History made! Scott City hangs on for first-ever state berth
Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–What a difference two years makes. Scott City finished 3-18 for a third straight year, and was an eight seed in their sub-state. The players who were on that team hit the lowest of lows, and now have helped turn the tides in an upward direction. Their efforts over the last two seasons have paid off, as the Lady Beavers overcame two fairly long scoring droughts to clinch their first-ever state tournament bid, by knocking off Holcomb 45-42 Saturday night, in front of a full gymasium at Scott Community High School. It was Scott City’s first sub-state final appearance since 2002.
The Lady Beavers started out blazing, hitting their first three shots, and led 10-1 with4:30 remaining in the first quarter. After taking an 11-3 lead, the Scott City went cold, going on a 5:12 drought. Holcomb rallied to pull to within 11-10 at the end of the first quarter, and used a 13-4 run to take their first lead at 23-20 with 1:12 left in the first half. The Lady Longhorns were unable to build a lead larger than three, and their last lead came with 1:18 left in the third quarter at 33-31. Scott City (13-9) closed out the final quarter with four straight points to take a 35-33 lead into the fourth quarter. In the final eight minutes, the game kept the crowd on the edge of their seasts. Holcomb (8-14) tied the game at 35 with 6:03 left on a pair of free throws. Thirty seconds later, Bailey Latta drained a three pointer that sparked a 7-0 run by the Lady Beavers, giving them a 42-35 lead with 3:57 remaining in the game. The Lady Longhorns made only one field goal in the fourth quarter, and that one sparked a 7-0 run of their own over a three-minute stretch to tie the game at 42 with 57 seconds remaining. Despite not having a field goal in the final 4:30 of the game, Scott City was able to hit free throws down the stretch. The Lady Beavers hit five of seven free throws, that included a pair from Macie Price with 5.4 seconds remaining to give them a 45-42 lead. Madison Shapland gave Scott City the lead for good by going one out of two at the free throw line just 15 seconds earlier. Holcomb would be called for traveling with 0.7 seconds remaining, and the Lady Beavers were able to inbound the ball cleanly, ensuring themselves a trip to Emporia.
Three players led the way for Scott City, as Kiana Yager led the way with 11 points, while Bailey Latta and Macie Price had 10 points apiece. The Lady Beavers were 13-17 at the free throw line, and cut down their turnovers from the previous night, as they finished with 16 turnovers. HOlcomb was led by Eboni Sapien with 13 points, and Madison Ruda with 11 off the bench. The Lady Longhrons were 16-21 at the free throw line, and outrebounded Scott City 26-22.
With the win, Scott City won their third straight in the series over Holcomb, all coming this year. It was their first win over the Lady Longhorns in postseason history, as Holcomb defeated the Lady Beavers in their lone postseason meeting 58-45 on February 28, 2011 in the first round of sub-state play. It was Holcomb’s first sub-state championship appearance in three seasons. As for Scott City, what a turnaround it as been. They’ve won 20 games over the past two seasons, after winning only 21 games over the previous five seasons.
Coach Sarah McCormick Postgame
Scott City will be the fifth or sixth seed in the Class 4A, Division II State Tournament at White Auditorium in Emporia on Thursday. Larned also shares the same record as the Lady Beavers. Girard will be the top seed (21-10), defending champion Clay Center will be the second seed (20-2), Jefferson West the third seed (18-4), Burlington the fourth seed (17-5), Andale the seventh seed (12-10) and Topeka-Hayeden the eighth seed (9-13).
