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Scott Central makes the most of star Bluejay's departure
SIKESTON -- He's the scorer, the ball handler or anything Charleston needs him to be.
Simply put, Delfincko Bogan is a presence.
So when he fouled out with 3:58 left in the fourth quarter leaving the Bluejays with a manageable 58-48 lead, Scott County Central made the most of a Bogan-less Charleston.
Backed by a stingy pressure defense, the Braves immediately spouted off a 15-4 run to take the lead with one minute left and was able to hang on for a 68-63 win Friday at Ronnie Cookson Gymnasium.
"(Scott Central's) aggressiveness was just too much for the guys without Del," Charleston head coach Danny Farmer said. "That was the difference in the game."
Scott Central (13-4) has won its past four games after coming up short in the third place game of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament to Cape Central. Charleston has won four of the last six meetings with SCC losing its last two which have happened this season.
"The thing I'm proud of is the way we worked," Scott County Central head coach Frank Staple said, who beat Charleston during the quarterfinal round of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. "That's what we've had to do the second half of the year -- just work hard. We had stretches in the game when we was doing that but got in a little funk and dug a hole. But, Charleston's a good team. We showed a lot of heart tonight and was able to fight back and able to pull one out."
Scott Central junior Jeffery Porter had a career night with 29 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks. He scored 14 in the fourth quarter going 8 of 12 from the free throw line.
"We ask that of him," said Staple. "He's got to be a leader, he's got to be aggressive, he's got to make plays, he's got to create for others, he's got to rebound, he's got to defend. We ask a lot of him."
Scott Central fell behind by as many as 14 in the fourth quarter after leading 29-25 at halftime. Bogan gave the Bluejays a 58-44 lead with 5:22 left in the frame but was whistled for his fourth and fifth fouls shortly after.
Less than a minute later, the Braves cut Charleston's lead to four behind three-straight baskets from Porter and a defense that suddenly sprung to life. Matt Blissett hit two free throws to make it a 58-56 game with 2:39 remaining.
"They got the lead but we couldn't give up on it," said Blissett. "We had to keep on driving and keep on working."
After trading free throws and a field goal by Mardareyon Clark, who entered for Bogan, Charleston (9-7) was once agin ahead by four with just over two minutes remaining.
Following a turnover from the Bluejays, Porter was sent to the line where he hit 1 of 2. Javonta Daniel then scored in transition with 1:17 left to cut Charleston's lead to 62-61.
Without Bogan, Charleston found themselves without the offensive weapon to stop the bleeding. Turnovers were also an issue without the all-state guard there as a safety net.
"Obviously it made a big difference when he went out," Staple said about Bogan's absence. "We were able to make a run."
The Bluejays then missed at the rim giving Scott Central a chance to take the lead on their next possession. Tyus Banks, playing in just his third game of the season after becoming eligible for the second semester, drained an 8-foot jumper to give the Braves a 63-62 lead with 1:01 remaining.
"It was real big for him getting in the flow and playing in a big game like this," Staple said about Banks. "I thought he played well, especially with it being his third game of the year. He's going to help us a lot."
Another miss from Charleston led to a must-foul situation to stop the clock. Porter hit both free throws for a 3-point lead for the Braves and then another two after a missed shot from the Bluejays for a 67-62 lead with 23 seconds left.
Scott County Central was able to run out the rest of the clock after trading free throws with Charleston to end it.
"That fourth quarter you just kind of scrap everything and we call it the two-minute drill," Staple said. "We work hard and let the chips fall where they may. We go, sell-out and sacrifice your body and in the end you'll be in the position to win. Thank God we were able to do that."
Though Bogan was the biggest loss during a crucial time of the game, Charleston found themselves short-handed right from the start. Within the first two minutes of the opening quarter, 6-4 sophomore Marquavion McCauley injured his right knee and was sidelined for the remainder of the game.
That departure left the Bluejays with no one to man the post but still managed to hold a lead against the Braves down to the final minute.
"That kind of broke our backs when Del fouled out of the game," Farmer said. "I was still pleased because my kids didn't give up and played as hard as they could. We lost (McCauley) early in the game and we was really short-handed. I was pleased with the effort."
The run that gave Charleston its biggest lead went down in the third quarter. They outscored the Braves 23-11 and led 48-40 entering the fourth.
"Third quarter was tough for us," said Staple. "Charleston has a lot to do with that. Del got assertive and really took over. We rushed offensively and kind of stood still and were stagnant. That's one thing we have to improve on. We've got to move more. In the third quarter we didn't do that and Charleston took advantage."
Bogan led Charleston with 23 points, six assists and five rebounds. He shot 8 of 15 from the floor. Ewing finished with 16 points on 7 of 12 shooting.
Blissett was Scott Central's second-leading scorer with 11 points and seven rebounds. The Braves shot 25 of 53 (47 percent) from the floor. Charleston matched that percentage with 28 of 59 shooting but was drug down by a 3 of 17 performance from 3-point range.
"It was great team win from us tonight," Staple said. "I'm very proud of my kids. It was a great game."
| Charleston | 15 | 10 | 23 | 15 | -- | 63 |
| SCC | 17 | 12 | 11 | 28 | -- | 68 |
CHARLESTON (63) -- Jaqueles Biles 2, Dontarius Sharp 10, Delfincko Bogan 23, Demarcus Sharp 9, Mardareyon Clark 2, Tenerrious Ewing 16. FG 25 FT 10-15 F 21. (3-pointers: Do. Sharp 1, Bogan 1, De. Sharp 1. Fouled out: Biles, Bogan.)
SCC (68) -- Tyus Banks 9, Jeffery Porter 29, Tre Moore 6, Javonta Daniel 8, Matthew Blissett 11, Skylar Lemons 5. FG 25 FT 15-24 F 14. (3-pointers: Banks 1, Porter 1, Lemons 1. Fouled out: none.)