Holcomb and Scott City split GWAC games

Holcomb, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Friday night’s GWAC doubleheader between Holcomb and Scott City saw to league rivals match up, and it turned out that both games would be contested to the end. In the end, it would be a split of the double header, as the Lady Beavers rallied to win 49-45, and the Longhorn boys would hold on for a 48-45 win. 

Scott City 49, Holcomb 45
Holcomb led for all but the last few minutes of the game. Scott City would start out sluggish early on, committing five turnovers in their first five possessions. The Lady Longhorns would lead 8-5 after the first period, and pushed their lead to 10 at 19-9 with 3:07 left before halftime. However, the Lady Beavers responded with a 7-2 run to pull to within 21-16 at the break. Holcomb would start out hot in the second half, and built their lead to 31-20 with three minutes left in the third period. Scott City would once again come back and pull to within five at 33-28 heading into the fourth quarter. In the final eight minutes, the Lady Longhorns scored the first points, only to see the Lady Beavers score eight straight to lead 36-35 with 5:13 left. Holcomb would take the lead back at 42-41 with 1:55 left, and that would be their last lead. Scott City would be clutch at the line down the stretch, hitting 9-13 free throws in the final quarter, and sealed the deal with 11 seconds left to lead 49-45, which would be the final.

Brooke Strine led the Lady Beavers with 12 points, while Amber Latta added 11. Scott City was 19-28 from the free throw line, and had 17 turnovers. Jera Kruleski led Holcomb with 14 points, as they were 10-20 at the foul line, and finished with 19 turnovers.

With the win, Scott City has now won five consecutive times in Holcomb, and have won 10 of the last 13 games in the series. The Lady Longhorns lead the series 30-27.

Scott City 5-11-12-21-49
Holcomb  8-13-12-12-45

Scott City (5-12, 2-1): Rumford 2 2-3 6; Strine 4 4-8 12; Latta 4 3-4 11; Felker 2 5-7 9; Cupp 0 4-4 4; Patton 2 1-2 7; Team: 14 19-28 49
Holcomb (4-12, 1-2): Kruleski 5 4-6 14; Rodriguez 0 0-1 0; McVey 0 0-0 0; Jones 2 1-1 5; Blackburn 2 0-0 5; Holliday 3 1-2 7; Cornelson 1 3-7 5; Ruda 4 1-3 9; Team: 17 10-20 45

Three Pointers: Scott City 2 (Patton 2), Holcomb 1 (Blackburn 1); Rebounds: Scott City 24, Holcomb 25; Turnovers: Scott City 17, Holcomb 19; Fouls: Scott City 18, Holcomb 20; Fouled Out: Holcomb (Kruleski, Ruda).

Coach Amy Felker Postgame

Holcomb Boys 48, Scott City 45
This game would see very little separation throughout, and would come down to the last shot. Scott City would take the early lead at 10-7 after the first quarter, and lead for a majority of the second quarter, until Holcomb rallied for a 9-2 run over the final 2:28 of the first half to take a 21-18 halftime lead. The Beavers tied it early in the second half, only to see the Longhorns score five straight to lead 26-21 early in the second half. Then the teams would trade baskets throughout the final 2:53 of the third quarter and Holcomb ended up with a one point lead after three periods at 35-34. They would build their lead up to 43-36 with 5:23 left, and saw the Beavers pull to within four with 2:43 left at 45-41. The Longhorns were unable to put the game away at the line, and Scott City would get to within 47-45 with 45 seconds left. Holcomb hit one of their final four three throws in the final minute to lead 48-45. With three seconds left, the Beavers had one final chance, but a three point attempt missed and the Longhorns were able to survive.

Zephyn Mason led the way for Holcomb with 26 points. The Longhorns went just 3-14 from the foul line and had 14 turnovers. Scott City got 13 from Carter Gooden, a career-high 12 from Austin Thon and 10 from Gus Hawkins. The Beavers finished 7-8 from the line and had 15 turnovers. Both teams played shorthanded, as Scott City was without Josh Rosin, while Holcomb was without Cooper Autry.

With the win, Holcomb swept the season series for the first time since 2018, and has now won three straight in the series. Scott City still leads the series 32-28. 

Scott City 10-8-16-11-45
Holcomb  7-14-14-13-48

Scott City (3-13, 0-3): King 0 0-0 0; Stevens 0 0-0 0; Thon 4 0-0 11; Culp 0 0-0 0; Hawkins 4 2-3 10; Bailey 2 0-0 6; Metzger 1 0-0 3; Thomas 0 2-2 2; Gooden 5 3-3 13; Team: 16 7-8 45
Holcomb (12-4, 3-0): Sizemore 2 1-4 6; Mesa 2 1-7 5; Long 1 0-0 2; Mason 11 0-0 26; VanPelt 3 0-1 7; Johnson 1 0-0 3; See 0 0-0 0; Tichenor 0 1-2 1; Team: 20 3-14 49

Three Pointers: Scott City 6 (Thon 3, Bailey 2, Metzger 1); Holcomb 5 (Mason 3, VanPelt 1, Johnson 1); Rebound: Scott City 21, Holcomb 23; Turnovers: Scott City 15, Holcomb 14; Fouls: Scott City 14, Holcomb 14; Fouled Out: None.

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame

Scott City’s boys will play at Cimarron Saturday afternoon at 4:15 pm, and both the boys and girls will host Colby Tuesday. Holcomb hosts Cimarron on Tuesday.