State preview: Scott County Central boys take aim at 17th state championship

You can rest on Sunday.

That's what Scott County Central boys basketball coach Frank Staple used to encourage his players toward the end of the Braves' practice on Monday.

It's something he's stressed to his players throughout the season, but there's no more important time to push his team than now, with the program's state-record 17th state title on the line.

"'You work hard now; you rest later.' We try to make our practices intense and keep it ramped up so the game will come easy," Staple said. "Right now we just want them to think about working hard and getting out there and running, running, running, running. And hopefully Saturday night we can be celebrating."

The Braves (24-5) return to the Class 1 state final four for the sixth time in seven years and face Stanberry (26-1) in a state semifinal at 3:20 p.m. today at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

Macks Creek (24-5) will face Meadville (24-3) in the other state semifinal at 5 p.m. The winners will advance to the Class 1 state championship game at 12:50 p.m. Saturday while the losers will play for third place at 12:45 p.m. Friday.

Stanberry, which has won 24 consecutive games, suffered a 59-52 loss to Albany on Dec. 7 -- the only flaw to its otherwise undefeated season. The Bulldogs later defeated Albany 54-52 on Jan. 18 and 75-47 on Feb. 14.

The Bulldogs will look to use the size of 6-foot-7 senior center Ryan Jensen and 6-4 sophomore forward Daniel Hailey.

Hailey leads Stanberry in scoring with almost 15 points a game. Jensen averages about 12 points and eight rebounds.

"They've got some size. They like to go to that size," Staple said. "We're going to have to kind of neutralize that with some of our quickness and just kind of try to get up and down the floor and make it a full-court game -- not let them set up in the half-court. That's their strength.

"They're 26-1, they're a good team, but they've got to beat us. That's the way we're looking at it. They have to adapt to our style and hopefully we can kind of get out there and put some pressure on them and make them get out of their comfort zone."

The inside presence isn't the only thing the Bulldogs have. Sophomore guard Alex McQuinn leads the team in 3-pointers made and was shooting nearly 39 percent from behind the arc through the Bulldogs' district championship.

SCC senior guard LaRandis Banks is confident in his team's chances of bringing home the title.

"We didn't want to end up short-handed like last year," Banks said, referring to the Braves' 66-55 loss to eventual state champion Eminence in the state quarterfinals last season. "We wanted to come out and make it to the final four and bring it back home."

Before last year's season that ended just short of the state final four, SCC had won five state titles in a row.

"I think the biggest experience factor is coming so close last year and losing," Staple said. "One thing about these kids is they haven't taken anything for granted this year. I think last year we might've just assumed we were going to make it. Some of them assumed we were going to make it because we'd made it five years in a row."

Banks, who averages 18.8 points, is the only Brave that played on the last title team, and he's used that experience to prepare his teammates for the stage they'll be playing on.

"He's done just a great job of kind of rallying them together and making them understand that this is just a different time of year, giving us that even higher degree of urgency," Staple said. "He's taken that leadership role well, and I think the boys have responded to him. It seems like every year we at least one guy that steps up and he's done that for us this year."

Banks noted this year's team has several players that have contributed on the offensive end, and their fast-paced style will be the key to their success in their final two games.

Sophomore Jeffery Porter averages 13.2 points and senior Juwan Owens contributes 11.8 points per game.

"I've just been telling them, 'The light's going to be bright,'" Banks said, "'You know, we've just got to play our game. Make them play us.'"