Scott County Central downs Delta 84-53

DELTA, Mo. -- The Delta Bobcats gave Scott County Central all it could handle in the first quarter of their Class 1 District 3 semifinal game Tuesday night at Delta High School.

After that, the defending state champion Braves showed why they are still the top-ranked team in the state.

Scott County pulled away in the second half and won 84-53. The Braves advanced to Thursday's 7:30 p.m. championship game against Richland, which defeated Leopold in the other semifinal.

The Braves all-state duo of Bobby Hatchett and Otto Porter combined for 48 points against Delta.

"It's tough to guard," Delta coach Justin Simpher said. "You have two all-state, and in my opinion, Division I players. Our main focus was on those guys, but they have good guys around them and they look to feed their teammates. I thought Teddy [May] did a good job guarding a very good ballplayer [Hatchett] tonight."

The teams wasted little time in putting up points.

May hit a 3-pointer to start the scoring, but Hatchett and Porter combined for Scott County's first 12 points as the Braves led 12-6 two minutes into the game.

May answered with another trey and the game was on.

With the Braves leading 14-11, Delta's Chase Crowden netted four straight points to give the Bobcats their last lead at 15-14.

Scott County pulled ahead 21-17 with seconds remaining in the first, but May nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to get the Bobcats within 21-20.

"We didn't play any defense," Braves coach Kenyon Wright said. "We came out and decided not to play. We thought we had it won already."

"They shot the ball real well," Hatchett said of Delta. "We knew playing at home they were going to shoot well."

The Bobcats drained 4 of 6 3-point attempts in the quarter.

Scott County applied pressure in the second quarter as it opened with a 9-0 run to stretch the lead to 30-20.

Crowden cut the lead to 36-25, but the Braves pulled back ahead 39-25 on a basket by Porter.

After Scott County moved ahead 43-29, the Bobcats' Cody Helderman connected on a 3-pointer and Austin Lashley hit two free throws to bring Delta within 45-34 at the half.

Porter, a 6-foot-8 junior, had 13 of his 22 points in the second quarter on 6-of-7 shooting from the field.

"That was good," Wright said. "They tried to pack it in and stay tight on him. In the second he moved better and had some open looks. It made a difference."

Simpher was pleased with his team's play in the first half.

"We moved the ball well," Simpher said. "We played them four days ago and never got it to our own side of the court. Tonight we did that. We were patient and had some open looks."

Scott County opened the second half with a 10-0 run to put Delta in a 55-34 hole.

The Braves built a 71-47 lead by the end of the quarter.

"They put Otto on top of the press," Simpher said of the third. "They threw something different at us, and we didn't handle the ball. We didn't adjust well. A good team will do that to you if you're not ready. They can score 10 points quickly."

Scott County cruised in the fourth, outscoring the Bobcats 13-6.

Hatchett finished with a game-high 26 points.

"That's my job some nights," the lightning-quick senior said. "I had to bring the energy and try to get people involved."

Crowden finished with a team-high 20 points for Delta, while May added 12.

Scott County 21 24 26 13 -- 84

Delta 20 14 13 6 -- 53

SCOTT COUNTY (84) -- Bobby Hatchett 26, Trey Johnson 10, Lamarcus Steward 1, Otto Porter 22, Dominique Porter 11, Bryan Free 4, Calvin Porter 6, Charles McClinton 2, John Rhoden 2. FG 37, FT 9-18, F 10. (3-pointers: Hatchett. Fouled out: none.)

DELTA (53) -- Teddy May 12, Cody Helderman 3, Collin Schabbing 2, Austin Lashley 4, Zach Reigert 4, Chase Crowden 20, Cody Naramore 2, Cody Schremp 2, Shelby Kight 4. FG 18, FT 8-10, F 15. (3-pointers: May 4, Helderman, Crowden 4. Fouled out: none.)