Scott County Central boys basketball team blasts Richland 85-41

OAK RIDGE -- The Class 1 state boys basketball championship still runs through Scott County Central.

The Braves reminded any doubters of that Tuesday night.

The three-time defending state champions started their title defense with an 85-41 dismantling of Richland in the Class 1 District 2 semifinals.

The Braves used their signature pressure defense to force 28 turnovers, 19 of them in the first half, to run away from the Rebels.

And it still wasn't enough to please the team that hasn't lost a postseason game since a 70-68 state semifinal setback to Jefferson in 2008.

"We were moving our feet a little bit more, but it could have been better," SCC sophomore guard Larandis Banks said. "Several times we got lazy on defense and started to gamble and picked up fouls we shouldn't have got. We got three or four fouls called in a row for reaching in instead of moving our feet. We just have to get better at it down the stretch."

Braves coach Kenyon Wright agreed.

"I just don't think we played very good defense," he said. "I think that's the biggest thing. Our defense just doesn't look very good right now. Our defense has to look a lot better. Part of that is not having Dominique [Porter] in there hurts a little bit. It changes things up, but other kids have to step up and take over and play some better defense."

The Braves certainly did enough against Richland.

SCC jumped out to a 7-2 lead and rarely let off the gas.

Richland got within 13-10, but the Braves used a 15-2 run to close the quarter and turn in a 27-12 first-quarter performance.

"We just had to run them," Braves guard Jaylen Porter said. "They had a big guy, so we had to make sure we could shoot the ball or we could drive if we caught him off guard."

The "big guy" was 6-foot-10 Richard Forshee.

Forshee was a presence in the post against the much smaller Braves. He scored 25 points on 12-of-14 shooting.

The Braves combated Forshee's size by putting constant pressure on the Rebels guards.

"We were just trying to put pressure on the guards so they couldn't see on the inside," Banks said. "And if he got the ball on the inside, we just tried to double as best we could."

The Braves struggled to slow down Forshee, but it was a far cry from Richland's struggles.

The Rebels saw four Braves go off for double figures, led by Porter's 25 and Banks' 21 points.

"We got kids that can step up and score the basketball," Wright said. "It depends on whenever you need that. I thought the kids came out tonight and were ready to play from the get-go, and that showed.

"Especially in the second half, I thought they were really ready to play. And the kids understand that one night it might be one kid and one night it might be the other to have to do the scoring. The last several games we've played we've had four to five guys in double figures."

The Braves flexed their dominance in the second quarter.

Richland pulled to within 32-23 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the half on a Lane Adam basket, but SCC rattled off a 16-2 run to close the game and seal the game.

"I know the pressure wears on teams because they have to go through the pressure and they have to stay with us on the other end," Wright said. "That's something we've always tried to do. We always try to pride ourselves in we know that we're in better shape than the other team, and that's what we always try to look for."

SCC consistently got run-outs off missed shots or turnovers by the Rebels. It turned those run-outs into easy fast-break layups.

"That's how we get our points, by running people," Porter said. "Running down their throat and keep running. If we get open looks, we get open looks. And if we don't, we just set it up and run our offense."

The Braves also received strong outside play from Banks and Porter, who both netted three 3-pointers.

"I just practice a lot," Banks said about his shooting. "Coach told me if I get a wide open look to take it. That's what I tried to do -- get a couple of buckets going for my team."

SCC turned its 48-25 halftime lead into a 73-40 bulge heading into the fourth.

The clock ran continuously in the final quarter, even though the Braves were missing their leading scorer, Dominique Porter. He played just 1 minute, 25 seconds before picking up two fouls. The senior was then restricted to the bench due to a hip-flexor.

It's a potentially devastating blow to a team that features only two prominent players from the state championship squads, but the newcomers are aware of the winning tradition.

"Only two of them have been through that with the older guys," Wright said about the championship runs. "But that's something these guys have to get and figure out and got to get it going right now. Hopefully Thursday night we can come out and be ready to have that different atmosphere that we have to have to try and win it. And hopefully we can get through districts and see what we can do from there."

The Braves will play host Oak Ridge for the district title at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

Richland 12 13 15 1 -- 41

SCC 27 21 25 12 -- 85

RICHLAND (41) -- Lane Adam 10, Nicholas Daniels 1, Richard Forshee 25, Jesse Barnes 2, Jeremy Davis 3. FG 17. F 10. FT 6-8. (3-pointers: Davis. Fouled out: none)

SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL (85) -- Larandis Banks 21, Jaylen Porter 25, Antonio Johnson 14, Lamarcus Steward 12, Chris Brown 8, Tyler Masters 2, Antwoine Johnson 2. FG 36. F 14. FT 7-17. (3-pointers: Banks 3, Porter 3. Fouled out: none)