Streaking Scott County Central boys basketball team clobbers Chadwick 87-36

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Chadwick faithful roared with excitement after Seth Thomas' basket padded the Cardinals' lead to three points in the first quarter Saturday.

The Cardinals started smelling an upset of Scott County Central, the top-ranked team in Class 1.

Ha.

SCC reeled off the next 37 points to erase any doubt and earn its fourth consecutive trip to the Class 1 final four with an 87-36 victory at Three Rivers Community College.

"For a minute there, but we know we can compete with anyone in the state," SCC senior Stewart Johnson said when asked if he was worried early that Chadwick could stick with the Braves. "We just came out slower than what we planned to. We knew we had to pick it up."

Scott County Central's Reggie Woodson goes up for a shot as Chadwick's Dakota Johnson, left, and Nick Thompson look on during the fourth quarter.

The Braves put together a 60-2 run, yes, 60-2, after Thomas' bucket in the first. It ended when Thomas hit a pair of 3-pointers midway through the third quarter.

"We missed some shots there the first quarter and didn't get the flow of it," SCC coach Kenyon Wright said. "It took us a little bit to get in the flow of it. Finally did. I mean, the guys, they know, you miss a couple shots, you got to turn it on on the defensive end, and that's where we turned it up a little bit."

The Braves (27-2) forced 16 turnovers in the second quarter when they outscored the Cardinals 29-2.

"The key to going on that run was we had to play good defense to win this game," SCC junior Dominique Porter said. "It wasn't too much our offense. We had to play defense and let the offense come to us."

The Cardinals looked like they might stay with the Braves. They took a 5-4 lead on a Thomas 3-pointer and the Braves missed four of their first six shots.

Scott County Central's Stewart Johnson tries to steal the ball from Chadwick's Jason Hull as Dominique Porter looks on during the second quarter Saturday.

"We had a good start," Chadwick coach Scott Payne said. "We knew coming in that the key to the game was whether we could handle the ball or not. Man, they turned up the pressure. ... Their speed and quickness was something we hadn't seen all year. It bothered us."

SCC shot 50 percent (12 of 24) in the second quarter, and Chadwick only managed to hoist five shots in the period.

"We just knew we was in way better shape than them," Johnson said. "We run a lot and it pays off. We just wanted to get out there and play aggressive defense and get them tired. Once we got them tired, we know we was going to go on our roll."

SCC senior Otto Porter led the Braves with 16 points in the first half, and two came on a dunk. Porter took a pass and cruised alone toward the basket. The SCC fans rose and "Oh" and "Ahh" filled the gym as he went up for a dunk. He threw it down with two hands to the delight of the orange-clad fans, but two-handed slams even are becoming routine for Porter.

"Do something crazy," a fan commented after Porter's dunk, unsatisfied with a powerful jam.

Scott County Central's Stewart Johnson sails in for a layup during the second quarter of Saturday's Class 1 quarterfinal at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Porter added two more dunks in the contest for good measure and finished with a team-high 23 points. He'll be making his fourth consecutive trip to the final four.

"We're very happy to be back at state," Porter said after signing autographs for more than 10 minutes, including for two Chadwick players. "It's real big for us seniors. It's real big. It's just an honor to play for Scott Central."

The Cardinals (20-7) exited their locker room with less than three minutes left in the halftime break and didn't bother warming up. There weren't any smiles as the players trudged toward their bench in preparation for the second half.

"I told our guys body language is big, and I thought our body language wasn't good," Payne said. "We were down 40. I told the guys never give up and play to the final buzzer."

The Braves kept their foot on the gas in the third quarter. They scored the first 15 points after halftime, and Johnson and Otto Porter exited the contest after Porter converted a conventional three-point play with 3 minutes, 6 seconds left in the third quarter. SCC led 71-17 at the time.

Scott County Central's Calvin Porter shoots over Chadwick's Dakota Johnson during the third quarter Saturday.

Johnson added 20 points for the Braves, who had 12 players score in the game.

SCC will face an old nemesis in Thursday's state semifinal. The Braves will face Jefferson (26-3), the last team to defeat SCC in the postseason. The teams met in the semifinal round in 2008, and Jefferson pulled out a 70-68 win when D.D. Gillespie missed two free throws with 1 second left.

SCC and Jefferson are scheduled to tip at noon Thursday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

"Scott County is just unbelievable," Payne said. "Unbelievable. I'm pretty sure they could win all five classes in Missouri. That's how good they are."

Chadwick 7 2 14 13 -- 36

Scott County Central players celebrate on the bench during their 87-36 rout of Chadwick in Saturday's Class 1 state quarterfinal game in Poplar Bluff, Mo. The Braves, the two-time defending state champions, earned their fourth consecutive trip to the Class 1 final four. (FRED LYNCH ~ flynch~semissourian.com)

SCC 20 29 26 12 -- 87

CHADWICK (36) -- Seth Thomas 24, Dakota Johnson 6, Jason Hull 2, Luke Johnson 2, John Peden 2. FG 14, FT 4-4, F 10. (3-pointers: Thomas 4. Fouled out: none)

SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL (87) -- Trey Johnson 4, Otto Porter 23, Calvin Porter 4, Dominique Porter 11, Stewart Johnson 20, Lamarcus Steward 7, Reggie Woodson 6, Tyrell Avance 2, Blake Pobst 2, Antonio Johnson 3, Tevin Coleman 3, Ben Freed 2. FG 36, FT 11-12, F 10. (3-pointers: Coleman 1, A. Johnson 1, S. Johnson 2. Fouled out: none)