Scott City wraps up regular season with a sweep of Goodland

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–For the second time this year, the Scott City Beavers had to move a home doubleheader around. Fortunately again, they were able to get the games in. Both Scott City and Goodland knew what seed and who their first round sub-state opponent would be. The winners were looking to ride some momentum into the postseason. In the end, it would be a sweep for the homestanding Beavers in their regular season finale, as the Scott City girls would pick up a 49-30 win, while the boys opened things up in the second half with a 67-46 victory.

Scott City Girls 49, Goodland 30
You could tell that both teams were a little rusty not playing in nearly a week. There would be two lead changes and one tie early on. After the Cowgirls took the early 2-1 lead, Scott City used a 10-2 run over a four-minute stretch to go up 11-4, and eventually led 13-6 after the first quarter. The Lady Beavers would eventually push the lead to 18-8 with 5:34 left in the first half. Goodland (4-16, 1-9 GWAC) would score the next eight points to pull to within 18-16 with 2:21 left in the first half. Scott City would settle down and close the final 2:14 of the half on a 6-2 run to take a 24-18 lead at the break.

Both teams would struggle scoring in the second half, especially Goodland. After the Cowgirls would score the opening points of the third period to pull to within 24-20 with 7:35 left in the third period, they would go scoreless over the next 8:57 of the game. Scott City (14-6, 8-2) scored the final nine points of the third period to take a 33-20 lead into the final quarter. The Lady Beavers would slowly pull away, using a 7-1 run in the middle of the fourth frame to lead 46-27 with 3:05 left. Both teams would score three points to end the game to make the final 49-30 for Scott City.

Leading the charge for the Lady Beavers was Emily Weathers with 15 points and Brynn McCormick with 14. Scott City ended up going 21-35 from the line, including a 9-14 effort in the fourth quarter. Goodland was led by Kerrigan Rudolph with 10 points. The Cowgirls went 8-23 from the line and had 30 turnovers. The Lady Beavers has 24 turnovers, and won the rebounding battle 32-26. Both teams combined for 53 fouls.

With the win, Scott City extended their series-long win streak at six. Since 1984, Goodland leads the series 25-24. The Lady Beavers have now won 14 games in a season for three straight years, and finish 8-2 in GWAC play for the second consecutive year.

Coach Sarah McCormick Postgame

Scott City Boys 67, Goodland 46
It took a while for the Beavers to get going, but when they did, their ball movement was the best they’ve had in a while.  Following an early Goodland 4-3 lead, Scott City went on a 12-6 run to take a 15-10 lead after the first quarter. The Cowboys late in the first period did pull to within 12-10, but Scott City went on an 18-2 run over a 4:29 span to take a 29-12 lead midway through the second quarter. Goodland would go on a 9-3 run to get to within 32-21 with 2:11 left in the half. The Beavers closed with a 4-1 run to take a 36-22 lead into the locker room.

After both teams went back and forth early in the second half, Scott City (12-8, 5-5 GWAC) closed the final 5:39 of the third quarter on a 16-1 run to open the game up, taking a 57-28 lead into the fourth quarter. That would be the largest lead for the Beavers. Goodland (1-19, 1-9) would show some fight in the fourth quarter, but could only get as close as 21 at the end at 67-46.

Three seniors would reach double figures for Scott City on Senior night, led by Marshall Faurot with 16 points, followed by Joe Evans with 14 and Parker Vulgamore with 10. The Beavers went 17-21 at the line and finished with 15 turnovers. Eight players scored for Scott City. Goodland was led by Brennan Brumbaugh with 17 points, and Henry Cole added 12 on four three’s. The Cowboys were just 4-7 from the free throw line and committed 17 turnovers. It would be a dominating night for the Beavers on the glass unofficially, as they outrebounded Goodland 37-14.

With the win, Scott City has won three straight in the series, and improved to 30-3 since 2000. The Beavers lead the series since 1984 33-17. Scott City eclipses their win total from last year, and snapped a three-game losing streak. Goodland has dropped four straight, after their lone win of the year in Ulysses on February 4.

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame

Sub-State play begins on Monday night for the girls. Scott City hosts Southwestern Heights at 6 pm for their second meeting of the year, while Goodland plays at Colby at 7 pm for their fourth matchup of the year. Tuesday night, the Beavers host Southwestern Heights at 6 pm, while the Cowboys play at Larned at 6 pm.