East Prairie rolls in Scott-Mississippi wins, sets up showdown with Scott City

From wire-to-wire control against Kelly to punishing fast-break attacks over Scott County Central, East Prairie’s latest Scott-Mississippi Conference victories came with authority.

The Eagles (10-2, 5-0 Scott-Mississippi Conference) won 73-55 over the Hawks (1-11, 0-4 Scott-Mississippi Conference) on Monday, maintaining control throughout the game despite a few uncharacteristic mistakes.

“It was good to get a win against a district opponent,” said East Prairie coach Gary Scott. “We played a little sloppy and had several unforced turnovers. We have to make better decisions and execute our offense more consistently in the half-court.”

Staying a step ahead throughout the game, it was clear East Prairie’s talent and depth were too much.

Connor Marcum led the way with a game-high 30 points, shooting 50 percent from the floor, and adding six assists and four rebounds. Noah Johnson was efficient, scoring 16 points on 11-of-13 shooting, adding eight rebounds and two steals.

Tripp Shoemaker was a key presence on the boards, collecting 12 rebounds, four points, two assists, and a block.

East Prairie went on to win 82-48 at Scott County Central on Tuesday.

The game was tight after the first quarter, with the Braves (4-9, 1-4 Scott-Mississippi Conference) trailing by just one at 15-14, but the Eagles turned up the pressure, transitioning quickly from defense to offense and building a comfortable lead by halftime.

“I feel like our defense played better tonight for the most part,” Scott said. “We got better as the game went on, we wore them down and took advantage of it in the fourth quarter. Offensively, we moved the ball well and did a good job finding the open man. We hit some big 3-pointers to open it up. It’s always nice to get a win on the road.”

Johnson, likely the front-runner for Scott-Mississippi Conference Player of the Year, put up a monster stat line with 37 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists.

Ty Wallace added 18 points, and Marcum’s 16 points and four assists helped keep the Eagles' offense in rhythm.

East Prairie will return to the court on Friday, Jan. 17, when they host Scott City (10-2, 4-0 Scott-Mississippi Conference) in what is shaping up to be a showdown for the conference crown. Both teams are unbeaten in Scott-Mississippi play, and this matchup will likely determine who takes home the regular-season title.

__EAST PRAIRIE 73, KELLY 55__

Kelly 15 13 9 18 — 55

E. Prairie 20 16 15 22 — 73

Kelly (55) — Ross Peters 16, Skyler Still 15, Truman White 8, Grady Hall 8, Griffin Pass 6, Preston Appleton 2. FG: 25. FT: 3-9. F: 12. (3-pointers: Hall 2, Still 2. Fouled out: None.)

East Prairie (73) — Connor Marcum 30, Noah Johnson 23, Ty Wallace 8, Tavion Ware 6, Tripp Shoemaker 4, Pyper Rendon 2. FG: 31. FT: 8-15. F: 7. (3-pointers: Marcum 2, Wallace 1. Fouled out: None.)

__EAST PRAIRIE 82, SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL 48__

E. Prairie 15 27 23 17 — 82

SCC 14 12 17 5 — 48

East Prairie (82) — Noah Johnson 37, Ty Wallace 18, Connor Marcum 16, Tripp Shoemaker 4, Tavon Ware 4, August Kenedy 2, Carson Groves 1. FG: 33. FT: 8-13. F: 15. (3-pointers: Wallace 4, Johnson 2. Fouled out: None.)

Scott County Central (48) — Cortavian Banks 17, Trevor Brown 6, Kayden Ballew 6, Brandon Bean 5, Jaydon Easter 6, Kavonte Thatch 4, Courtney Sanders III 4. FG: 18. FT: 9-18. F: 15. (3-pointers: Easter 1. Fouled out: None.)