Still’s steal seals Kelly’s impossible comeback over East Prairie

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — In a night packed with more emotional swings than a Six Flags rollercoaster, Kelly somehow found a way to survive 51-50 at East Prairie on Friday, Feb. 9.

Down by six points with 50.3 seconds remaining after watching a 14-point meltaway, the Hawks (19-5) authored a comeback for the ages, capped by Skyler Still’s game-deciding steal and layup that snatched victory from the clutches of the Eagles (18-6).

“I’m blessed because these kids have bought into everything I have asked them to do,” said Kelly coach Noel Trimmer.

Kelly's Dalton Forck (11) and Kamron Farmer (3) go for a loose ball during the Hawks' 51-50 win at EPHS on Friday, Feb. 2024. Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

Early on, Kelly made life extremely difficult for East Prairie with its zone defense and 6-foot-7 Dalton Forck as the intimidating anchor. Forck swatted away several attempts in the first couple of minutes.

While the Eagles struggled to find some rhythm, Reece Eftink took charge and opened the scoring with a smooth layup in transition, followed by a relentless offensive rebound and putback. On top of that, he snatched a steal and cruised to an easy bucket.

“[Eftink] been playing great,” Trimmer said. “He’s incredibly strong, he understands the game, and he positions himself extremely well for rebounds.”

East Prairie's Ty Wallace (1) takes a hard foul during a 51-50 loss to Kelly on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

East Prairie's offensive drought lasted for nearly four minutes before Evan Kenedy's putback finally put the team on the board with four minutes and 17 seconds left in the opening quarter. Even then, Kelly clung to a 6-2 lead.

“We wanted to take away their middle penetration and force them to shoot from outside,” Trimmer said. “I told our guys that if East Prairie gets hot from outside, don’t get frustrated because they are going to have hit nine or 10 3-pointers to beat us.”

As the first quarter neared its end, both teams started finding their offensive stride. Eftink and Forck powered through contact to keep Kelly ahead, finishing tough shots inside for a 12-5 lead after the opening eight minutes.

Kelly's Michael Dollins (5) shoots during a 51-50 win at East Prairie on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

Despite missing their top scorer Ross Peters, who was out due to disciplinary reasons, Kelly's intensity fueled its early advantage.

With another of their best players, Michael Dollins, hampered by an injury that limited him to "half-speed," the Hawks used the zone defense to control the tempo. This strategy slowed down East Prairie, taking away its usual attacking style.

“East Prairie was very meticulous and patient, and honestly, it helped us for them to accept that tempo,” Trimmer said. “We talked about it in practice; We had to control the tempo and force them to slow down to have a legitimate chance to beat them as shorthanded as we were. Them accepting that tempo was exactly what we needed and helped us out immensely.”

East Prairie's Evan Kenedy (33) scores during a 51-50 loss to Kelly on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024.Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

East Prairie came to life in the second quarter. A 3-pointer from Ty Wallace kickstarted a scorching 11-4 run, that was capped by a triple from Connor Marcum to tie it 16-16 with 5:43 left in the second quarter.

But just as it did all night, Kelly answered.

Eftink refused to let his team slip, finishing through contact and drawing a foul. He hit the free throw, once again pushing Kelly ahead with a conventional 3-point play.

Kelly's Hayden Propst (22) shoots during a 51-50 win at East Prairie on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

Inside, the Hawks made its strength count; this proved to be one of the decisive factors in the tightly contested battle.

“[Eftink and Forck] were able to score just about every team they touched the ball inside,” Trimmer said. “We rebounded extremely well and they were able to go up and finish. “Any time you’re playing in a low-scoring game or it’s a defensive battle, every single possession is important. We knew we couldn’t give up second or third opportunities.”

East Prairie wrestled away its first lead with just 4.4 seconds left in the half after another Wallace 3-pointer.

East Prairie's Ty Wallace (1) runs in transition during a 51-50 loss to Kelly on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

It would've been a major momentum swing were it not for Kelly's answer.

After the inbounds, Dollins sank a desperation heave from well beyond half-court as the buzzer sounded, swinging the lead back to Kelly in a breathtaking 22-21 scoreline.

The battle intensified in the third quarter. East Prairie wasted no time, with Noah Johnson cutting inside for an easy layup to retake the lead.

But Kelly wasn't going anywhere.

Dollins threaded a laser-like pass to Eftink for another fast-break score.

The lead seesawed when Connor Marcum drained yet another 3-pointer for East Prairie, only to be countered immediately by Dollins' long-range bomb.

From then on, the third quarter belonged to the Hawks.

Dollins continued his hot shooting with another make from outside.

Hayden Propst then joined the barrage from outside, and Forck asserted his dominance inside, working his defender under the basket for a tough bucket.

The surge forced the Eagles to take a timeout with 1:01 left in the third quarter.

However, Kelly got a quick stop out of the timeout, held for the final shot and Dollins assisted Propst for another 3-pointer at the buzzer, making it 38-26 at the end of the third quarter.

The Hawks seemed poised to extend their lead, with Dollins finding a cutting Eftink for another effortless layup to start the fourth quarter, extending the lead to 14 points.

