DELTA, Mo. (SMNS) -- With four starters under the weather, including leading scorer Leah Cauble, the Oran girls basketball team jumped out to a big lead Thursday and hung on to win the championship of the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament.
Behind 36 points from Cauble, the top-seeded Eagles beat No. 3 Scott County Central 78-60 at Delta High School.
Oran led 41-28 at halftime and by as many as 23 in the third quarter.
But the Bravettes mounted a comeback to cut the Eagles' lead to 10, 66-54 with 4 minutes, 44 seconds remaining.
It was too late, though, as Oran (14-0) out-scored SCC (7-6) 12-6 down the stretch.
Jessie Long had a double-double for Oran with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Kaylee Payne chipped in another 15 points, with 13 in the first half.
The Eagles jumped on top immediately, winning the opening tip before Payne drained a 3-pointer from the right wing.
Oran led for the rest of the game.
Oran ended the quarter with a 20-7 run, taking a 25-11 lead into the second frame. At halftime the lead was 13.
Early in the third quarter, the Eagles appeared to be pulling away. But SCC responded behind Samantha Coffee, who had 13 of her team-high 17 points in the second half.
Johneisha Daniel added 16 points for the Bravettes.
In the end, it wasn't enough.
After Scott County cut the Eagles' lead to 10 with more than four minutes remaining, Cauble and Long combined to score the next four points. SCC never got that close again as Oran captured another title and remained undefeated.
SCC 11 17 12 20 -- 60
Oran 25 16 21 16 -- 78
SCOTT COUNTY CENTRAL (60) -- Samantha Coffee 17, Breasia Jones 10, Trinity Thomas 8, Hailey Kesler 3, Johneisha Daniel 16, Rita Meeker 6. FG 25. FT 7-18. F 15. (3-pointers: Jones 2, Kesler. Fouled out: Daniel.)
ORAN (78) -- Brianna Stause 7, Kaylee Payne 15, Leah Cauble 36, Jessie Long 15, Claire Ramsey 5. FG 26. FT 18-21. F 13. (3-pointers: Payne 3, Cauble 2, Stause 2, Ramsey. Fouled out: Payne.)
__Chaffee 52, Charleston 37__
The Red Devils jumped out to a first-quarter lead and pulled away in the third quarter to capture the third-place game of the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament.
Chaffee (8-5) put four players in double digits on the scoreboard, getting a team-high 14 from Mary Beth Knutson while Katie Glueck added 12 points, Kylie Wilhite scored 11 and Mattison Cline had 10.
Charleston (11-4) got 22 points from Ashanti Jones in the loss.
Charleston 7 6 10 14 -- 37
Chaffee 14 5 19 14 -- 52
CHARLESTON (37) -- Ashanti Jones 22, Connor Watkins 6, Jermaneja Smith 7, Kershaunte Anderson 2. FG 8, FT 18-26, F 16. (3-pointers: Jones 2, Watkins. Fouled out: Watkins.)
CHAFFEE (52) -- Bailey Wiseman 1, Hannah Glueck 2, Grace Knutson 2, Mary Beth Knutson 14, Kylie Wilhite 11, Mattison Cline 10, Katie Glueck 12. FG 17, FT 16-23, F 16. (3-pointers: Wilhite, Cline. Fouled out: M.B. Knutson.)
__BOYS BASKETBALL__
__East Prairie 78, Bell City 69__
BELL CITY, Mo. -- Five players scored in double figures for East Prairie helping the Eagles halt its five-game losing streak.
Derez Tipler led the Eagles (6-7) with 19 points. Casey Gregory added 17 and Luke Marcum scored 13. Deverence Jones and Mason Bryars each had 10.
Bell City (8-7) was paced by Logan Yates and Cole Nichols who scored 28 and 23, respectively.
East Prairie 19 16 20 23 -- 78
Bell City 12 24 10 23 -- 69
EAST PRAIRIE (78) -- Luke Marcum 13, Deverence Jones 10, Coby Hubbard 3, Derez Tipler 19, Casey Gregory 17, Brian Shoffner 6, Mason Bryars 10. FG 30, FT 11-17, F 20. (3-pointers: Tipler 3, Shoffner 2, Marcum. Fouled out: None.)
BELL CITY (69) -- Taylor Ogden 5, Logan Yates 28, Cole Nichols 23, Austin Hicks 4, Bobby Wright 9. FG 24, FT 16-21, F 17. (3-pointers: Nichols 4, Ogden. Fouled out: None.)
__JV WRESTLING__
NEW MADRID, Mo. -- The Sikeston junior varsity wrestling team went 1-2 in a quad at New Madrid County Central High School.
Sikeston defeated Carterville, Ill. 48-6 and lost to Herrin, Ill. 57-21 and New Madrid 26-9.