Varsity boys claim 3rd in S-MC tourney

Three nights after setting a season-high in points scored, the Oran High School boys varsity basketball team pushed the mark even higher by scoring 85 against Scott City in Friday night's 3rd place Scott-Mississippi Conference tournament game at Kelly High School.  They beat the Rams 85-64 after defeating the Kelly Hawks on Tuesday, 81-47.

The game did not start well for the Eagles.  They trailed 18-16 after one but took control during the middle two quarters.

The 2nd period opened with a Max Priggel trey and was followed by field goals from Cole Priggel and Jacob Shoemaker and with 1:40 gone Scott City called a time-out and Oran was up 23-18.  Scott City would not score until the 4:40 mark of period two and the Eagles were up 27-20.  Oran would go on a brief cold spell where they would miss four straight shots before Shoemaker would hit the second of two free throw attempts and the lead was 28-23.  But when Cole Priggel scored at the buzzer after rebounding a missed shot, the Eagles were up 43-28 and the rout was on.

Shoemaker and Max Priggel both hit 3's to start the 3rd quarter.  Oran would outscore the Rams 27-17 in the period and cruise to the 21 point win for their third victory over Scott City this season.  There is a chance they could play for a fourth time during the district tournament.

Last night, Cole Priggel hit for a career-high 26 points.  He was 2-2 from the line.  Max Priggel hit for 21.  He drained 5 from beyond the arc and was 4-4 from the free throw stripe.  Layne Johnson and Jacob Shoemaker both poured in 15.  Shoemaker nailed 2 treys.

Drew Reischman scored 4 and both Wyatt Kinney and Luke Barnes chipped in 2 apiece.

The Eagles were 8-10 from the charity stripe for 80%.

Coach Joe Shoemaker said, "I thought when we decided to get down and guard and rebound it really helped us get into a rhythm. We moved without the ball and played very unselfish on offense. I was very pleased with how well we passed the ball tonight. Hopefully, we can continue to improve as we approach districts."

The varsity improved its record to 9-7 and they will be back in action on next Tuesday when conference foe Oak Ridge comes to town for a 6 pm tipoff.