Beavers head to the Orange & Black Tournament today

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–The 29th Annual Paul Wintz/Tom Bowen Orange and Black Basketball Classic in Colby tips off today and will run through Saturday at the Colby Community Building and Colby High School. 

For the girls, it will be a tall task against the 10-2 Palmer Ridge Lady Bears out of Monument, Colorado. Palmer Ridge enters the tournament as the defending champions, and have already played one game this week. The Lady Bears, No. 10 in Class 4A in Colorado, won 63-34 Tuesday night against Vista Ridge, as they are led by 6-1 senior Ali Meyer, who averages 13 points, nine rebounds and nearly four steals per game. Scott City is looking to snap a four-game skid, after their 44-19 setback against Colby last Friday night at home. The Lady Beavers hit a season low of points, and only scored six in the second half. They were led by Riley Hawker’s eight points, as Bailey Nickel continues to lead the Scott City scoring at 15 points a game. Tipoff is at 8:15 at Colby High School on Mix 94.

The Scott City boys come into the tournament with a six-game winning streak, after their 64-35 win over Colby last Friday night. In their last Orange & Black Tournament, they rolled through the field, winning the 2012 tournament title, with all wins coming by double digits. Trey O’Neil continues to lead the Beavers in scoring with 24 points and five assists per game. Burlington hasn’t played in 12 days, and lost to Holyoke in their last outing 63-44 on January 11. The Cougars are 3-4 on the season, and are a fairly experienced group, led by senior Eloy Sandoval, who averages 11 points a game. As a team, Burlington averages 44 points per contest. These two teams meet up at 4:45 at the Colby Community Building, a game that can be heard on Mix 94.