Scott County Central grinds out fourth Sectional win against Risco

BLOOMFIELD -- It may not have been the same type of game, but the result was just the same.

The Scott County Central Braves defeated the Risco Tigers for the fourth-straight time in Class 1 Sectional play Tuesday 83-77.

Larandis Banks led Scott Central (16-13) with 27 points. Jaylen Porter added 13 and Chris Brown chipped in 11.

The Braves move on to face Eminence (24-5) in the Class 1 Quarterfinals Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter.

"I'm excited," Banks said about the win. "We're going to try and get this next win and make it back 'home'."

It wasn't the lopsided affair it has been the previous three meetings.

Before Tuesday, the Braves defeated Risco (18-11) by an average of 45 points in their last three Sectional match-ups.

"We're not that type of team now," Scott County Central head coach Frank Staple said. "We're not going to blowout teams every night. We have to grind out games and I'm so proud of the way these guys have matured over the season. Earlier in the year, we may have hung our heads and got down. They've shown just how much they've improved and matured over the year."

Thanks to 31 points from Brandon Bixler, the Tigers had their best chance of knocking off the four-time defending champion Braves at Bloomfield High School -- especially in the fourth quarter.

"We wasn't as scared as we were the last two years," said Bixler. "We came in thinking this was our game."

Down by three with 5:26 left in the game, Risco's Caleb McCord found himself all alone in the corner and capped an 11-4 run with a wide open 3-pointer to tie the game at 66-66.

"That just shows how much Risco doesn't quit," Staple said. "They came out ready to play and gave us a fight."

Although Risco players and fans were thrilled with the late heroics, the composure by an experienced Braves team showed.

Just 15 seconds later, LaRandis Banks put Scott Central back on top for, what would turn out to be, good with back to back buckets thanks to two turnovers from the Tigers. Risco committed five turnovers in the next two and a half minutes.

"We had the adrenaline going and we started believing we could win this thing," Risco head coach Brandon Blankenship said. "Of course, Scott County, too, started picking it up and we had some turnovers. That caused us to slip."

With 3:49 left, McCord cut SCC's lead in half with another basket, but a wild turn of events from a former junior varsity player gave the Braves a commanding advantage that silenced Risco for good.

"We just wanted to come out level-headed after the timeout," said Banks. "We knew we could win this game if we could get our defensive intensity back up."

Their defensive intensity came from Matthew Blissett, who is one of the few junior varsity players who has been integrated into the starting lineup and much of the rotation since January.

The sophomore scored three unanswered baskets, two of which were produced by two quick steals the young starter picked off himself. In just over a minute, the Braves were ahead 77-68.

"Huge. That was huge," Staple said about Blissett. "That's why he's there and we moved him up. He's a high-energy guy with a big motor. He's capable of doing things like that for us when we need it."

The biggest question mark for the Braves were if they were going to be able to contain Risco's outside shooting, which can become unconscious at times.

What they didn't expect was the inside dominance by Risco's Brandon Bixler.

The junior scored a game-high 31 points -- all but five came from inside the paint.

"We didn't have anybody to stop him," Banks said about Bixler. "He was a beast down there."

Bixler routinely converted with offensive put-backs and was almost automatic when the ball found its way to his hands near the basket. He scored 17 of his 31 in the first half, remaining a big reason why the Tigers were only down 50-39 at the half which was their biggest lead of the night.

"Losing what we lost to graduation last year, we knew we'd have to word hard," Blankenship said. "Running into Scott Central every time, they're obviously here for a reason. Frank (Staple) has done an amazing job of keeping it together and getting here.

"We were blessed to be here and to give them a good game."

SCC 25 25 14 19 -- 83

Risco 22 17 20 18 -- 77

SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL (83) -- Chris Brown 11, Larandis Banks 27, Jaylen Porter 13, Tyler Masters 6, Matthew Blissett 9, Javonta Daniel 2, Kendall Blissett 4, Jeffery Porter 9, Cameron Blissett 2. FG 34 FT 11-25 F 17. (3-pointers: Brown 1, Banks 2, Jaylen Porter 1. Fouled out: none)

RISCO (77) -- Josh Earnheart 4, Caleb McCord 17, Austin White 7, Jordan Pavy 14, Matt Cummins 2, Hunter Knight 2, Brandon Bixler 31. FG 30 FT 10-12 F 19. (3-pointers: McCord 3, Pavy 4. Fouled out: White, Knight)