Roundup: Cape Central rallies past Notre Dame, Scott City dominates Delta, Oak Ridge girls to BCS finals

On Tuesday, the Cape Central Tigers boys basketball team defeated the Notre Dame Bulldogs 43-33 at Cape Central High School.

The Tigers began the game with a 6-0 run before Notre Dame sank a 3 and another bucket to come within one point. The teams traded baskets throughout the rest of the quarter and were tied at 11 after one.

The Tigers found success going inside in the first half, while the Bulldogs relied more on outside shots and midrange jumpers.

Notre Dame pulled ahead by three late in the second quarter, forcing Cape Central into a timeout. The Tigers started relying on the 3 and were not making them, thus Cape Central trailed 20-18 at the half.

Tigers head coach Lamont Frazier said the game was all about finding something that worked at the right time.

“I think that's what a lot of it was because we were doing some good stuff, but it wasn't producing results. So we just kept trying and just kept trying because guys were making good plays — we just weren't finishing,” Frazier said. “Once we were able to kind of manipulate things the way we saw was to our advantage, then we just stayed with it down the stretch.”

The third quarter was an ugly one for both teams, with many turnovers and missed shots on open looks. Cape Central found points on a few fast-break opportunities to cut the lead and trail 26-25 entering the final frame.

The last quarter was all Tigers, as they outscored the Bulldogs 18-7 to cruise to victory. Mar’k Mills hit a big 3 to give them the lead and the Tigers never looked back.

Frazier said his team pulled away by attacking the basket and making Notre Dame try to stop them at the rim.

“If we could get out and let our athletes be athletes, that was going to be to our advantage. I think that was a big part of it. When we were able to get out, and even if we didn't get a basket, but just to put pressure on the rim,” Frazier said. “We talk about it all the time. If we can put pressure on the rim, you may not score every trip you do it, but you keep putting pressure on the rim, at some point you're gonna get a basket that makes a difference.”

Cape Central High School began the evening by holding a moment of silence for Jess Bolen, an alumni and local legend who passed away Jan. 13.

Cape Central will travel to Scott City on Monday, Jan. 20, while Notre Dame will host Kennett on Friday, Jan. 17.

Boys: Scott City 80, Delta 54

The Scott City Rams defeated the Delta Bobcats 80-54 on Tuesday in Delta to win their 10th game of the season.

The Rams charged ahead in the first half to establish a 53-21 halftime lead that proved to be insurmountable despite Delta outscoring Scott City 33-27 in the second half.

Senior point guard Jaylen Rulo led the Rams with 28 points, while senior forward Kobe Watson put up 20 points. Both Kaden Lowery and AJ Hayden each added 10 points.

Weather permitting, Scott City (10-2) will travel to take on East Prairie (10-2) on Friday.

Girls: Oak Ridge 73, Meadow Heights 41

Oak Ridge defeated Meadow Heights 73-41 in the semifinal round of the BCS Conference Tournament semifinals Tuesday at Woodland High School in Marble Hill.

Reagan Howe led the Blue Jays with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Jayleigh Price scored 14 points, while Kenadie Ward put up 12 points, Madyson Ruehling added 11 points with nine rebounds and Kaelyn Deckerd chipped in 10 points.

The Bluejays returned to .500 with a 6-6 record and will return home to play in the championship round Wednesday.

Girls: Perryville 45, Grandview 33

The Perryville Lady Pirates beat Grandview 45-33 on Tuesday to improve to 6-5.

Aby Amberger led the Lady Pirates with 21 points, while Zoe Hoehn scored 10 points. Caroline Gremaud and Madeline Gremaud led the way defensively.

Perryville has won five of its last seven games. The Lady Pirates travel to Jefferson R7 on Thursday.

Boys: Leopold 47, Oak Ridge 36

Leopold went on the road and defeated Oak Ridge 47-36 on Tuesday in Oak Ridge.

Tommy Beussink sank a 3-pointer to cap a 10-4 run for Leopold halfway through the first quarter. A layup by Riley Engelen gave the Wildcats a 15-10 lead entering the second quarter.

Oak Ridge came back to tie the game 19-all with 2:39 left in the first half on a 3-pointer by Jayden McCallister. However, a free throw by Cohen Campell gave the lead back to Leopold, which went into halftime up 20-19.

Leopold pushed its lead forward in the third quarter with a 16-4 run to enter the final period up 36-23.

Oak Ridge tried to claw back in the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run to pull within single digits. The Bluejays trailed Leopold 38-32 with 2:38 remaining, but the Wildcats made most of their free throws in the final minutes to secure the win.

Leopold (9-6) will travel to Meadow Heights on Tuesday, Jan. 21, while Oak Ridge will travel to Kelly, also Jan. 21.