Scott City boys basketball fights, pushes past Oak Ridge in fiery road test

In a matchup of two teams that competed for a fifth-place championship in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament less than a week ago, Scott City won a tough interior battle and took a big 66-57 victory at Oak Ridge on Tuesday night.

The Rams’ big second quarter gave them the lead they’d hold onto until the very end, but the victory didn’t come without a big Bluejay rally. Holding off a third-quarter comeback from the hosts, Scott City hung on for a big win against a tough foe.

“Anytime you can win on the road, it’s is a good thing,” Rams coach Mark Dannenmueller said. “We've only had one road game this year, so this is kind of new to us.

“It's always tough to play here, and Oak Ridge has a good team, so we're glad that we found a way to win.”

Neither team jumped out to any big leads early, but some early shots falling for the Rams built up a two-possession lead halfway through the first, but the Bluejays rallied back into a 13-13 draw at the end of the first quarter.

Scott City made quick note of this trend, however, with a 10-0 run on the backs of three of senior Nathan Ham’s seven triples on the night to start the second quarter and built a big lead with time to spare before the intermission.

Building a 33-21 lead going into the locker room, Scott City seized the lead with its physicality and rim running while Oak Ridge couldn’t put up the numbers in a firefight.

Dannenmueller spoke big on the adjustments, or lack thereof, that the club made going into the second quarter that allowed the Rams to create a big momentum swing.

“Sometimes it's as simple as the ball going through the hoop,” Dannenmueller said. “Nathan Ham came in, he had a couple of 3-pointers for us and got us energized.

“I thought we were guarding okay in the first quarter, we just of couldn’t put the ball in the hole. When Nathan came in and got hot, that opened things up.”

Oak Ridge made a run of its own to claw back into a 5-point game late in the third quarter, but Scott City wasn’t to be denied on Tuesday night as when the Bluejay offense stalled, the Rams simply couldn’t be stopped.

The Rams clung on to a 49-38 lead entering the fourth quarter, and while the Bluejays made it interesting down the stretch despite a handful of calls that the faithful crowd didn’t take kindly to, Scott City kept a hefty lead until the very end.

Scott City took down the Bluejays in a signature 66-57 victory at The Nest to end a two-game losing skid against Oak Ridge dating back to January 2022, starting a new streak of its own to kick off the new year.

Scott City got double digits from three players as Nathan Ham’s seven triples for 21 points led the way while Jackson Gloth (12) and Mark Panagos (11) also chipped in.

For Oak Ridge, the duo scoring tandem of Konnor Hobeck (20) and Ty Wilson (18) combined for a whopping 38 points despite the Bluejays falling short on the scoreboard.

Getting back to winning ways after a tough tournament-ending loss to Kelly to finish sixth, Dannenmueller saw a big step in the right direction on Tuesday.

His club takes on Chaffee and Delta in the upcoming week before suiting up against 10-1 Puxico at home on Friday, Jan. 12. With some big games left on the docket before the postseason, the Rams coach spoke on his team’s readiness for the approaching slate.

“We’re excited,” Dannenmueller began. “We've got a good group and we're just trying to continue to get better every day. I know that sounds cliché, but that's what we're trying to do.

“On Friday, we're gonna go down and play Chaffee. It's a big game for us – big rivalry game. We're going to try to get better these next two days and be ready for Chaffee. Take it one day at a time.”

__SCOTT CITY 66, OAK RIDGE 57__

Scott City 13 20 16 17 — 66

Oak Ridge 13 8 17 19 — 57

Scott City (66) — Nathan Ham 21, Jackson Gloth 12, Mark Panagos 11, Branden Beussink 5, AJ Hayden 5, Kaden Lowery 4, Jaylen Rulo 4, Braeden Walton 4. FG: 24. (3-pointers: Ham 7, Beussink 1, Rulo 1, Walton 1)

Oak Ridge (57) — Konnor Hobeck 20, Ty Wilson 18, Carsons Hahs 9, Karson Ward 7, Connor Hutteger 2, Brock Hobeck 1. FG: 24. (3-pointers: K. Hobeck 3, Ward 1)