I will have more on the Class 1 basketball games on Wednesday, but as I note the new-look Southeast Missourian Web site does not seem to picking up stories automatically from our editorial system just yet, I will pass along my stories from Tuesday night.

I covered the girls game, in which Delta beat Scott County Central 52-34, and wrote a sidebar capping Bell City's season after the 80-58 victory by the Scott County Central boys. (Chris Smith wrote the game story.)

Video also coming to the Semoball Web site on Wednesday. Some cool plays in both games.

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Girls gamer

POPLAR BLUFF -- Last year never was very far from the memories of the Delta girls basketball team.

Even sophomore Taylor Smith, who didn't play varsity but joined the team for the postseason, remembered last year's four-point loss to Scott County Central that ended a perfect season.

Smith and her teammates got payback Tuesday night at Poplar Bluff High School, posting a 52-34 victory in the Class 1 state sectional.

Smith scored 16 points, hitting a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first half that helped the state-ranked Bobcats (23-2) finally gain separation from Scott County Central (10-13).

"Our thing was we'd waited 365 days to play this game," Delta coach Randy White said.

The teams' meeting this season was canceled by bad weather, making the sectional meeting the first contest since last year's 44-40 upset win by the Bravettes. That came after Delta had made Scott County the victim three times in a 26-0 start.

"That was very hard," Smith said. "The whole bus ride home was silent. It was really depressing because we had beaten them so many times and they ended our season last year."

The Bravettes made the Bobcats earn it Tuesday night.

Scott County Central trailed just 16-15 with less than a minute to play before halftime when Smith knocked down a 3-pointer. Delta had another possession after a turnover and a foul. Of an inbounds play with 1.4 seconds to go, senior Brittni Deprow hit a 3-pointer for a seven-point halftime lead.

"That really took a lot of pressure off us," Smith said. "Once we got it going, we kept our heads up high. We came out for the second half a lot more pumped up. We came out with a lot more intensity."

Smith hit a basket to open scoring in the second half, and Sarah Keys added a 3 for a 27-15 advantage. Smith beat the third-period with a basket for a 36-25 lead. Deprow hit a 3 to open the fourth and Smith scored after making a steal and driving the length of the floor to push the lead to 41-25.

"In the second half, they shot the lights out and we just watched," Scott County Central coach Semona Penrod said.

Delta was 7-for-12 in the fourth period to put the game away.

The Bobcats made six 3-pointers to Scott County's one. They held to Braves to 19 points in the second half without committing a foul.

Deprow hit three 3-pointers to account for her nine points. Keys added 10.

Jodi Menz was limited to seven points but had 10 rebounds as the Bobcats showed their balance.

"Allison Burger came off the bench and played well," White said. "Deprow came in and hit some shots, Jessica Kidd came in and played some good defense for us."

Only Brianna Johnson reached double digits for Scott County Central, scoring 15 points.

"Brianna is such a tremendous player," Penrod said. "She doesn't get much credit because of our record. She has had to do a lot for us, and even at the end, she did all she could to keep us in the game."

But Penrod had a feeling that this was not going to be a repeat of last year's upset.

"I about had to pry them out of the locker room," she said. "They were scared to death. If we played to our potential, I think we could have stayed with them, but we came out scared and cold.

"There's not too many sectional teams you're going to beat with 37 points."

The Bobcats will move on to a quarterfinal showdown with Exeter, scheduled for x p.m. Saturday at West Plains Civic Center.

Delta 52, Scott County Central 34

SCC 7 8 10 9 -- 34

Delta 9 13 14 16 -- 52

Scott County Cenral (34) -- Brianna Johnson 15, Jamisha Williams 7, Jovonne Banks 4, Iesha Turner 2, Markita Mosley 4, Brittney Jones 2. FG 15, FT 3-6, F 13 (3-pointers: Williams 1. Fouled out: none)

Delta (52) -- Taylor Smith 16, Amanda Drew 1, Alison Burger 9, Jodi Menz 7, Sara Blattel 2, Sarah Keys 10, Brittni Deprow 9. FG 19, FT 8-15, F 9 (3-pointers: Deprow 3, Smith 1, Menz 1, Keys 1. Fouled out: none)

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Boys sidebar

POPLAR BLUFF -- As hot as Bell City's Nick Niemczyk has been during his senior season, holding him to 18 points was a monumental defensive effort on the part of Scott County Central on Tuesday night in the Class 1 state sectional game.

