By JOSEPH W. GEX II/Sports Writer

BAY ST. LOUIS — The Saint Stanislaus Rock-A-Chaws needed an inspired run in the fourth quarter to survive a possible upset by Kemper County in the first round of the Class 3A South State basketball playoffs on Tuesday night.

The Rocks (19-6) got a big game from their big man inside, Max Baria, to hold on for a 46-39 victory to advance to the second round of the playoffs. 

The last time the Rocks advanced past the first round in basketball was the 2019 season when they advanced to the second round. 

Kemper County (6-19) used a blend of athleticism with patience to slow the game down in the first period and took a 14-11 lead. The two teams remained knotted on the scoreboard at halftime 26-26 and after the third period 35-35.

Baria tallied 15 points in the first half, including nine in the opening period, to keep the Rocks within striking distance. He then added seven more points in the third frame to keep the contest knotted up heading into the decisive fourth and final frame.

In the fourth period, David Belle sank a three-pointer with 6:08 left in the game to give the Rocks a 38-35 advantage.

Down the stretch, Baria scored four points followed by Carter Macias with two free throws and Alan Gilliam with a layup, while the Rocks limited Kemper County to just four points in the period. 

Saint Stanislaus head coach Daniel Grieves commented, “It comes down to we are a young team and only being in this position today. Even our veteran players played limited minutes in the postseason last year. As much as we are learning about basketball, we are learning about ourselves as people. Kemper County is known for their athleticism. They play extremely hard and do not quit. I know their coach, DJ Evans, and we played against each other in high school. They came into the gym prepared to play.”

The Rocks were led by Max Baria with a game-high 26 points and 9 rebounds while Anthony Reed Jr paced Kemper County with 15 points. 

The outing for Baria came on the heels of two other impressive performances in the Region 8-3A Tournament last week when he scored 27 points against Perry Central and 25 points against St. Patrick giving him 78 points combined in the last three Rock wins.

The Rocks advanced to host Franklin County in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs on Saturday at 6 p.m.