Scott County Central boys pay tribute to longtime fans before semifinal

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Scott County Central Braves weren't just playing for themselves in a Class 2 semifinal against Crane on Saturday afternoon.

During pregame warm-ups, the Braves wore black shirts with a big orange heart in the middle. Etched in that heart were the words 'Mr. T' and 'Mr. B' in honor of two of SCC's biggest fans.

Longtime SCC scorekeeper Jim Tyler and the Braves' former bus driver Aquilla Blissett have seen their favorite team win five state championships in recent years.

And while SCC advanced to its sixth state championship game in the last seven seasons with a 60-49 victory over Crane, Tyler and Blissett will not be in attendance for the first time in seven years.

Instead, the Braves will try to win another state championship in their name, SCC coach Frank Staple said.

"Those are very special shirts to us," said Staple while trying to hold back a tear. "I try not to get emotional on this one, but it's a hard thing to do. Our longtime bus driver and a family member of mine, Aquilla Blissett, was diagnosed with brain cancer in September and died in November. And our longtime scorekeeper Jim Tyler, this is for him as well. He suffered a stroke right before districts, so he's in the hospital cheering us on. So Mr. B and Mr. T, we fight till the end. We do it for them."

Kesler sparks Braves

Scott County Central guard Drake Kesler had only been averaging seven points a game before he took the court against Crane.

But in Saturday's Class 2 semifinal the senior scored the Braves' first 11 points of the game, including three 3-pointers during that span to help SCC to an 11-6 lead.

"Drake is big, and I'm very excited for Drake," Staple said. "He's worked a lot to get to this point and that's the good thing about this team, and I've mentioned it several times. We have some good players, but everybody who steps on that floor, we have confidence that they can step up and make plays for us. I think he was our leading scorer at half with 11, so kudos to Drake."

Up next

SCC will take some time to relax before going back to practice to prepare for Mid-Buchanan.

The Dragons (29-1) are averaging 63.4 points per game and 31.1 rebounds per game.

Senior guard Austin Scaggs leads Mid-Buchanan with 16.7 points per game, while 6-foot-2 forward Garet Moulden averages 8.6 rebounds per game.

Mid-Buchanan defeated Canton 60-53 in the other Class 2 semifinal following the Braves' victory.

"We'll watch these guys and just go get a game plan," Staple said. "There will be practice tomorrow, but the biggest thing today, we're just going to relax. We'll be ready. It'll be another challenge, but I have faith in these kids."