Scott City girls basketball team shoots down Woodland to win district crown

Katie Hogan turned the Class 3 District 3 title game into a 3-point clinic.

The 6-foot-2 junior buried eight treys and scored a game-high 34 points to lead Scott City past Woodland 58-45 for the championship.

"They kept leaving me open," Hogan said. "I missed the first two and I knew if I kept shooting, it was eventually going to go in. We had a couple of guards drive in and kick it back out and all of their defense collapsed and it left me wide open."

The usual dominant post player was 8 for 12 from long range and 5 for 11 inside the arc.

"I just think she was a force down low," Scott City coach Ricky Keller said. "She took the ball up strong and was patient with the ball. But I'd like to give the credit to the guards for being patient and getting her the ball. I'm just all around proud of all of them."

Scott City players celebrate their win over Woodland in the Class 3 District 3 girls title game Thursday at Saxony Lutheran.

Hogan provided the offense, but it was a complete team effort on the defensive end.

The Rams (22-6) applied constant pressure, making Woodland (12-12) work for everything.

"Starting with the first guard in to the last one I put in, I thought they got up and pressured," Keller said. "We worked the ball and did pretty good of staying out of foul trouble. They were just getting up and harassing the whole game."

The game was tight throughout the first quarter with neither team taking more than a six-point lead.

The Rams went up 11-5 on a 9-0 run early, but the Cardinals closed the quarter with a free throw and basket to claw to within 11-8.

Woodland players await their second-place trophy after losing to Scott City in the Class 3 District 3 girls basketball title game Thursday, March 3, 2011 at Saxony Lutheran. (Fred Lynch)

"I thought we came out and played hard," Woodland coach Gary Poyner said. "We got after it defensively. Especially in the first half, we did a good job covering shooters and did a pretty good job on the boards. In the second half, we got a little bit tired and they have a little more depth than we did. Kids stepped up for them and hit big shots and when you get in a situation like this, and a game like this, that's what you have to have."

Scott City looked to be in control when Hogan hit back-to-back 3-pointers with just more than two minutes left in the second quarter to give the Rams a 27-16 advantage, but the Cardinals weren't rattled.

Josie Long buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key after a timeout, and Tess Rainey scored four quick points to cut the lead to 27-23 at halftime.

"That was huge," Poyner said about the run to close the half. "We went [into halftime] and I felt like we had some momentum. We had confidence going in at halftime and that's what we wanted to do. We knew if we could be right there, we would have a chance. That's all you can ask for in this situation. Being as young as we are -- we only had two seniors, and those two seniors came in their and played hard and busted their rears -- but having a mix of players like we did, I thought we came out and gave it our best effort."

It appeared it was going to be a back-and-forth second half early in the third quarter.

The teams traded baskets, with Scott City clinging to a 31-27 lead.

The Rams found separation when Stacey Heisserer hit a free throw, and Hogan and Melanie Lacey added buckets to give the Rams a 36-27 advantage.

Woodland cut the lead to 36-30 on a conventional three-point play by Kendra Pinkley, but the Rams closed the quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers by Andrea Gray and Hogan.

"[That] was wonderful," Keller said. "It was stressful going into that. I felt like in that stretch, they [Woodland] hit some big shots and the breathing room really relaxed us. I thought they were uptight until then, once they got that breathing room I felt like they finally started playing their game."

Woodland failed to mount a serious charge in the fourth quarter, and the Rams earned their first district title since 2009 season.

"It's huge for these girls to come in here and win this," Keller said. "They lost six seniors last year, and a lot of people thought it was going to be a rebuilding year. But really the continuity of this team, they all get along like sisters, and that's the difference maker of this team. I felt like they had something to prove and they wanted to prove it."

Scott City 11 16 15 16 -- 58

Woodland 8 15 7 15 -- 45

SCOTT CITY (58) -- Stacey Heisserer 5, Michaela Cobb 2, Melanie Lacey 8, Katie Rhymer 3, Katie Hogan 34, Andrea Gray 6. FG 23, FT 2-5, F 16. (3-pointers: Gray 2, Hogan 8. Fouled out: none)

WOODLAND (45) -- Josie Long 9, Kathlyn Cooper 2, Tess Rainey 7, Ashley Acup 13, Keighlyn Lincoln 4, Kendra Pinkley 10. FG 16, FT 10-16, F 9. (3-pointers: Long, Rainey, Acup. Fouled out: Pinkley)