow 2. FG 20, FT 7-9, F 16. (3-pointers: Fraction 2, Porter 3. Fouled out: Fraction)

ORAN (64) -- Kody Moore 3, Seth Ressel 24, Jacob Priggel 4, Chance Tenkhoff 3, Hunter Schlosser 15, Alex Heuring 15. FG 19, FT 23-28, F 12. (3-pointers: Moore 1, Ressel 1, Schlosser 1. Fouled out: Moore)