STATE-RANKED RAMS KNOCK OFF PORTAGEVILLE AT HOME 70-62

SCOTT CITY -- Scott City outscoring visiting Portageville 21-6 in the second quarter and withstood a late charge to win 70-62 Tuesday.

Scott City, ranked No. 6 in Missouri Class 2A, improved to 24-2. Portageville fell to 19-4.

"We really played well defensively in the first half," said Scott City coach Derek McCord.

Scott City led 41-22 at halftime. Portageville outscored the Rams 40-29 in the second half.

Scott City's Jon Beck scored 16 of his 17 points in the first half. Tim Lowery made 7 of 7 free throws in the fourth quarter and finished with 16 points. Ryan Weatherspoon added 15 points.

For Portageville, Gerald Pickering had 15 points and Richie Gorman added 13.

Scott City's JV (18-7) won 76-57.

Malden 68, Notre Dame 65

MALDEN -- Leading by three points at halftime, Malden outscored visiting Notre Dame 23-15 in the third quarter and held on to beat the Bulldogs on Tuesday.

"The third quarter we broke down defensively," said Notre Dame coach Chris Janet, whose team fell to 7-16. "We didn't execute at crucial times and it cost us."

Just four players scored for Malden but each finished in double figures. Chris McCoy led the way with 25 points and Josh Blaylock added 20.

For Notre Dame, Michael Wehner had 19 points, Jason Rubel 18, Zach Miller 11 and Josh Eftink 11.

Notre Dame will meet Woodland in the Class 2A, District 2 tournament at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Bloomfield.

Leopold 52, Oak Ridge 49

OAK RIDGE -- Jason Vandeven hit a shot from midcourt at the buzzer to lift visiting Leopold over Oak Ridge Tuesday night.

Vandeven led the Wildcats (4-17) with 18 points and Brian Holzum added 16.

For Oak Ridge (3-18), Brent Schreiner hit five 3-pointers and had a game-high 23 points.

Valle 70, Marquand 52

STE. GENEVIEVE -- Valle controlled the first three quarters and beat visiting Marquand Tuesday.

Valle owned a 20-14 first-quarter edge, which grew to 34-18 at halftime.

For Marquand (16-8), Travis Braswell had 19 points and Dusty Stephens added 14.

Meadow Heights 75, Chaffee 60

PATTON -- Kevin Weaver had 22 points, Jeremy Heine 18 and Brandon Boyd 15 in Meadow Heights' win over visiting Chaffee on Tuesday.

Meadow Heights led 36-30 at halftime and 53-41 entering the fourth quarter.

For Chaffee (2-19), Josh Hanlon had 16 points and Andy Proffer added 12.

In the JV game, Chaffee's J.P. Glueck hit 10 3-pointers and had 33 points as Chaffee won 70-55 and finished the season 10-12.

Scott Central 90, Bell City 77

BELL CITY -- Jreece Johnson had 30 points and John Fort added 25 as Scott County Central beat Bell City on the road on Tuesday.

Also for Central (12-11), Earl Winfield had 13 points and Todd Blissett added 11.

For Bell City (12-12), Justin Stephens finished with a game-high 39 points. Justin Stephens and Matt Knoderer each added 11.

Central led 23-18 after one quarter and 50-29 at halftime.

Class 3A, District 2

PARK HILLS -- After the girls played three games Tuesday, the boys took the floor Wednesday night for opening-round action.

Defending district-champ Perryville was a first-round casualty, getting upset by sixth-seed Ste. Genevieve. The Pirates, seeded third, end the season with a 15-11 mark.

In other action, fourth-seed Park Hills advanced to face top-seed Arcadia Valley with a 68-47 win over No. 5 Fredericktown. The Black Cats finished the season 10-12. Second-seed North County also advance with a 57-51 victory over No. 7 Potosi.