Scott City sees split results in Sterling Invitational opener

Sterling, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Tuesday was the opening day of the Sterling Invitational Tournament. It’s the 50th tournament for the boys, while it’s the ninth for the girls. The opening day was pushed back from Monday, as some teams were battling issues with having enough players. Scott City girls would take on Smoky Valley, while the boys faced Kingman. The Lady Beavers were dominant throughout, picking up a 50-34 win, while the boys lost in the last seconds 48-47.

Scott City Girls 50, Smoky Valley 34
These two teams met up in the third place game, where the Lady Vikings took the win in the last second 32-31. However, the day belonged to Scott City. Trailing 3-0 early on, Scott City went on a 14-1 run to lead 14-4 late in the first quarter. They took a 14-6 lead into the second frame, and used a 12-1 run in the second eight minutes of play to lead 26-9 with 2:59 left before the break. Smoky Valley hit a pair of three’s to close the half out, to pull to within 28-15 at the break. In the second half, the Lady Beavers never let the Lady Vikings get on a run. Scott City would slowly stretch their lead, and scored eight unanswered to take a 41-20 lead late in the third frame. They led 41-22 after three quarters, and hit the 21-point lead mark three times in the final quarter. With the subs in, Smoky Valley would score seven of the games final nine points to make the final 50-34.

Erika Felker led the way with 14 points, while Brooke Strine had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Lady Beavers, who won their first Sterling Invitational opener in the two years they’ve been in the tournament. Smoky Valley got nine from Adrian Hazelwood, who dropped back to back games for the first time this year. 

Scott City also snapped a two-game losing streak to teams from the Central Kansas League, and also tied the all-time series with Smoky Valley at one game apiece.

Scott City      14 14 13 9-50
Smoky Valley 6    9  7 12-34

Scott City (6-4): Stevens 0 0-0 0; Rumford 1 2-2 5; Strine 5 2-3 13; Gentry 0 0-0 0; Latta 4 0-0 9; Sowers 0 0-0 0; Ford 0 0-0 0; Felker 4 4-5 14; Kough 0 1-2 1; Cupp 1 0-1 2; Lewis 1 0-0 2; Cramer 0 0-0 0; Patton 2 0-0 4; Team: 18 9-16 50
Smoky Valley (6-3): Peters 0 0-0 0; Koster 1 1-4 3; Scott 1 0-0 3; Priddy 0 0-0 0; Lambert 1 0-0 2; Mullen 2 0-2 4; Rose 2 0-0 4; Adam 1 1-2 4; Hazelwood 3 1-2 9; Blanchat 1 1-2 3; Odell 1 0-0 2; Team: 13 4-12 34

Three-Pointers: Scott City 5 (Felker 2, Rumford 1, Strine 1, Latta 1); Smoky Valley 4 (Hazelwood 2, Scott 1, Adam 1); Turnovers: Scott City 13, Smoky Valley 11; Rebounds: Scott City 38, Smoky Valley 29; Fouls: Scott City 11, Smoky Valley 14; Fouled Out: None.

Kingman Boys 48, Scott City 47
This one would come down to the end. There were six lead changes and five ties, with three lead changes coming in the final minute. Kingman jumped out early 9-5, before the Beavers tied the game at 11 after the opening period. As both teams struggled to score early in the second quarter, Scott City would build small leads, only to see the Eagles tie the game up. The Beavers would hang on in the first half to a 23-22 lead. In the second half, Scott City scored the first five points to lead 28-22 early in the third quarter. As they tried to pull away, Kingman would find an answer. The Eagles would get to within two on three occasions, before the Beavers scored the final five points of the third frame to take their largest lead of the night at 38-31 heading into the fourth quarter. Kingman slowly chipped away at the deficit, pulling to within one point a couple times. The Eagles would score four straight to take a 46-45 lead with 41 seconds left. Lawson Bailey answered with a baseline jumper on the left side to give Scott City the lead back at 47-46 with 27 seconds left. Out of a timeout, Kingman would get it to their leading scorer of the season, Nolan Freund. He would go around to the left side of the lane, and the runner would drop in with 4.2 seconds left to give the Eagles a 48-47 lead. The Beavers had one final chance, but the pass was intercepted, and the Eagles would steal one in the tournament opener.

Kingman was led by sophomore Tristen Davidson with 12 points, while Cole Watkins added 10, as they have now won two straight. Scott City has dropped two straight, and were led by Gus Hawkins with 11 points. 

It was the first all-time in the series.

Kingman  11 11   9 17-48
Scott City 11 12 15  9-47

Kingman (4-7): Birkenbaugh 2 0-5 5; Bradshaw 0 0-0 0; Albright 2 5-7 9; Freund 2 2-2 6; Webster 0 1-2 1; Watkins 4 0-0 10; Helm 1 2-2 5; Davidson 5 1-2 12; Team: 16 11-20 48
Scott City (4-6): Thomas 1 0-0 2; Noll 0 0-0 0; Thon 2 0-0 6; Rumford 3 1-2 8; Hawkins 5 1-2 11; Bailey 4 0-0 9; Tarango 1 0-2 2; Gooden 4 1-3 9; Team: 20 3-9 47

Three-Pointers: Kingman 5 (Watkins 2, Birkenbaugh 1, Helm 1, Davidson 1); Scott City 4 (Thon 2, Rumford 1, Bailey 1); Turnovers: Kingman 19, Scott City 24; Rebounds: Kingman 33, Scott City 33; Fouls: Kingman 12, Scott City 18; Fouled Out: Scott City (Thon, Gooden).

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame

Scott City will see their boys play on Wednesday afternoon at 4 pm, facing Lyons, who lost 64-34 to Sterling. The Lady Beavers face Sterling Thursday night at 6 pm in the championship semi finals.