Hugoton takes two in Scott City
Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–The month of January may be the most grueling month of basketball, with mid-season tournaments and upwards of nine to 10 games. Friday night’s doubleheader saw Scott City and Hugoton battle in their final games before their midseason tournaments. For the second straight year, it was the Eagles taking two games in Scott City, as the Lady Eagles pulled away in a 69-37 win, while the Hugoton boys got three points in the final 30 seconds to escape with a 41-39 win.
Girls
The tempo was set at a fast pace early on, and Scott City surprised Hugoton by matching it. With three lead changes and four ties, the Lady Beavers led 19-16 after the first quarter of play. Scott City (5-4, 3-1 GWAC) would lead by as many as five at 23-18 with 6:08 before the break, but foul trouble by key players would doom them. Hugoton would go an an 18-0 run over,and hold the Lady Beavers without a point over a 5:43 span, as the Lady Eagles led 34-25 at intermission. In the third quarter, runs of 10, seven, and eight ignited Hugoton (8-1, 4-0 GWAC), as they exploded to a 62-33 lead after three quarters. The final eight minutes saw a running clock for a majority of it, as the Lady Eagles outscored the Lady Beavers 7-4, to win their 24th consecutive GWAC game. Hugoton got a game-high 21 points from Katy Heger, 20 from Amy Scott and 10 from Dallie Hoskinson. The Lady Eagles were 16-25 at the free throw line, and committed only eight turnovers. Scott City was led by Emily Weathers with a career-high 15 points. The Lady Beavers were 6-7 from the foul line, but committed a season-high 27 turnovers. Hugoton has now won 11 consecutive vs Scott City
Coach Sarah McCormick Postgame
Boys
In a fairly evenly-matched ball game, Scott City and Hugoton have had good battles the last two seasons, including this year. Friday night’s game saw seven lead changes and two ties. Both teams tied at eight after the first quarter, and the Beavers took a 22-21 lead at the break. It was the three-point shooting that propelled the Eagles on this night. Hugoton (8-1, 4-0 GWAC) got their first three baskets by three-pointers, while Scott City battle back in the paint. After the Beavers took the 22-21 lead at the break, the Eagles opened up the third quarter on an 11-3 run to lead 32-25 with 4:17 left in the third quarter. Scott City (5-4, 1-3) would slowly chip away in the second half. The Beavers pulled to within 33-32 after three quarter,s and had ample opportunities to retake the lead early in the fourth quarter, but costly turnovers prevented them. Their first lead of the half came on the Jordan Horn pull up jumper with 2:11 remaining. After Scott City split a pair of free throws with 46.7 seconds left, Hugoton’s next possession ended in an Anthony Kinser three-point play to give the Eagles a 40-39 lead with 30.1 seconds left. The Eagles split a pair of free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining. The Beavers had one last chance as Horn’s 30-foot three-point attempt just went short, and Hugoton leaves Scott City with the win. Hugoton got 10 points apiece from Carter Brown and Mitchell Hamlin. The Eagles hit seven three’s in the game and were only 4-12 at the foul line. Scott City was led by Bo Hess with 16 points and Jordan Horn with 13. The Beavers committed 12 turnovers, and were only 5-9 at the charity line. This is the first time that Hugoton has won two straight in Scott city since the 1993-94 season and the 1995-96 season, when both teams were out of conference foes. The Beavers have lost three straight at home for the first time since the 2003-04 season, which was the last time they have lost three straight league games.
Coach Brian Gentry Postgame
Scott City will play in the Paul Wintz/Tom Bowen Oange & Black Classic, beginning Thursday, January 19. The girls face Pueblo East at 3 pm, while the boys play Fountain Ft. Carson at 4:45, with both games in the Colby Community Building. Hugoton faces Lyons in both the boys and girls games in the opening round of the Sterling Tournament on Monday.
