Semoball

C3 STATE TOURNAMENT: Charleston boys basketball cruises to a win over Mountain Grove in Class 3 sectionals

Charleston's Latrell Porter knives his way to the rim for a layup against Mountain Grove, in the Class 3 Sectionals, at the Bearcat Event Center, in Dexter, Mo.
Liza King/Standard Democrat

DEXTER, Mo – Dominant.

That’s the best way to describe Charleston’s second-half performance as they left Mountain Grove in the dust following halftime of Wednesday’s Class 1 sectional matchup.

After a competitive first two quarters, the Bluejays came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders, cruising to a 71-40 final that puts Charleston just a game away from a return trip to the final four.

“We wanted to keep the pressure on,” Bluejay’s head coach Danny Farmer said. “About halftime I think they were done because of the pace. I knew they don’t see that pace all the time the way they play.”

Charleston (19-10) took a six-point lead into the third, 35-29, and proceeded to reel off 24-straight points to start the second half.

Defense fueled the offense, forcing 10 turnovers in the third quarter alone and the Bluejays making good on those extra possessions shooting 10 of 16 (63 percent) from the field.

Mountain Grove (15-13) was held without a field goal in the quarter, settling for a pair of free throws in the final 26 seconds for their only points in the frame, getting outscored 24-2.

“We picked our defense up,” Farmer said. “We wanted to come out in the third quarter and make some separation. We didn’t want it to be close. It got close in the first half. I thought we played well.”

A basket with 3:33 left in regulation finally ended an over 14-minute drought from the field dating back to the second quarter.

By then the Panther’s deficit had grown to 30-plus several times in the fourth, effectively icing the Charleston win.

It was a strong second quarter that kept Mountain Grove in the game.

After turning the ball over nine times in the first quarter while going down 21-8, the Panthers outscored the Bluejays 21-14 in the final eight minutes of the half to close back in six.

Dylan Massey scored eight of his game-high 17 points in the second quarter to lead the Panther rally.

It was all Charleston after that, however, as they outpaced Mountain Grove, 36-11, the rest the way.

Having seen Charleston’s big man, junior Blessin Kimble, put up big games through the team’s run to the District 1 championship, Mountain Grove focused on keeping the Bluejay’s out of the paint and forcing threes.

Charleston was happy to oblige, going 9 of 26 (33 percent) from 3-point range and hitting four in that pivotal third quarter alone.

“We shot the ball well,” Farmer said. “Their plan was to give us 3-pointers and stop us from going inside to Blessin.”

Kimble finished with six points, five rebounds and two blocks while the Bluejay’s shared the offensive workload.

All 12 Bluejays to enter the game wound up in the scoring column with Sam Bledsoe scoring a team-high 16 points, hitting four of the team’s nine 3-pointers on 6 of 11 shooting.

Terridean Bogan added 11 points to the cause, hitting on 3 of 5 3-point attempts while collecting three steals and a pair of assists.

Porter led the team with seven assists, grabbing five rebounds and three steals and four points in the process.

As a team, Charleston shot 26 of 57 (46 percent) from the field, including 17 of 31 (55 percent) inside the arc.

They won the turnover battle 26-7, racking up 15 and blocking six shots in the process.

Despite being located almost 200 miles across the state from one another, the two teams have recent history as they squared off in last year’s Class 3 semifinals at the Hammons Student Center in Springfield, Mo.

Charleston bested the Panthers that night 81-68 to earn their spot in the state title game.

“It didn’t surprise me,” Farmer said of Mountain Grove’s strong start. “Like I told my team they’ve been to state the last three years. they have a winning program.

“When we beat them last year they were ranked number one. I knew the kind of team we were playing. They weren’t going to give up and would keep coming.” 

Mountain Grove 8 21 2 9 – 40

Charleston 21 14 24 12 – 71

MOUNTAIN GROVE (40) – John Felker 11, Dawson Hiler 9, Noah McCallister 3, Dylan Massey 17. FG 11, FT 12-16, F 12. (3-pointers: Felker 2, Hiler 2, McCallister 1, Massey 1. Fouled out: none.)

CHARLESTON (71) – Terridean Bogan 11, Sam Bledsoe 16, Preston Moore 2, Latrell Porter 4, Elmer Davis 4, Brian Visor 6, Tyrell Ware 2, Suave Fitzpatrick 3, Isaiah Gillespie 9, Javontrey Wiley 6, Blessin Kimble 6, Delontre Gillespie 2. FG 26, FT 10-13, F 20. (3-pointers: Bogan 3, Bledsoe 4, Wiley 2. Fouled out: none.)

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