Hugoton sweeps GWAC doubleheader from Scott City

Hugoton, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Friday night’s doubleheader with Hugoton and Scott City kicked off the second half of the league slate. Both games would be games that had postseason implications as well. In the end, the Eagles would come out victorious, as the girls rallied late to force overtime and win 53-49, while the Hugoton boys used a long run to win 60-50.

Hugoton Girls 53, Scott City 49, OT
In a matchup of evenly-matched teams, it would be Hugoton that got out to the hot start, and finish in extra time. Scott City got out to a 9-8 lead before the Lady Eagles would retake the lead 10-9 after the first quarter. Hugoton began the second quarter on a 9-1 run to lead 19-10 with 4:41 left before the break. The Lady Beavers responded with a 9-2 run of their own to pull to within 21-19 before break, but the final five points of the have belonged to Hugoton (9-4, 4-1 GWAC), as they took a 26-19 lead at intermission. Scott City came out firing in the second half, using a 16-9 run to tie the game at 35 with 1:29 left in the third frame. The Lady Eagles took a 37-35 lead into the fourth quarter, and led 44-42 with 2:41 left. After that, the Lady Beavers responded with five straight, and led 47-44 with 1:32 remaining. Scott City (13-2, 4-2) led 49-46 with 52.9 seconds left, but two costly turnovers and two fouls opened the door, and Hugoton would hit three of four free throws, tying the game at 49 with 21.8 seconds left in regulation. The Lady Beavers missed a game-winning three-point attempt, and the teams would play an extra four minutes. It would be all Lady Eagles in overtime, as they scored all four of the points. Hugoton would put the final point on the board with four seconds left in overtime. They missed the second free throw, but it was learned later that a lane violation was called on Scott City, and the Lady Eagles hit the free throw, ending Scott City’s seven-game winning streak.

Leading the way for the Lady Eagles was Mikyn Hamlin with 17 points, while McKenna Hamlin had 12 and Gianna Vos added 10. Hugoton was 17-24 at the line and finished unofficially with 19 turnovers. Lyndi Rumford led Scott City with 18 points, while Emily Weathers added 16. The Lady Beavers shot 15-18 at the free throw line and had 16 turnovers. Hugoton dominated the rebounding battle 33-21. The game saw four ties and six lead changes.

With the win, Scott City’s three-game win streak over the Lady Eagles came to an end. Since 1989, Hugoton leads the series 22-12. It also snapped a two-game win streak by the Lady Beavers in Hugoton.

Hugoton Boys 60, Scott City 50
Hugoton was looking to be remain the lone unbeaten team in GWAC play, while the Beavers looked to inch closer to the top of the league standings. Early on, there were three ties and four lead changes. Scott City came out executing early, and led 17-10 with 30 seconds remaining in the first period, before the Eagles rallied for four straight to pull to within 17-14 after one quarter. The Beavers maintained the lead for the first half of the second quarter, with their last lead coming with 4:19 left before the break at 24-22. Hugoton (10-3, 5-0 GWAC) would take over and take over in a big way. They went on a 12-0 run to end the half, and led 34-24 at recess. After Scott City (8-7, 3-3) pulled to within 37-28 with 6:47 left in the third, the Eagles responded with a 12-1 to take their biggest lead of the night at 49-29 with 2:40 left in the third frame. The Beavers would make a push, going on a 14-2 run and got to within 51-43 with 6:13 left. They wouldn’t trail by fewer than 10 the rest of the night. Hugoton responded with a 9-2 run over four minutes and put the game away, taking a 60-50 win.

Wyatt Angell led the Eagles with 13 points, while Sawyer Harper and Haden Daharsh had 11 points apiece. Hugoton went 9-11 from the charity line and had 13 turnovers. Scott City got 14 points from Hunter Yager, as they went 7-10 from the foul line and had seven turnovers. The Eagles had a 33-13 edge on the glass.

With the win, Hugoton has now won seven straight in the series, and nine out of last 11, going back to 2015. Scott City still leads the series since 1989 18-15.

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame