Scott City boys fall short in four-overtime thriller; girls routed by TMP
Hays, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–It has been one of those seasons where Scott City’s boys may have seen it all. After seeing two four-point plays Friday night at Hugoton, the Beaver boys did something that will be thought about for years come. In the end, it was TMP Marian outlasting Scott City in the boys game in four, yes four, overtimes 69-66, while the Lady Monarchs sunk 11 three’s in an 80-34 rout of the Lady Beavers.
Girls
Recently, Scott City and TMP have been heading in different directions. Despite winning 10 straight and not being ranked in the latest KBCA rankings, the Lady Monarchs wasted very little time in putting away the Lady Beavers. TMP Marian (13-2) scored 12 points in the first 91 seconds, and eventually scored the games first 22 points, and led 28-4 after the first quarter. The Lady Monarchs scored 28 points in the first and third quarters. Scott City (4-11) trailed 42-10, before using their lone of the night to trail 42-15 seconds in to the second half. TMP connected on nine three-pointers in the second half, and took a 70-28 lead going into the final frame. Due to a margin of 30 points or more, a continuous clock was used in the final period, where the Lady Monarchs outscored the Lady Beavers 10-6 en route to there season high of 80 points in an 80-34 win. The 80 points Scott City gave up was the second highest point total allowed since they gave up 83 to Randall High School from Texas in December. Four TMP players finished in double figures, led by Madyson Korerner’s 17 points, Melissa Pfeifer with 14, Kayla Vitztum had 13 and Katelyn Zimmerman finished with 12. Scott City was led by Kaitlyn Roberts with 13 and Kiana Yager added 10, as the Lady Beavers dropped their fifth straight game.
Boys
In the 20 years that Glenn O’Neil and Joe Hertel have faced off on the sidelines, there have been many classics between the two schools. Tuesday night at All Billinger Fieldhouse might have topped all games. Prior to tipoff, Monarch Coach Hertel presented Coach O’Neil with a TMP tie, showing his appreciation for the battle between the two teams over the last 20 seasons. The Monarchs and Beavers would face off in a game that would last past the 32 minutes of regulation. Scott City (11-4) took leads of 12-8 and 28-23 at halftime. The Beavers never trailed in regulation or the first two overtimes, and led 32-25 with 5:46 remaining in the third quarter. TMP Marian (12-3) scored the games next seven points to tie the game at 32 with 2:53 remaining in the third frame. Scott City eventually took a 38-34 lead going into the fourth quarter. In the fourth frame, the Monarchs wouldn’t go away, and were unable to tie the game for the longest time. TMP would hit their second three pointer of the game, which would be their biggest three pointer, as Jarted Vitztum used a triple screen to drain a right wing three with nine seconds left to force overtime at 51. Both teams saw their scoring slow down over the first two overtimes, as it was a 53-all tie going in to the third extra session. The Monarchs got their first lead on a three-pointer by Ryan Ruder to give them a 56-53 lead with 3:13 left in the third ot. Both teams would score nine points in the third overtime, and a fourth extra period would ensue with a 62-62 score. After the Beavers scored the first two points in the fourth overtime, TMP took the lead for good, using a 5-0 run. The Monarchs would miss some free throws that gave Scott City a chance, but a Dylan Hutchins three point shot was too strong at the end, and the Monarchs picked up their first win over the Beavers since 2008. Scott City had three players foul out in the fourth overtime, while Thomas More Prep had two foul out in overtime number three. TMP got a game-best 33 points from Jared Vitztum, who was 9-12 from the foul line, while Ryan Ruder added 15. Scott City was led by Dylan Hutchins with 20 points, Bo Hess finished with 14, Drake McRae had 12 and Drew Duff chipped in 10 points. The Beavers saw a seven-game win streak come to an end.
Coach Glenn O’Neil Postgame
Scott City returns home to face Colby on Friday night in GWAC play. It will be Winter Homecoming for Scott City. TMP Marian returns to MCL play as they travel to Phillipsburg.
