Senior duo leads Kelly past Delta to win Scott-Miss consolation title

The Kelly boys basketball team entered the Scott-Miss Tournament with only two wins.

The Hawks left the tournament with a plaque and doubling their win total.

Led by seniors Skyler Still’s 24 points and Ross Peters’ 19 points, the Hawks narrowly edged the Delta Bobcats 73-71 to win the consolation title on Friday, Feb. 7, in Scott City, Mo. The Hawks get payback against the Bobcats after losing 101-71 on Jan. 24.

The Hawks ambushed the Bobcats from the opening tip-off with a 9-3 run, six of which came from Still, who scored 12 points in the first quarter.

A Bryce Cox layup pulled Delta within six points from Kelly at 15-9 with 3:19 remaining in the opening period. The Hawks went onto an 8-3 run to close out the first quarter with a 23-12 lead.

A pair of three-pointers from Grady Hall and six more points from Still led the Hawks through the second quarter and extended their lead to 41-33 entering halftime. The first half ended with Delta outscoring Kelly 13-6 through the final 3:15 minutes, ending on a three-point basket by Jason Nanney.

Delta utilized the three ball to its advantage in the third quarter with four shots from beyond the arc. Much like the second quarter, the Bobcats outscored the Hawks 10-5 in the final three minutes, led by Nanney’s five points, to pull within two points, trailing 55-53 entering the fourth quarter.

Still was held scoreless in the third quarter but bounced back to score six points in the fourth quarter. However, Peters was the true hero of the final period after scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter.

With the game tied 71-71 with eight seconds left, Peters took a pass from Hall to put up a mid-range shot for the go-ahead basket with 2.3 seconds left.

Hall finished with 11 points and Griffin Pass scored 10 points for the Hawks, who made 7-of-14 from the free throw line.

Paxton Hornbuckle led the Bobcats with 18 points and Cox finished with 10 points. Ryan Jeffries scored 14 points including fourth three-pointers in the second half. He had a chance to put up a buzzer-beating three-pointer to win the game, but it bounced off the rim.

For the Hawks (3-18), this was a down season from the start. Still and Peters are not enough to maintain the momentum of a 21-6 2023-24 season. The junior varsity team winning 15 straight and the tournament’s JV title gives Kelly a bright future, especially with Kaleb Yount scoring 27 points.

The Hawks have three of the final four games at home, three of which are against Class 3 District 1 opponents. On top of winning the conference consolation title, Still and Peters, who have signed to become college athletes in other sports, have a chance to go out on top in their own way.

For the Bobcats, this loss dropped them back to .500 at 10-10. While this is still their best season since winning a district title in 2021, the road to securing a winning season is still far. Five of their final six games are on the road, and their last three games are against opponents with a combined 40-16 record.

Delta is one of the top teams in Class 1 District 2. Even if the Bobcats battle their way to .500 into the district tournament, they still have a fighting chance.

Delta travels to Zalma on Monday, Feb. 10, while Kelly travels to Portageville on Tuesday, Feb. 11.