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Scott County Central pushes pace, holds off Malden 67-61
SIKESTON -- They may not be as explosive as when they were rattling off state championships just a few short years ago, but the Scott County Central Braves are still potent when they are able to push their pace.
After eventually breaking loose from Malden's imposed speed, the Braves turned an early deficit into a 67-61 win Friday at Scott County Central High School.
SCC (5-2) was led by Deantrell Beard's 20 points on 9 of 12 shooting from the floor and seven rebounds.
Including Beard, four players scored in double figures for the Braves.
Tyus Banks added 16 points and seven rebounds, Garry Wilkerson scored 11 and Deven Blackmon chipped in 10 for SCC, which has now won five in a row after starting the season 0-2.
"This is the seventh game we've played this year and for seven games we've started each one of them by playing at the other team's pace," Scott Central coach Matt Cline said. "When we got to play our pace we pulled ahead."
Tyler Ison led Malden (4-3) with a game-high 28 points on 9 of 13 shooting. Chience Booker added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Green Wave, which has lost its last two.
Friday's game was a rematch of the Oran Invitational Tournament championship Dec. 2, won by the Braves 57-33. Malden held an early lead in that one too, until SCC exploded in the second half.
"Our guys just competed better than the last time," Malden coach Andrew Halford said. "We performed better on each end of the floor."
The Green Wave forced the tempo into more of a half-court game from the onset. It better suited Malden to the tune of 6 of 13 shooting from the floor in the first quarter opposed to SCC's 5 of 14 shooting.
It also put Scott Central starting center TJ Davis into early foul trouble and curbed what Halford knew could quickly turn into a burst of offense for the Braves.
"We were just patient," Halford said. "You've got to be patient against these guys. If you shoot early shots, turn the ball over and they're out in transition with layups. Layups turn into threes and free throws and they just keep rolling from there. It was very important for us to control the game early."
Eight points from Booker and another six from Ison gave Malden a 19-14 lead after the first quarter.
The Green Wave pushed their advantage to as much as six before the Braves started to run the floor.
A 3-pointer from Blackmon to cap a quick 6-0 run tied the game at 20-all with 3:46 remaining in the half.
"From the start we were kind of stagnant," Cline said. "We've got quick kids and we weren't penetrating or anything. We just started moving the ball. We kicked it in and out, got some open threes and [Beard] did a good job of getting to the hole. Instead of just standing we started moving."
One minute later, Wilkerson drained another three to give Scott Central its first lead of the game at 23-22. The lead changed hands twice more before one play changed the momentum.
Trailing by one in the last minute, Malden looked to get the last shot before the end of the first half but Banks ruined those plans with one swipe.
The 6-0 senior came up with a steal, hurried to his end and down the right sideline before launching a 23-footer, which hit its mark as time expired to give SCC a 30-26 lead at the half.
"It was a momentum builder and we fed off of it," Cline said. "It was a huge shot."
Thanks to Banks' climactic, first-half finish and the bucket from Beard beforehand, the Braves never trailed again.
"We kind of let the second quarter get away from us," Halford said. "Banks hitting that three going into halftime gave them a ton of momentum and that hurt."
Though Scott Central held on to its lead for the rest of the night, that didn't stop Malden from picking away as best they could.
The Braves led by as many as eight before a traditional 3-point play from Ison cut their lead to 38-37 with 3:56 to play in the third quarter. Banks answered with his own 3-point play during the next possession. Booker answered Banks' shot with a 3-pointer 12 seconds later. Then, Beard shot back with a 3-pointer 16 seconds later to finish a four possession flurry.
"We were able to battle back and that's a good sign to see from our guys," Halford said.
But Beard's three sparked a 9-2 run that gave the Braves a 50-42 lead at the end of the frame.
Scott Central went ahead by as many as 14 points in the fourth and withstood a 10-2 run from Malden during the last 1:11 to hang on for the win.
"I'm proud of them," Cline said. "They've had a tough week and I'm proud of them."
| Malden | 19 | 7 | 16 | 19 | -- | 61 |
| SCC | 14 | 16 | 20 | 17 | -- | 67 |
MALDEN (61) -- Deshawn Butler 3, Tyler Ison 28, Malcom McBride 9, Tray Stevenson 2, Chience Booker 17, Dylan Deadman 2. FG 21 FT 13-25 F 16. (3-pointers: Butler 1, Ison 2, Booker 3. Fouled out: Broddric Annesser.)
SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL (67) -- Deantrell Beard 20, Tyus Banks 16, Deven Blackmon 10, Garry Wilkerson 11, Keyth Blissett 6, Tony Davis 6. FG 27 FT 6-14 F 17. (3-pointers: Beard 1, Banks 1, Blackmon 2, Wilkerson 3. Fouled out: Davis.)
JV -- Scott County Central won 66-48.