TIME RUNS OUT ON BLUEJAYS

For the second straight year, the Advance Hornets found the finals of the University High Christmas Tournament, courtesy of the Charleston Bluejays.

The fifth-seeded Hornets upset the top-seeded Bluejays 53-47 Friday night at the Show Me Center.

It was a huge win for the 1A Hornets, despite the thought in the minds of many that the Bluejays (3-6) may have been overrated. Past history may have played a role, as Charleston has claimed a record 13 titles in the tournament.

Advance will meet Jackson for the championship at 7:30 tonight.

"We're really thrilled to be able to go back to the championship game," said Advance coach Jim Hall, the dean of Southeast Missouri coaches who is closing in on 500 career wins. "Most people consider it a real upset and we do too.

"We're very happy to have things go our way against programs like Scott City last night and Charleston tonight."

The game was close all the way, with neither team able to gain more than a seven-point advantage. But Advance (8-1) got their seven-point lead at exactly the right time.

Tied at 46 with about three minutes to go in the final stanza, the Hornets scored the game's final seven points. Sophomore Jared Ritter was clutch, hitting a 3-pointer at the 1:20 mark to break the deadlock and two free throws on the next possession to put the Hornets up by five. Andrew Jenkins closed out the scoring with a layin in the final seconds.

Speaking of Ritter, Hall said, "The thing I like about him is he can shoot and miss, maybe miss the whole goal, but he's ready to shoot again the next time he gets the ball, and he doesn't take bad shots. He has no fear."

The first quarter ended with Charleston holding a 12-9 lead with Bluejay point guard Delon Turner accounting for eight of Charleston's points.

Advance moved ahead just prior to the half as Ritter knocked down a trey to give the Hornets a 25-24 lead with 1:15 left in the half. He added a pair of free throws for a 27-24 Advance lead at the break.

Charleston broke a 31-31 tie in the third quarter with a five-point run, but Advance later retaliated with its own five-point run to close the period, which ended with Charleston ahead 39-38.

The Bluejays would connect on just 3 of 13 shots in the fourth quarter as they were unable to maintain the lead.

On the game, Charleston shot 38 percent from the field, hitting only 5-of-25 from beyond the arc.

Advance managed only 2 of 11 from three-point territory, but shot a blistering 64 percent on two-pointers to finish with a respectable 52 percent overall.

Adam Rainey, the Hornet point guard, led the scoring with 13 points and had a stellar floor-game.

"If Adam is not a first-team 1A all-state player, then they shouldn't have an all-state team," said Hall. "He's the total package."

Jenkins had 10 points and Ritter finished with 11.

Turner led the Bluejays with 16 points.