TIGERS UPEND SCOTT CITY

Scott City High's sickly 3-point shooting and bungled layups made the Rams ill enough, but one Cape Girardeau Central forward left them Iller.

Kelly Illers scored 12 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter's opening four and a half minutes, and Central upset Scott City 60-57 at the Show Me Center Wednesday to capture third place in the University High School Christmas Tournament.

Illers, a 6-foot-3 senior lugging a tight end's build, also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. Central (5-6), the No. 6 seed, trailed the top-seeded Rams 45-38 entering the fourth quarter when Illers swung the momentum the Tigers' way before fouling out with the score tied 52-52 with 3:25 remaining.

At that point Illers left the game to his teammates, who got a lead and maintained it -- but not without a scare. With Central leading 59-57 with 29 seconds left, Scott City's Lance Amick found Luke Sample wide open beneath the basket, but Sample blew the potentially game-tying shot.

And after Central, leading 60-57, missed three consecutive free throws in the final 13 seconds, Scott City (9-2) had a final chance, but Jon Beck's 3-pointer in the waning seconds rimmed out.

Without Illers, who scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half, Central, which trailed most of the way after an early 2-0 lead, might never have made a push.

"Coach is always talking about leadership," Illers said. "I thought I needed to step up, being a senior and all, and do my job.

"I think most of the guys expected to beat (Scott City). We felt like we were better, and we just had to prove it. We discussed it, and there wasn't anything special other than Jon Beck. And we figured Donnie (McClinton) could shut him down, and he did a good job tonight."

Said Central coach Brett Reutzel: "Kelly Illers really played an excellent ballgame. He's a strong young man, and when he gets the ball inside he can really do some things with it. And he can step out and shoot the three; he's a difficult matchup for a lot of teams."

In addition to holding Beck, Scott City's star guard, to 21 points, McClinton scored 15 points, and center Ross Conner added 10.

Lance Amick had 17 points for the Rams and Ryan Weatherspoon tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds. But for the second straight night, Scott City went just 3 of 17 from behind the arc.

"It's a frustrating loss for us," Scott City coach Derek McCord said. "We outplayed (Central) I think for three solid quarters, but I can't explain the missed shots. Several players missed uncontested shots in the fourth quarter around the basket, and we're just not shooting the ball real well right now."