Kelly comeback falls short against Scott City

SCOTT CITY -- Two old rivals, Kelly and Scott City, battled to the final horn in a Scott-Mississippi Conference game on Tuesday.

The Scott City Rams held on to defeat the Kelly Hawks 71-70 in the game with, not only conference, but also district implications.

"This was a big win as far as district seeds go," said Scott City coach Lance Amick.

The victory likely assures Scott City of the third seed, behind Charleston and Portageville, in the Class 3, District 1 playoffs which get underway later this month. With the loss, Kelly looks at a No. 4 or No. 5 seed.

Scott City (14-7, 6-1 in conference) led throughout the first half, but had to withstand a Kelly comeback to secure its second win of the season over the Hawks.

Kelly (8-11, 1-2), down 41-30 at the half, rallied to pull within three, 51-48, going into the final quarter.

While outrebounding the Rams 11-5 in the third quarter, the Hawks began their charge back.

Led by senior post Spencer Ayers, who scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, the Hawks also got big second-half performances from junior guard Chris Cooper with 11 of his 13 and senior guard Tyler Thurman with 10 of his 15.

"If we'd played four quarters like we played the third and fourth, it would've been a different ballgame," said Kelly coach Cory Johnson. "We were digging ourselves out of a hole all night long."

The Hawks' inspired effort on the backboards keyed the second-half rally. On the night, the Hawks held a 28-19 edge in rebounds.

"I told the team at halftime that if we blocked out they couldn't beat us," said Amick, "but we didn't get a body on them. Rebounding is all will and want-

to."

Kelly completed the comeback on Thurman's 3-pointer to tie at 67 with 1:22 left in the game. But Scott City, just as it had weathered the Hawks' third-

quarter run, kept its composure with unselfish passing in the half-court offense to set up Rynn Eskew for a layup and a 69-67 edge.

"Our defense let them get to the hole too much," said Johnson.

Eskew then pilfered a Kelly pass around midcourt and scored another layin with about 25 seconds to go for a 71-67 lead. After two missed Scott City free throws, Kelly's Thurman sank a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left for the final 71-70 margin.

"I won't call it an ugly win," said Amick. "They just had a good second half."

Free-throw shooting, which always takes on greater significance in close ballgames, played a role in this one as well.

Scott City took advantage of being in the bonus midway of the fourth quarter, then the double bonus for the final 2 minutes. The Rams knocked down 7-

of-8 from the charity stripe during a crucial late-game stretch.

Kelly struggled from the line, hitting 7-of-15 on the evening, while Scott City went 17-of-25.

Both teams opened the game a bit jittery, combining for nine turnovers early. But as they settled in, the shots began to fall. Both teams shot high percentages from the field in the first half.

Trailing 6-5 at about the 5-minute mark, Scott City, behind Jay Simmons' eight points with two treys, pushed out to a 21-15 first-quarter lead.

"We came out flat in the first half," said Johnson.

Scott City's Travis Scherer and Kelly's Josh DeBrock traded two 3-pointers apiece to open the second quarter as the Rams lead remained six at 27-21. Simmons' third 3-pointer in three attempts upped the lead to 33-23 and the Rams took a 41-30 advantage in at the half.

"We had a good first half," said Amick. "Travis Scherer and John Pinkston really picked the team up."

Scherer and Pinkston combined for 10 first-half points off the bench. Simmons led the Rams with 17 points while Alex King and Caleb Estes added 15 and 13, respectively.

Kelly returns to the court hosting East Prairie in a Scott-Mississippi Conference matchup on Friday at 6 p.m.

Scott City hosts Bloomfield on Friday at 6 p.m.

Scott City completed the sweep with a 63-48 win over Kelly in the jv contest.

Levi Felter led the Hawks with 20 points, including three 3's, and Zach Essner added 11.

Jacob Campbell and Josh Henson paced the Rams with 17 and 13 points, respectively.