Scott City and Ulysses split doubleheader

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Tuesday night’s GWAC doubleheader between Scott City and Ulysses were a pair of highly-contested games. In their first of two meetings on the year, the games did not disappoint at Scott Community High School, as the Lady Tigers hung on for a 47-43 win, while the Beaver boys pulled away in the fourth quarter to take a 56-45 win.

Ulysses Girls 47, Scott City 43
There were 10 lead changes and eight ties in the contest. Scott City led early 3-0 before Ulysses went on a 9-2 run, and led 9-7 after the first quarter. The Lady Beavers struggled mightily from the field, hitting just one of their first 23 shots from the floor, but never trailed by more than six points at 13-7 with 3:21 left in the first half. Scott City would close the half out on an 11-4 run and lead 18-17 at the break. Following a 22-17 Lady Beaver lead early in the second half, Ulysses (7-1, 2-1 GWAC) went on a 7-0 run to take a 24-22 lead with 4:58 left in the third quarter. Both teams traded baskets, before Scott City led 28-26 heading into the fourth quarter. In the final frame, the intensity picked up, as did the fouling. The Lady Tigers would have three players foul out, including Madison Haney Riley Oglevie, and Gina Ballesteros, their three leading scorers. Scott City (5-3, 3-1) had Emily Weathers foul out. The Lady Beavers jumped out early in the fourth quarter to take a 31-26 lead, only to see Ulysses tie the game with 5:07 remaining at 35. After that, the lead was exchanged four more times. Trailing 43-42 with under a minute to go, Luz Gomez carried the Lady Tigers with the teams last five points, and went 4-5 at the line to push the score up to 47-43 with 7.5 seconds left, as they would escape with the win. Scott City was unable to expand on their lead past two in the final four minutes of the game, and saw a three-game win streak come to an end.

Luz Gomez finished with a team-high 15 points for Ulysses. They were 15-26 at the line, including a 10-16 performance in the final period. Scott City got career highs from Lyndi Rumford and Brynn McCormick, who finished with 20 points, as only four players scored for the Lady Beavers. They shot 17-23 from the foul line and had 20 turnovers. Ulysses won the rebounding edge 29-27.

With the win, Ulysses has now won two straight over Scott City, after the Lady Beavers had won the previous five. Both the wins for the Lady Tigers have come in Scott City.

Coach Sarah McCormick Postgame

Scott City Boys 56, Ulysses 45
While the first half was mostly controlled by Scott City, Ulysses made things interesting in the second half. While the Tigers scored the first two points of the game, the Beavers used a 15-0 run to take a 15-2 lead with 2:49 remaining in the first quarter. Ulysses worked their way back in the game without any big runs, and pulled to within 18-9 after the first eight minutes, using a 7-3 run in the final 2:36. Scott City’s lead would not go past double digits in the second period, as the Tigers had an 8-1 run to get to within 25-24 with 1:35 left in the half. The teams would trade baskets to give the Beavers a 27-26 lead at the break. Ulysses started off the second half on a 6-2 run to lead 32-29 with 4:26 left in the third quarter. Scott City (5-3, 3-1 GWAC) closed out the final 90 seconds of the third frame with a 6-2 run to take a 38-37 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Ulysses (5-3, 2-1) led 41-40 with 4:51 left, and that would be their final lead of the night. Marhsall Faurot drilled a three pointer to give the Beavers a 43-41 lead with 4:31 left. That sparked a 16-4 run for Scott City to close the game. The defense in the end would carry the Beavers, as they held the Tigers to a season-low in points. Ulysses previously had a season-low 47 points on December 6 against Guymon in the Blue & Red Classic in Hugoton.

Leading the charge for Scott City was Parker Vulgamore, who had a career-high 17 points, while Marshall Faurot had 16 and Joe Evans had a career-high 11 points. The Beavers finished 16-23 from the line, including a 9-14 performance in the final quarter. Scott City finished with 15 turnovers. Ulysses got 11 points apiece from Josh Hickman and Devin Walker, and Victor Perez added 10. The Tigers were 3-3 from the free throw line, all coming in the first half, and they finished with 10 turnovers. Scott City won the rebounding battle 34-17.

With the win, Scott City has now won three straight in the series, and 16 out of the last 18 since 2010.

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame