Cimarron girls hold off Scott City
Larned, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–More times than not, it is difficult to defeat a team three times in a season. Thursday’s second semi-final matchup between Cimarron and Scott City was a first in the series, as the two teams have not played three times in a season. It was not only the second straight sub-state semi-final matchup between the schools, but it was alos the third straight postseason matchup. The Lady Bluejays would lead for a vast majority of the night, and withstand every Lady Beaver rally, as they advanced to Saturday’s sub-state championship game in Larned with a 51-44 win.
Scott City would grab the first basket of the game, only to see Cimarron go on a pair of runs. Their first would be a 6-0 run, and following a couple Lady Beaver free throws, a 9-0 run put the Lady Bluejays up 15-4 with 7:36 left in the first half. Scott City rallied to within 15-8, before an 8-2 run over the next three minutes gave Cimarron a 23-10 lead with two minutes left before the break. The Lady Beavers scored the final four points to grab some momentum back to make it 23-14 at the break.
In the third quarter, Scott City started out on a tear, using an 11-3 run to get to within 26-25 with five minutes left in the third frame. The Lady Beavers had a couple of chances to regain the lead, but fell short each time. After Cimarron went up 28-26 with 3:07 left in the third quarter, Scott City had one more chance to tie the game up or retake the lead. The Lady Bluejays would close out the final two minutes of the third period on a 10-0 run to lead 38-26 heading into the final quarter.
Cimarron grew their lead to 48-33 with 4:44 left. The Lady Beavers were unable to get any closer than seven down the stretch, as they would fall 51-44.
McKayla Miller led the way for Cimarron with 19 points, while Emily Acton and Caitlyn Sonday added 10 points apiece. The Lady Bluejays went 7-20 at the foul line and had 18 turnovers. Scott City was led by Brooke Strine’s 17 points and Amber Latta finished with 13. The Lady Beavers went 10-23 at the line and committed 18 turnovers.
With the win, Cimarron has won three straight in the series, the longest since they won three straight in the series from 2013-2016. They lead the series 13-9, and snapped a three-game losing streak to Scott City in postseason play. Both teams have faced each other six times in sub-state play, with both teams winning three times each. The Lady Bluejays are in their second sub-state in three seasons, and their third in the past five seasons. Scott City’s 12-game sub-state win streak came to end that started in 2017.
Scott City 4-10-12-18-44
Cimarron 13-10-15-13-51
Scott City (6-16): Rumford 1 1-2 3; Strine 7 3-7 17; Latta 5 3-5 13; Ford 0 0-0 0; Felker 2 2-4 6; Cramer 1 0-0 2; Cupp 0 0-4 4; Stevens 0 0-0 0; Patton 1 1-1 3; Team: 17 10-23 44
Cimarron (17-5): Fugitt 0 0-0 0; Jantz 1 0-1 2; Jac. Wilson 1 2-4 2; Jay. Wilson 3 0-2 6; Acton 4 2-3 10; Carter 0 0-2 0; Miller 6 3-7 19; Sonday 5 0-2 10; Team: 20 7-21 51
Three Pointers: Scott City 0, Cimarron 4 (Miller 4); Rebounds: Scott City 33, Cimarron 23; Turnovers: Scott City 18, Cimarron 18; Fouls: Scott City 19, Cimarron 20; Fouled Out: None.
Coach Amy Felker Postgame
Cimarron will face Hugoton Saturday afternoon at 2 pm in Larned for the Class 3A Sub-State Championship. Hugoton started out hot and never looked back, as they defeated Holcomb 68-23 in the first game Thursday evening in Larned. Both teams met up in the 2017 sub-state championship in Lyons. The Lady Eagles would win, en route to the Class 3A State Championship. Scott City is projected to return their entire lineup, as they did not have a senior on their roster for a second time in the past three seasons.
