RAMS, HAWKS TO COLLIDE IN TOURNEY FINAL

SCOTT CITY -- After 32 minutes of play featuring as much breathing room as there was air to breathe in Scott City High's steamy, packed gymnasium, Denver sent the Hawks soaring to a mile-high feeling.

Kelly's Denver Stuckey scored on a drive with 5 seconds remaining, giving the Hawks a 69-67 triumph over third-seeded Delta in a semifinal game in the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament Friday night.

In the second semifinal game Friday, Scott City pulled away for a 93-80 win over Scott County Central.

Top-seeded Scott City will meet No. 2 Kelly in the championship game tonight at 8 in a game many area fans have waited for.

After a jumper by Kelly's Jim Hulshof, who scored a team-high 22 points, tied the score at 65-65 with 1 minute 28 seconds left, Delta's Garrett DeBrock, who exploded for a game-high 37 points, missed a 3-pointer with 45 seconds to go.

Twenty seconds later, Stuckey scored a on hanging drive and was fouled. He missed the free throw, and the score was 67-65. Then with 9 seconds left, DeBrock made both free throws after being fouled on a jumper, knotting the score again at 67-67.

At midcourt, Kelly inbounded the ball to Stuckey, who got position and stormed toward the basket, making the drive with 5 seconds to go. Delta's Ryan Livingston attempted a shot from halfcourt at the buzzer, but it clanged off the rim.

About the game-winning shot, Stuckey, who had 17 points, said, "I got the ball, and my man got caught up in the traffic, and I saw a gap in the middle and I just went to the hole and I got it in.

"It was a war out there. We knew that they'd want us bad. And they knew we had the same kind of attitude back toward them. It just came down to heart."

DeBrock, who hit six 3-pointers, made four 3s in the first quarter as Delta stormed to an 18-11 first-quarter lead. But Kelly (15-2) raged back, and a basket at the 4:40 mark of the second quarter by Jason Glastetter, who finished with 18 points, tied the game at 23-23.

Delta (12-5) led 35-30 at halftime, and Kelly carried a 48-47 lead into the fourth quarter.

"It was just two very even teams playing," said Delta coach Jim Gloth. "It was a good ballgame to coach."

Shawn Kinder scored 17 points; he and DeBrock totaled 54 of Delta's 67 points.

Scott City 93, Scott Central 80

Jon Beck scored 11 of his game-high 33 points and Ryan Weatherspoon six of his 21 in the fourth quarter as Scott City opened up a close game in the last three minutes.

The Rams (16-1) led 66-61 after three quarters, and outscored the Braves 27-19 in the fourth.

Central's J'reece Johnson, who finished with a team-high 25 points, scored just two in the fourth quarter. James Jones had 21 points, John Fort 13 and Todd Blissett 12 for the Braves.

Scott City's Tim Lowery had 18 points and Howie Stubenrauch added 12.

"Jon Beck really hit some big shots for us," said Scott City coach Derek McCord, whose team is ranked No. 6 is Class 2A. "Ryan Weatherspoon played real strong on the glass. Timmy Lowery hit some big shots when we needed him to. Howie Stubenrauch just gave us a tremendous spark off the bench. So, in different quarters it seemed like different people would step up."

McCord is very aware that a lot of people have been awaiting a Scott City-Kelly matchup.

"A lot of area fans have been waiting for (this game)," he said. "Kelly has got a lot of athletes and they're bigger than we are and stronger than we are. I think it's going to be a good game."