Tigers give McCord his first win 70-65

DE SOTO, Mo. -- Senior guard Matt Cardin came off the bench to score 22 points as Cape Central defeated De Soto 70-65 Friday to give new coach Derek McCord his first victory.

De Soto jumped out to an 18-10 first quarter lead, behind 6-3 leaper Rodney Kelly's 11 points, before the Tigers went to a full-court press.

The press proved to be the answer as Cape Central forced turnovers and disrupted the Dragons' rhythm.

"We could have folded then," said McCord. "But I'm so proud of the way these guys bounced back against a very good basketball team."

Cape Central, with Cardin hitting for 13 points, outscored De Soto 20-15 in the second quarter to close the gap to 33-30 at the half.

The Tigers, who started three sophomores and two juniors, took control after the intermission with a 21-point third period, while holding De Soto to 12.

The two teams played to a virtual standstill in the fourth quarter, with De Soto outscoring Cape Central 20-19. The Tigers' 79 percent free-throw shooting -- 26-for-33 -- was a huge key to victory.

Said McCord, "Everytime they made a run, we were able to answer."

Point guard Willie Colon was the second-leading Tiger scorer with 18 points, while Ryan Delph chipped in with 11.

Kelly led the Dragons with 27 points, followed by Andy Sides with 21.

"Our kids have really been working hard in practice," added McCord. "All we need is practice time, I think, to become a really good team."

ORAN TOURNAMENT

ORAN, Mo. -- Top-seeded Twin Rivers claimed the championship of the Oran Tournament over No. 2 Richland 70-61.

Robbie Moore led Twin Rivers with 18 points. Sherome Cole, for the third straight game, scored 30 points for Richland.

Oran took third place, slipping past Bell City 45-43. The Cubs' Curt Hadley heaved a half-court shot at the buzzer, but it rimmed in and out.

Nathan Seyer led Oran with 16 points, followed by Ryne Wood with 11.

Jason Rampley, 10 points, was the only double-figure scorer for Bell City.

In the consolation game, Scott County Central defeated Kelly 73-70.

Terrence Williams led Scott Central with 25 points, followed by Chris Pullen with 13 and Chris Johnson with 12.

Kelly got 27 points from Michael Romas, while Barry Ziegler put in 15 and Major Burger added 12.

EAGLE RIDGE 40, CHRISTIAN OUTREACH 29

The Eagles picked up a win in their season opener, winning at home.

Andrew Mellies paced the way for Eagle Ridge with 14 points.

Martin Wren scored 11 for Christian Outreach.

Eagle Ridge's girls team suffered a 39-31 loss, but complete results were not available.

-- From staff reports