Porter leads SCC boys past Charleston

~ SCC used a 12-0 run in the third quarter to pull away from Charleston

MORLEY, Mo. -- Scott County Cental's Otto Porter took a few hard hits and a few falls early in his team's game against the Charleston Bluejays on Friday night.

The result was a couple of bloody elbows and a close score but very little concern from the senior.

"They just keep at it, but eventually the body's going to wear down from it, though," Porter said. "It's just a matter of time."

He didn't have to wait all that long. The Braves took a lead they never relinquished with more than five minutes to go in the second quarter and eventually eased to a 90-71 win on their homecoming.

"They're physical," Porter said. "That physical [play] bothers a team like us. We've just got to keep moving. What we try to do is we try to wear them down."

The Braves defeated Charleston (9-5) 84-61 in the Southeast Missourian Christmas tournament semifinals earlier this season.

"They're real strong, real physical, and they get after you as much as the referees will allow," SCC coach Kenyon Wright said with a laugh. "That's what they always do, which is a good thing. That's what makes them so tough."

SCC (12-2) missed seven of its first 11 shots in the game but still managed to lead 18-16 after one quarter.

"We weren't moving like we were supposed to," Porter said of the early offensive drought. "They were kind of slowing us down and stuff, but we started to pick it up, though. They were knocking down shots, too."

The Braves widened their lead to eight points at halftime thanks in part to 12 second-quarter points from senior guard Stewart Johnson.

"Stewart does a good job of handling the basketball and making plays off the dribble and being the point guard out there and kind of leading the team like it needs to go," Wright said. "He's done a good job of picking that up throughout the season, and hopefully he can keep going and keep getting better."

Johnson finished with 20 points in the game while Porter scored 32.

"I just try to help him out as much as I can," Johnson said about Porter. "I know a lot of nights he's going to see those double and triple teams, so I try to take some attention off of him and help him out.

"He's going to get the job done, but I just try to help the team out when I can. Everybody on the team does."

The Braves' lead swelled to as many as 22 points in the third quarter thanks in part to a 12-0 run.

"I knew we were in better shape than them and we tried to utilize that," Johnson said. "We noticed they were getting tired and me and Bubba [Porter] told the team in the huddle to keep it up and keep pushing."

Charleston, which made 10 3-pointers in the game, made three in four possessions in the fourth quarter to help close the gap to 13 with four minutes to go, but the Bluejays got no closer.

"They play hard regardless," Johnson said. "We expect that. We knew they were going to battle until the end. They hit a couple of big shots, but we just had to keep going."

Charleston was led in scoring by Jerry Carter with 24 points, including four 3-pointers. Greg Tucker added 16 points.

Charleston 16 16 18 21 -- 71

SCC 18 22 28 22 -- 90

CHARLESTON (71) -- Aaron Cassell 8, Michael Hull 8, Greg Tucker 16, Jamaul Gray 2, Claude Armstrong 5, Jerry Carter 24, Ryan Parham 8. FG 22, F 18, FT 17-22. (3-pointers: Cassell 2, Hull 2, Tucker 1, Carter 4, Parham 1. Fouled out: none)

SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL (90) -- Stewart Johnson 20, Trey Johnson 6, Otto Porter 34, Dominique Porter 8, Calvin Porter 2, Reggie Woodson 16, LaMarcus Steward 4. FG 36, F 17, FT 17-18. (3-pointers: S. Johnson 1. Fouled out: none)