Southeast Missourian player of the week: Oran's Seth Ressel

Oran junior guard Seth Ressel averaged 19 points in two basketball victories last week that landed the Eagles in the Class 2 final four.

Ressel scored 24 points in a 64-52 overtime sectional victory over Elsberry, then prevented overtime in the quarterfinals with a basket with 2.3 seconds left to beat Winona 63-61.

Ressel scored 14 points in the quarterfinal game, including six of the Eagles' first eight points of the game, but none were bigger than his final two, which came on a shot from just inside the 3-point line off a pass from teammate Kody Moore.

"He used his quickness very well tonight," Oran coach Joe Shoemaker said about Ressel. "He got to the rim several times, and they're hard to finish on with their length and height, but he just kept attacking and stayed positive. He's grown as the season went on as an offensive player, and he had enough guts to step up and take the last shot this time."

Ressel also made an enormous and highly unlikely shot against Elsberry, sparking a recovery from an 11-point second-half deficit. Ressel closed the third quarter by banking in a three-quarter court heave that reduced Elsberry's lead to a more manageable eight points, and the Eagles made up the rest of the deficit over the final eight minutes to force overtime.

Ressel scored all 24 of his points against Elsberry after halftime.

Oran improved its record to 27-3 with the two playoff victories and advanced to the final four for the first time since its only previous appearance in 1969.