"The zone they were playing was always cheating to my side," Niemczyk said. "They really checked all my shots. Every shot I took was a tough one because they were playing such good defense."

Niemczyk was just two of eight on 3-pointers and made just four more field goals in scoring fewer than 20 points for just the third time this year. The others, he recalled, were against Woodland and Delta -- easy wins for the Cubs.

This time, Niemczyk was shut down by his rival, the hated -- make that, not-so-hated Braves.

"Scott County is our big rival and the big game for both of us," Niemczyk said. "But we're real good friends with all of them."

Niemczyk's backcourt mate as a freshman back in 2004-05 was D.D. Gillespie, who on Tuesday was wearing the Scott County black-and-orange and had 10 points in the Braves' 80-58 thumping.

Gillespie transferred to Scott County after his freshman year, when coach David Heeb made the switch from Bell City to his alma mater. Investigations, suspensions and lawsuits ensued as the two school districts took rivalry to a new level. They didn't play each other in 2005-06, until a sectional contest that Bell City won by 31 points.

The schools split four games last year, but it was Bell City winning the sectional and going to state for the fourth straight year.

Bell City won the earlier meeting this year, 75-72 at Oran, but Scott County Central had lost only once since while the Cubs stumbled three times. Tuesday's sectional was expected to produce the school most likely to knock off defending state champion and top-ranked Jefferson.

"The last two years, I thought we had Jefferson beat," Bell City coach Brian Brandtner said. "We were ahead of them in the final minutes. I'd like to think if Scott County plays like their capable of playing, I believe they can win it. I hope they go up there and win it all. I'm rooting for them."

Rooting for the hated -- er, not-so-hated Braves.

"I think that stuff was already behind us," Brandtner said. "The kids have nothing against each other. Coach [Ronnie] Cookson has always said good things about our kids, and I love their kids. It's nothing but a good rivalry between two school districts."

Bell City had the upper hand in that rivalry for the most part, cashing in sectional wins to a fourth-place state finish in 2005 and back-to-back runner-up finishes the last two years.

"I think a lot of people would like to accomplish what we did the last four years," said Niemczyk, who finished with more than 2,200 points. "It's been unreal playing with this group. We're good friends, and I loved playing with every one of them."

The Cubs will lose six seniors to graduation, including starters Niemczyk, Ethan Watkins, Marty Dames, Austin Bush and Phillip Gross along with reserve guard Michael Meador. Watkins transferred from Scott City and became eligible in December.

Brandtner talked about the contributions of his seniors -- "You can't say enough about them" -- including the athleticism of Gross and "the best defender" he's ever coached in Dames.

Niemczyk? "Probably the best all-around basketball player I've ever coached," Brandtner said.

Scott County Central 80, Bell City 58

SCC 21 19 19 21 -- 80

Bell City 10 12 16 20 -- 58

Scott County Central (80) -- Ethan Watkins 21, Nick Niemczyk 18, Melvin Johnson 3, Phillip Gross 3, Ronnie Gross 2, Austin Bush 9, John Arnold 2. FG 20, FT 5-6, F 14 (3-pointers: Watkins 7, Bush 3, Niemczyk 2, Johnson 1. Fouled out: P. Gross)

Bell City (58) -- D.D. Gillespie 10, Bobby Hatchett 14, Mark Freed 4, Drew Thomas 18, Caleb Johnson 16, Randy Timmons 6, Otto Porter 12. FG 32, FT 13-21, F 10. (3-pointers: Thomas 2, Gillespie 1. Fouled out: none)