Lady Beavers survive against Norton
Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Sometimes you just have to suvive. That’s what Scott City did on Thursday night at home against the Norton Lady Bluejays in the opening round of the Class 3A Sub-State Tournament inside the Scott Community Events Center. While the offense struggled, it was the defense that helped win the day, as the Lady Beavers survived and advanced to the sub-state semis with a 37-35 win to advance to Tuesday’s matchup with Holcomb.
Norton jumped out early to a 4-0 lead, as they forced a couple early Lady Beaver turnovers. Scott City bounced back with five straight, only to see the Lady Bluejays close the quarter out on a 6-2 run to lead 11-7 after the opening frame. The Lady Beavers would force several turnovers in the second quarter, and limit Norton to just one field goal, as they used a 16-7 run to build a 23-18 halftime lead. After Scott City (13-8) opened the second half scoring with a free throw, the Lady Bluejays would put in back to back three’s to tie the game at 24 with 6:44 left in the third quarter. Neither team would score over the next five minutes, until the Lady Beavers closed out the final 1:28 of the third stanza with seven straight to take a 31-24 lead into the fourth quarter. For most of the final period, Norton (9-13) was unable to get any closer than five, as the teams traded baskets. Scott City took a 37-30 lead with 1:46 remaining, but would not be able to put the game away. The Lady Bluejays hit a basket to pull to within five. As Norton got closer, Scott City missed all four of their free throws in the final quarter. The Lady Bluejays would hit only three of six in teh final 20 seconds, as the Lady Beavers were able to hang on for the 37-35 win.
Avery Lewis led all scorers with 14 points to lead Scott City. The Lady Beavers struggled at the free throw line, going just 6-19 on the night and had 16 turnovers. Norton was led by KcAnna Keiswetter with 11 points and Hallie Brooks with 10. The Lady Bluejays shot 14-20 at the charity line, but had 26 turnovers.
With the win, Scott City improved to 3-1 all-time against Norton. It was the first time in the series that it was played on either teams home court. The first two games in 1987 and 2018 were in sub-state play, while the 2019 game was in the state quarterfinals. All four games in the series have been decided by nine points or less. It was Scott City’s first sub-state home game since 2020.
Coach Justin Faurot Postgame
Box Score
Norton 11 7 6 11–35
Scott City 7 16 8 6–37
Norton (9-13): McClain 2 0-0 4; Collins 1 1-2 3; Cox 1 1-2 4; Keiswetter 2 6-8 11; Brooks 2 6-6 10; Clark 0 0-2 0; Fahrenbruch 1 0-0 3; Team: 9 14-20 35
Scott City (13-8): K. Gentry 2 0-2 4; Fox 1 3-6 5; Metzger 0 0-0 0; Irvin 1 0-2 2; P. Gentry 1 0-0 2; Weatehrs 2 0-0 4; Lewis 5 3-4 14; Felker 1 0-0 2; Trout 2 0-3 4; Team: 15 6-19 37
Three-Point Goals: Norton 3 (Cox 1, Keiswetter 1, Fahrenbruch 1), Scott City 1 (Lewis 1); Turnovers: Norton 26, Scott City 16; Fouls: Norton 21, Scott City 18; Fouled Out: Norton (McClain, Brooks), Scott City (Trout).
Scott City will travel to Holcomb on Tuesday night for the sub-state semi-finals. The Lady Longhorns dominated Hoisington in a 76-35 rout. All the top seeds advanced in the Scott City region, as Beloit beat Lakin 60-38, and Southwestern Heights defeated Lyons 48-12. In the other sub-state, Colby thumped Nickerson 69-18, Russell defeated Larned 57-43, Ellsworth knocked off Kingman 54-38 and Goodland defeated Cimarron 44-19.
