Scott City boys basketball team uses fast start to rout Kelly

The Scott City boys basketball team has a standing goal to win the first quarter of whatever game it's playing, including Tuesday night's Class 3 District 2 quarterfinal against Kelly.

While that's logical thing to focus on, it was something the Rams struggled to do a year ago, and they often found themselves fighting from behind.

"Last year it seemed like we always came out of the gates slow, so we wanted to come out [better]," Scott City coach Mark Dannenmueller said. "This year we've done a pretty good job in the first quarter. We've had trouble maintaining it, so we just wanted to win the first quarter and move on. That was about as simple as I can get it."

The Rams couldn't have planned for a much better first quarter against the Hawks on Tuesday. They used an early 11-0 run to build a big lead and cruise to a 77-49 victory on their home floor.

Kelly led 4-2 very early on before Scott City went on their first run. The Hawks scored a basket with 3 minutes, 28 seconds left in the first quarter to cut it to 13-6 then didn't score again for just over 7 minutes.

Scott City, meanwhile, closed the quarter on another 11-0 run and led 24-6 after the first.

"I thought we had the pace exactly how we wanted it, and we wanted to go as fast as we could offensively obviously while being under control," Dannenmueller said.

The Rams were 9 of 17 from the floor in the first quarter and did not commit a turnover.

"We do a really good job. We average 11 turnovers a game, and for as fast as we play, we do a pretty good job of taking care of the ball," Dannenmueller said before pausing to "knock on wood."

Kelly's Maurice Davis looks to pass around Scott City's Trent Pobst in the first quarter of a Class 3 District 2 quarterfinal Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015 in Scott City. (Glenn Landberg)

Kelly, which had not played a game since Feb. 13, shot 3 of 11 from the field in the opening quarter and turned the ball over six times.

"We were rusty," Kelly coach Ryan Garnett said. "That's it. We were sloppy. We couldn't make one at the basket, passes were wild and out of control. We just didn't get the job done early, and that was it."

Garnett said he was fine with his team's slot selection in the early going. They simply weren't going in.

"We missed a lot at the basket," Garnett said. "You know, you kind of look as coaches -- you look at each other and just kind of throw your hands up. That's the way it goes. More unhappy with a little bit of the sloppy passes, so we did have some turnovers not caused by the press. At the same time, and this is what I told my guys, we weren't hitting, Scott City was hitting. They were fired up, they're at home, they're a great team, they're competitors, and they came out and made shots."

The Hawks, who were led by 10 points each by senior Dalton Huffman and junior Ty Householder, finished their first season under Garnett with a 10-14 record, doubling the their win total from a year ago.

"I don't know what our record says, but I feel like we've won 20 games," Garnett said. "Coach [Justin McAlister] and I were both talking -- that's what it feels like to us. I feel like our guys have accomplished so much in so little time. They've generated a buzz, they've developed the character, they've bought in, they're working hard."

Garnett said the buzz was mostly about the way the team was able to compete, particularly in the second half of the season.

"I think we created a buzz in the community that we're not an easy win anymore, so I couldn't be more proud of what those guys have accomplished," he said. "It's not fun to go out like this, but we've just got to keep working and keep building."

Scott City coach Mark Dannenmueller talks with a referee in the third quarter against Kelly during a Class 3 District 2 quarterfinal Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015 in Scott City. (Glenn Landberg)

The Rams (18-7), who were led by the 22 points of sophomore Dylan Keller, moved on to face top-seeded Charleston. The Bluejays beat Scott City 95-66 at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament in December.

"We think we can compete," Dannenmueller said. "That's the only way you can think. You can't go in with the mindset that you can't compete with them. We're going to come out and just try to play our game and everybody's trying to survive and advance at this time. Nobody's owed anything. It's cliche, but it's true."

The semifinal is set for 6 p.m. Thursday at Scott City.

"We can't get focused in on what they're going to do," Dannenmueller said. "You get caught up on that, I think it's really bad for your team, so we're still just going to try to play the way we play, and hopefully it'll be good enough for us."

Woodland advances

The second-seeded Woodland Cardinals opened up postseason play with a 66-42 win over Saxony Lutheran in another quarterfinal.

Woodland senior Garret Reynolds, who banked a 3 just before the half to give his team a 35-20 lead at the bread, led all scorers with 18 points. Junior Zach Beel added 16, and senior Evan Grindstaff contributed 12.

Saxony was led by sophomore Corrie Williams' 11 points. Senior Ryan Palmer and freshman Graesen Meystedt each added five.

Woodland will face second-seeded Arcadia Valley in a semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Scott City. Arcadia Valley defeated East Praire 80-60 on Tuesday.

Saxony 11 9 9 13 -- 42

Woodland 18 17 24 7 -- 66

SAXONY (42) -- Nathan Schneider 2, Noah Franke 3, Austin Bock 2, Chase Steffens 3, Ryan Palmer 5, Graesen Meystedt 5, Jacob Wunderlich 1, Dustin Lorenz 3, Nathan Ruark 3, Elwood Voss 4, Corrie Williams 11. FG 13, FT 12-22, F 15. (3-poiners: Palmer 1, Meystedt 1, Lorenz 1, Williams 1. Fouled out: none.)

WOODLAND (66) -- Evan Grindstaff 12, Ben Grindstaff 3, Jacob Long 2, Garret Reynolds 18, Cole Schlief 5, Zach Myers 2, Zach Beel 16, Devon Gramlisch 5, Michael McCormick 3. FG 22, FT 14-19, F19. (3-pointers: E. Grindstaff 2, B. Grindstaff 1, Reynolds 2, Schlief 1, Beel 1, McCormick 1. Fouled out: none.)

Kelly 6 13 17 13 -- 49

Scott City 24 16 23 14 -- 77

KELLY (49) -- Ty Householder 10, Dalton Huffman 10, Cayden Williams 5, Levi Alsup 9, Jacob McClain 4, Maurice Davis 4, Isai Campos 2, Conner Dittlinger 5. FG 19, FT 9-14, F 22. (3-pointers: Householder 1, Huffman 1. Fouled out: Dittlinger.)

SCOTT CITY -- Dylan Keller 22, Trent Pobst 14, Austin Spriggs 4, Nick Bickings 2, Isiah Berry 13, Jordan Kluesner 2, Brock Uelsmann 2, Braden Cox 16, Tyler Rogers 2. FG 27, FT 20-26, F18. Fouled out: none.)