~NMCC beats Borgia; back in Final Four
FARMINGTON -- New Madrid County Central is now just two victories away from a third consecutive state championship.
The Eagles qualified for the Class 3A Final Four on Monday night, beating St. Francis Borgia 84-65 in the quarterfinal round.
The game was originally scheduled to be played at the Farmington Civic Center Saturday, but was moved to Monday due to inclement weather.
"It sure feels good," said NMCC head coach Joby Holland. "It couldn't feel any better. I've talked a lot this year about the kind of kids we've got, and there's not any better than this group of seven seniors. They started this thing two years ago with Ricky Smith when they were sophomores, and last year with Byron Minner as juniors. They deserve to finish their high school careers at the Final Four in Columbia."
The Eagles will face Kansas City's Westport Charter (23-5) in the semifinals at the Hearnes Center at 12:25 p.m. NMCC (27-3) trailed by 19 points at one point in the second quarter, but turned it on like a light switch in the second half, outscoring the Knights 57-25.
All-state point guard Dereke Tipler led the charge, finishing with a game-high 30 points and 11 assists. The 5-foot-10 senior scored 15 of his 30 in the third quarter to rally the Eagles to victory.
"Dereke was a big key," said Holland. "I can't talk enough about the competitor that he is. He plays big in big games -- he always has."
Forward Ronland Ranson also finished strong, contributing 16 points after a scoreless first half. He also pulled down 13 rebounds.
"There is no doubt in my mind of (Ranson's) all-state status," said Holland. "He's one of the top basketball players in the state of Missouri. In the second half, he really came through. In the last two weeks he has really picked his game up. He and Derrell both had their work cut out from them, but they had real strong games around the basket."
In the early goings, NMCC's frontcourt struggled against Borgia, who offered up a truckload of size with Sky Frazier (6-9), Luke Meyer (6-5), Kris Warren (6-4) and Matt Reich (7-0).
The Knights held an 18-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, then increased its lead to 19 points at one juncture in the second period.
Meyer got the Borgia crowd on its feet early in the second frame with a two-handed slam on a lob pass from Warren. Sean Dolan and Jason Holdmeier followed up the dunk with 3-pointers, then Dolan knocked down an 18-footer to put Borgia up 32-17.
At the 3:08 mark, Frazier was whistled for his third personal and was sent to the bench. The Knights pushed on without him though as Holdmeier, Meyer and Dolan hit three consecutive 3-pointers to increase the lead to 19.
Tipler scored five points at the free throw line, then Terrance Smith hit a 3-pointer at the end of the period to shave the lead at halftime down to 40-27.
"Offensively, that might be as poor as I've seen us play," said Holland. "In that last minute and a half we were able to cut it down to 13. Considering how we played, we were fortunate there wasn't more to overcome."
The Eagles switched to their zone press in the third quarter to pick up the tempo and the move paid off, holding the Knights to 11 points.
"(Borgia) really hit their shots in that first half," said Holland. "We felt if we continued to pressure them, they would tire and eventually those shots wouldn't fall. We just kept running the floor."
The third quarter surge started with a technical foul on Warren. Tipler hit both free shots, shaving the lead to nine points. Derrell Minner then produced a conventional 3-point play.
With 2:21 left in the quarter NMCC took a 49-47 lead, then Reich was called for a technical foul for hanging on the rim after a slam. Tipler produced a 3-point play, then sharpshooter Tyler Wagner ended the third with a 3-pointer as NMCC led 59-51.
"Defensively, we stepped it up in the third quarter," said Holland. "We came back with our press, and the kids really picked up their intensity. The defense took over, which created for the offense.
Murph opened the fourth quarter with a slam dunk, then Meyer and Holdmeier both fouled out as the Eagles coasted in for the win.
Behind Tipler and Ranson, Minner scored 14 points with 14 rebounds and Smith finished with 12 points. Holdmeier paced Borgia with 17 points, followed by Meyer with 15 and Dolan with 14. As a team, the Knights finished with 10 3-pointers.
Friday's opponent, Westport Charter, features Brandon Rush, younger brother of prep All-Americans JaRon and Kareem Rush.