SCOTT CITY HOLDS OFF BLOOMFIELD 54-51

BLOOMFIELD -- In a rematch of last season's Class 2A, District 2 championship game, second-seeded Scott City held off third-seed and host Bloomfield 54-51 in a district semifinal Thursday.

Scott City junior Lance Amick made all six of his free throws in the fourth quarter, including two with six seconds left to provide the winning margin. Bloomfield's Nick Hutchinson -- going for his fourth 3-pointer of the quarter -- got off a rushed 3-point attempt at the buzzer, but it skidded off the back iron and the Rams advanced into tonight's title game at 8.

Scott City, now 26-2 and ranked sixth in the state's 2A poll, will play fifth-seed Woodland for the district championship. Bloomfield ended its season with a 16-12 mark.

Free throws were the difference for the Rams, who shot 17 of 19 for the game and 8 of 9 in the final quarter.

"We talk in practice about free throws being nothing but focus," said Scott City coach Derek McCord. "The kids that went to the free-throw line for us came up big."

The Rams' free-throw shooting proved vital considering the hot hand of Hutchinson, who was playing with an injured shoulder. The 5-10 senior drilled three 3-pointers in the final quarter to pull the Wildcats to within striking distance of the Rams. Hutchinson finished with a team-high 17 points.

After trailing most of the game, Bloomfield knotted the score three times in the final quarter. A basket by Howie Stubenrauch with less than four minutes left put Scott City ahead for good 46-44. Stubenrauch totaled eight points and eight rebounds

The Rams opened up a six-point lead in the final minute, but the Wildcats made one last charge. Leading 52-48 with 20 seconds left, Scott City missed its only free throw of the fourth quarter. Bloomfield junior Josh Heaton drilled a 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining, but Amick made the final two free throws to help the Rams avoid the upset.

"Lance came up big again," McCord said of his 6-foot junior who totaled 13 points. "He comes off the bench, plays his roll and tonight he makes all his free throws in the fourth quarter."

Jon Beck led the Rams with a game-high 18 points. Tim Lowery, questionable before the game with a sprained wrist suffered in Monday's opening-round win over Puxico, played most of the contest and finished with 11 points.