A homecoming sweep! Scott City takes two from Colby

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Wins can be big in February, especially when fighting for positioning in the sub-state standings. Friday night’s doubleheader for Scott City and Colby was an opportunity to move up in the standings for the Beavers with wins, and wins they got. The girls game saw the Lady Beavers never trail in a 48-36 win, while the boys finished the night off holding on for a 47-37 win over upset-minded Colby.

Girls
To say that it’s been a long time since Scott City’s girls have defeated Colby is an understatement. The Lady Eagles have had a long stranglehold on Scott City for a while, despite the Lady Beavers playing close the last two games. Colby came in to town without their leading scorer Brenly Terrell, who was home sick. Friday night, the Lady Beavers took advantage, as they never trailed, and were tied early on at three. They led 11-7 after the first quarter, and took their biggest lead at 24-10 with 5: 21 left before halftime. Colby (5-11, 3-4 GWAC) scored the last six points of the half to pull to within 24-16 at the break. After Scott City (5-11, 3-4) scored the first basket of the second half, the Lady Eagles made a charge in the third quarter. They used a 15-6 run in a six-minute stretch of the third quarter to pull to within 32-31 with a minute remaining in the third frame. The game seemed to turn back to the Lady Beavers late in the third quarter when Taylor Goodman banked in a three pointer to give them a 35-31 lead going into the final quarter. In those last eight minutes, Scott City would pull away, using a 9-0 run in about a five minute span to lead 46-33 with 1:23 left, and picked up their first win over the Colby since 1999 in a 48-36 win. Leading the charge for Scott City was Kaitlyn Roberts with 16 points, while Courtney Van Eaton led Colby with 12 points. The Lady Beavers were 11-17 from the foul line in the win, and have the most wins in league play since 2012, when they won four league games that season.

Coach Sarah McCormick Postgame

Boys
Two teams that have been on opposite ends of the win/loss column in recent history met up in the night’s finale. Colby entered without starter Dante Whitfield, who did not make the trip. Despite being down a starter, the Eagles kept it close. The first quarter alone saw four lead changes and one tie, with the lone tie coming at the end of the first quarter in a 10-all deadlock. Scott City had trouble all night separating from the Eagles, and thanks to two three-pointers in the second quarter, took a 20-14 lead at the break. Despite Colby’s (2-14, 1-6 GWAC) efforts of pulling off the road win, the Beavers finally got some things clicking in the second half. After they saw the Eagles pull to within 24-22 just past the midway point of the third quarter, Scott City (12-4, 5-2) used a 10-0 run to lead 34-22 with 1:39 left in the third stanza. Colby found a way to claw back, and used a 9-0 run in about a two-minute stretch of the third and fourth quarters to pull to within 34-31 with 7:17 left. The fourth quarter saw both teams go back and fourth with runs. The Eagles started out the period with a 4-0 run, only to see the Beavers score the next six, then Colby scored six straight to get to within 40-37 with 3:40 left. That was the last of the Eagles, as Scott City finished the game off with seven straight, including two layups in the final minute to preserve their 15th straight win in the series, and stay alive in the Great West Activities Conference race. Bo Hess left the game in the third quarter with an injury, as the Beavers had to adjust on the fly and play without their leading scorer for much of the second half. Drake McRae poured in a career-best 17 points, while Dylan Hutchins added 16 in the win for Scott City. Colby was paced by freshman Jordan Schippers with 15 points, while Brooks Curry added 12 for the Eagles. Scott City committed only six turnovers in the contest, as they have now won eight out of their last nine games.

Coach Glenn O’Neil Postgame

Scott City will travel to Holcomb Tuesday night to face the Longhorns, while Colby returns home for the first time since they hosted the Orange & Black Classic, as they face rival Goodland.