Suddenly, around the six-minute mark, East Prairie took a gamble with a relentless full-court press. This move didn't necessarily stun Kelly, but with Peters missing and Dollins injured, they found it incredibly difficult to break the press consistently.

Turnovers mounted as the Eagles turned defensive pressure into fast breaks and easy buckets. Kenedy sparked the resurgence with an offensive rebound, putback, and a free throw after drawing contact that sliced the lead into single digits, 42-35, with 4:59 left in the game.

“We were desperate and we were just trying to get back in the game with that pressure,” said East Prairie coach Gary Scott. “We knew we had to get some turnovers and we did. It was a fun six minutes but a frustrating final minute.”

East Prairie kept turning steals into quick points with Wallace and Kamron Farmer each finishing layups, Johnson fighting inside and Marcum streaking in transition to cut the lead to 44-43 with 2:16 left.

It felt like the Hawks’ momentum had completely derailed when disaster struck after East Prairie forced yet another turnover and Kelly was whistled for a hard flagrant foul.

Wallace calmly sank both free throws, giving the Eagles a 45-44 lead with just over a minute to play.

“They had us at a serious disadvantage,” Trimmer said. “We had some guys in there with very limited experience against a very quick and athletic team. East Prairie executed that press perfectly. They clogged the middle, cut off the sideline and picked off passes. You couldn’t ask a group of kids to play any better than they played during that stretch.”

With momentum completely against them, Kelly seemed headed for a devastating loss.

Kenedy added free throws, Marcum finished another steal with a layup and Johnson hit a free throw to make it 50-44 with 50.3 remaining.

“I don’t believe anyone in that gym thought we were going to win the game at that point,” Trimmer said. “But I’m one of those people who believes that you play to the last second no matter the score. Play hard for your teammates, your school, and your community, and let the cards fall where they fall.”

In a desperate attempt to swing the momentum back, they turned the tables with their own full-court pressure. The move paid off – the chaos helped force turnovers and Dollins capitalized with a crucial 3-pointer, narrowing the gap to 50-47.

Then, on the team’s next possession, it was Forck's turn to be the hero. Crashing the boards, he pulled down a crucial offensive rebound and scored a putback, 50-49, injecting Kelly with new life with 22.2 seconds left in the game.

“I thought they would call a timeout, but they didn’t,” Trimmer said. “Coach [Gary] Scott knows his players a lot better than I know his players and I think that he had complete confidence that they would handle the pressure. But I was quite happy they didn’t call a timeout.”

Suddenly, the impossible seemed possible. With a steal, Still ignited the game-winning sequence.

“We got the guard caught again on the left side,” Trimmer said. “And when he brought the ball to his left hip, Still went through and ripped the ball out of his hands. He was only on the floor for probably two minutes the whole game and he finished it with the game-winning shot. He turned in two stellar plays to give us the game.

“It was the best 40 seconds I remember in 25 or 30 years of coaching for me.,” Trimmer continued. “I’ve coached a lot of really good teams and that was something else. Everything had to go right for us and everything had to go wrong for them, and that’s what happened.”

Though East Prairie had a final attempt, Forck's defense altered the last shot after forcing the ballhandler to switch from his right to left hand on the drive — a fitting end to a comeback that clinched the Scott-Mississippi Conference regular-season championship. It's a great addition to a season that already includes titles in the conference tournament, the Oran Invitational Tournament, and a strong showing at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament, winning three of four games.

“I couldn’t ask for anything better than what these kids have been able to accomplish,” said Trimmer, who is still in his first season as the Hawks’ coach. “We started all the way back in June, and we changed a lot of things. Any time a senior goes through a coaching change it is incredibly hard on that kid. They spend all this time learning a system, and they think this is the year I’m going to excel in that system. But all of a sudden that coach is gone and a new coach comes in and changes everything.”

Eftink finished with a game-high 17 points on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting while snatching eight rebounds and nabbing three steals. Forck continued to be a force inside, putting up 14 points with 11 rebounds, five blocks and three assists. Dollins contributed 12 points on 4-of-6 3-point shots with eight assists and three steals.

The Eagles leading scorer was Marcum with 16. Wallace added 13 points and eight rebounds; Johnson had eight points and eight rebounds.

“It was a battle between two good teams,” Scott concluded. “Our kids refused to give up and played as hard as they could. We just turned it over at the end and couldn’t finish the game. We just have to move on. It is what it is. We have to get better at handling pressure while finishing games.”

Kelly will travel to Kennett (5-16) while East Prairie will host Malden (18-4) on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

__KELLY 51, EAST PRAIRIE 50__

E. Prairie 5 16 5 24 — 50

Kelly 12 10 16 13 — 51

East Prairie (50) — Connor Marcum 16, Ty Wallace 13, Noah Johnson 8, Evan Kenedy 7, Kamron Farmer 6. FG: 19. FT: 7-10. F: 12. (3-pointers: Wallace 3, Marcum 2. Fouled out: None.)

Kelly (51) — Reece Eftink 17, Dalton Forck 14, Michael Dollins 12, Hayden Propst 6, Skyler Still 2. FG: 22. FT: 1-5. F: 8. (3-pointers: Dollins 4, Propst 2. Fouled out: None.)