On to the next round; Lady Beavers win first-ever state tournament game

Emporia, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–When Scott City took the floor with Burlington, the Lady Beavers had never played in a state tournament game. With the start Scott City got, you wouldn’t have ever known that they have not been in this position before. The Lady Beavers led most of the way, and never trailed by more than a point, as Scott City held off every surge by the Lady Wildcats, taking a 44-40 win Thursday night at Emporia’s White Auditorium.

The Lady Beavers hit their first three shots of the game, and led 11-3 with 2:20 remaining in the first quarter. While Scott City cooled off a bit, Burlington could get no closer than five, and the Lady Beavers would take a 15-8 lead after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Scott City (14-9) led 17-10 with 6:49 left in the first half. The Lady Wildcats scored seven straight points, thanks to consecutive turnovers, and tied the game at 17 with 3:30 remaining in the half. Both teams would tie the game at 19 and eventually at 22 at the break.

The second half saw the Lady Beavers score the first three points of the second quarter, and took the 25-22 lead, just 90 seconds into the second half. Burlington (17-6) went on a 7-3 run over a three and a half minute stretch, where they took their only two leads of the game. With just a little over a minute left in the third quarter, Scott City took the lead for good, as Madison Shapland hit a jumper to give the Lady Beavers a 30-29 lead, that was followed up by a Macie Price three pointer to give Scott City a 33-29 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Burlington would hit a three pointer in the first 19 seconds of the fourth quarter to pull to within 33-32. However, the Lady Beavers would respond with five straight points over a three-minute stretch to go up 38-32 with 4:35 left. After a 40-35 lead by Scott City, the Lady Wildcats would respond with four straight to pull to with 40-39 with 2:16 remaining. The Lady Beavers would close the game out, by hitting four of their final six free throws, and advanced into Friday’s semi-final game. 

Leading the Scott City charge were Bailey Latta and Macie Price, who each scored 10 points. Scott City was 13-20 at the free throw line, and shot 33% from the floor. They out-rebounded Burlington 36-26. Burlington was led by Kirsten Young with a game-high 18 points. The Lady Wildcats shot 32% from the floor and were 8-12 at the foul line. Burlington also committed 17 turnovers. 

With the win, Scott City is now 1-0 in state tournament play. They will take on the top seed Girard Lady Trojans Friday night at 6:30. Girard defeated Topeka-Hayden 63-58 in the third semi-final game. Andale surprised defending champion Clay Center 47-36 in the first game, and Jefferson West defeated Larned 51-37 in the second game of the day. Andale and Jefferson West will meet in the first girls semi-final game at 3 pm on Friday.