Back to state; Scott City takes down Goodland for fourth straight berth

Goodland, Kan, (westernkansasnews.com)–In their third meeting in the last month, Scott City returned to the scene of the crime of their 46-42 loss to Goodland on February 11. Saturday night in the 4A, Division II Sub-State Championship at the Max Jones Field House, the Beavers led for all but a minute-40 of the game, as they defeated the Cowboys 57-45 to win their fourth straight sub-state championship, and the seventh in the last 10 years.

The first eight minutes were tight, as Scott City and Goodland exchanged the lead three times, as the Beavers led 14-10 after one. It was 18-13 Beavers with 5:46 left before halftime, when the Cowboys made a 9-4 run to tie the game at 22 with 2:37 remaining in the second quarter. That would be as close as they would be to leading the rest of the way. Scott City scored the final seven points of the half to lead 29-22 at the break. The run would extend to 9-0 early on in the second half. Another Beaver run of 10-0 would push the lead to 43-26 with 3:31 remaining in the third frame. In fact, Goodland (9-13) would not get any closer than 12 the rest of the way, and that came in the final seconds of the game. The Beavers took a 47-32 lead into the final quarter, and led by as many as 18 in the game. 

Scott City (19-3) was led by Brett Meyer with a career-high 25 points. Trey O’Neil had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Goodland saw Taylen Smith lead the Cowboys with 12 points and Gannon Ihrig dropped in 10, all coming in the first half. 

In the girls sub-state championship game earlier, Hugoton held off the Goodland Cowgirls 55-47.

Scott City will play the Pratt Greenbacks Thursday evening at 6:30 in the first-ever Class 4A, Division II State Basketball Tournament at Hartman Arena in Park City. The Greenbacks rallied in the final minute of double overtime to defeat Larned 70-69 Saturday night in Russell to improve to 12-11 on the season. Pratt and Scott City last played in 2010, when the Greenbacks and Beavers were in the now-defunct Mid State Activities Association. Other games in the state tournament on Thursday include the top seed Andale (20-2) facing eighth-seed Iola (10-12) at 3, Holton vs Eudora who have 17-5 records, play at 4:45. The 8:15 pm game features the third-seed Concordia (18-4) taking on the sixth seed Girard (12-10).