Perryville boys basketball team topples Scott City for Woodland Invitational title

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Perryville coach Justin Dreyer knows winning championships is never easy.

The Pirates hadn't won the Woodland Invitational Tournament since 2011 but weren't ready to wait another year to reclaim that crown.

Third-seeded Perryville pulled away in the fourth quarter and never looked back, defeating top-seeded Scott City 64-51 in Friday's championship game at Woodland High School.

There was nothing flashy about the Pirates' victory. Instead, there was consistency from top to bottom, which Dreyer knows is the recipe for success.

Perryville's McGwire Bartley takes a shot as Scott City's Braden Cox defends during the first quarter of the championship game in the Woodland Invitational on Friday, Dec. 4, 2015 in Marble Hill, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

"I'm proud of my guys. They deserve it for all the work they've put in the last couple of years," Dreyer said. "We didn't play the best tonight, but to win tournaments and win championships, you've got to find ways to win when you're not at your best. I thought we did that tonight."

Perryville (3-0) entered the fourth quarter clinging to a 42-39 lead before Wyatt Johnson and Josh Robinson each converted a layup that extended the Pirates' lead to seven points with 6 minutes, 33 seconds remaining in the game. Dylan Keller knocked down a 3-pointer from the right key to pull Scott City (2-1) within four before Robinson answered with a runner that pushed Perryville's lead to 48-42 with 5:58 left.

"We just played a lot smarter than we were in the first half," Pirates senior McGwire Bartley said. "Defensively we played a lot smarter, and I thought our turnovers decreased in that fourth quarter.

"We started talking more and started moving, and it all seemed to come together."

Jordan Kluesner scored a bucket that cut the Rams' deficit to 50-45 with 3:35 remaining, but Scott City was never able to draw closer. A 3-pointer by Keller trimmed the Pirates' lead to six with 1:06 to go in the game before Perryville closed the game at the free-throw line, outscoring the Rams 8-1 in the final minute.

"We knocked down some shots, and we kept playing," Dreyer said. "We didn't get a five-point lead and stop and try to hold the ball. We kept pushing the ball and kept moving it around, and we got good looks and knocked them down. We weren't taking bad shots."

The Pirates were most efficient in crunch time. They were 6-of-9 (67 percent) shooting from the floor and 10 of 13 (77 percent) at the charity stripe in the final period.

Scott City's Dylan Keller looks for a way past Perryville's Conner Stark as McGwire Bartley looks on during the second quarter of the championship game in the Woodland Invitational on Friday, Dec. 4, 2015 in Marble Hill, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

"I thought they were the most fundamental team of the tournament," Rams coach Mark Dannenmueller said about Perryville. "I thought they were the most disciplined. They knew when to take the right shot. They had great leadership. They were tough, and I don't think we were any of those things in the fourth quarter. I didn't think we were any of those things all game."

Bartley paced the Pirates with 16 points while senior Conner Stark added 12 points.

Stark was 3 of 4 (75 percent) from beyond the arc, including a trey that notched the first points of the game. Trent Pobst hit a 3-pointer from the left key that capped a 10-3 run for Scott City with 3:10 to go in the opening period, but Perryville answered with a 9-5 spurt that trimmed its deficit to 15-14 heading into the second frame.

There were four lead changes in the second quarter, the last of which occurred when Stark drained a 3-pointer that gave the Pirates a 27-25 advantage with 2:25 remaining before halftime. Perryville shot 13 of 25 (52 percent) from the field in the first half and carried a 31-30 lead into the break.

"Our shooting's one of our strengths," Dreyer said. "We've got some guys who can knock down the mid-range shots and some guys that can really shoot the 3, and we're so unselfish and do such a good job of moving the ball that if we have a shot, the majority of the time we pass it to the next guy for an even better shot."

Scott City's Nick Bickings looks to pass as Perryville's McGwire Bartley defends during the first quarter of the championship game in the Woodland Invitational on Friday, Dec. 4, 2015 in Marble Hill, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

Pobst scored a bucket to give Scott City its final lead of the game, 35-34, at the 3:42 mark of the third quarter, but Robinson answered with back-to-back buckets that began an 8-4 run for the Pirates, who led 42-39 at the end of the period.

"That was huge," Dreyer said about Robinson, who also knocked down a key 3-pointer when the Pirates trailed in the fourth quarter of Thursday's semifinal against Woodland. "He's a junior for us that's played a lot of basketball, and he's stepped up. ... He's hit some big shots the last two nights."

Dannenmueller said he was surprised his team only faced a three-point deficit heading into the final eight minutes of play. The Rams turned the ball over six times in the third quarter, during which they shot 4 of 14 (29 percent) from the floor.

"We shot very poorly, had sloppy turnovers. Defensively we weren't very good. It was just disappointing," Dannenmueller said. "It's like I told them, I'll take full responsibility for it because your team's a direct reflection of your coach. ... I just thought they were the better team tonight."

Pobst led the Rams with a game-high 19 points while Kluesner contributed 12 points. Both players fouled out in the fourth quarter.

Dannenmueller anticipated Perryville's 3-2 zone defense but wasn't pleased with the way his offense attacked. Scott City finished 19 of 55 (35 percent) from the field.

"We held the ball way too much. We took contested shots way too much," Dannenmueller said. "We'd either overpenetrate and not kick, or we'd hold the ball. We were extremely easy to guard. That's something we're going to have to try to fix. ... Give them all the credit in the world, but I thought it was more on us and us just not doing what we're supposed to do offensively."

Scott City, which has never won the tournament championship, was also without senior guard Isiah Berry and Ty Wilthong, both of whom are still recovering from injuries.

"We missed their leadership, and I was just disappointed with the fact that we didn't compete as hard as we needed to, especially in a championship game," Dannenmueller said. "That's part of it, but I just told them we're going to have to come back and practice and get better."

Dreyer believes both teams are the mirror image of one another. He was pleased with the way his team handled playing a comparable opponent.

"I told them I'm proud of them but not to be satisfied," Dreyer said. "We can play a heck of a lot better than we did tonight, but I think Scott City had something to do with that, with how hard they played. ... It's hard to win championships. We won one, but we've got to get better for next week."

Perryville 14 17 11 22 -- 64

Scott City 15 15 9 12 -- 51

PERRYVILLE (64) -- McGwire Bartley 16, Conner Stark 12, Josh Robinson 8, Aaron Mueller 6, Wyatt Johnson 6, Jacob Robinson 4, Garrett Johnson 4, Austin Mueller 4, Ryan Noland 4. FG 23, FT 14-18, F 16. (3-pointers: Stark 3, Aa. Mueller 1. Fouled out: None.)

SCOTT CITY (51) -- Trent Pobst 19, Jordan Kluesner 12, Dylan Keller 10, Braden Cox 4, David Smith 3, Jaden Kaiser 3. FG 19, FT 8-17, F 17. (3-pointers: Keller 2, Pobst 1, Smith 1, Kaiser 1. Fouled out: Pobst, Kluesner.)