Scott City boys win, girls lose Orange & Black Tournament openers

Colby, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Tournament openers can be tough just for the sole purpose in knowing about your competition. Thursday’s games for Scott City in the 31st Paul Wintz/Tom Bowen Orange & Black Classic saw rematches against teams they face a year ago. Like last year, both games saw the same team winning, as the Lady Beavers fell to the defending tournament champions Pine Creek 47-14, while the boys knocked of Kansas City Schlagle 60-45 in the Colby Community Building.

Girls
Not only did the Beavers and Eagles come in with first year coaches, they both entered the opening day with win streaks. Pine Creek (10-3) came in with a six-game win streak, and led early 6-2, only to see the Lady Beavers make a comeback to tie the game at six late in the first quarter. The Lady Eagles would take control the rest of the way, scoring late in the opening eight minutes to take an 8-6 lead, and score all 12 points in the second period to lead 20-6 at the break. Scott City (3-6) went on a 12:49 scoring drought, as the Lady Eagles scored 15 straight in that frame. In the second and third quarters combined, Pine Creek went on a 23-2 run and led 31-8 after three quarters. They also used a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter that forced a running clock midway through the fourth quarter, en route to the win. The Lady Beavers saw a two-game winning streak come to an end, as they were led by Nicole Latta, Kiana Yager and Piage Winderlin with four points each. Spencer Lindsay led the way for Pine Creek with 16 points. 

Boys
Scott City came in winning three of their last four games, while Kansas City Schlagle had dropped two straight. In a rematch of last year’s semi-final game, the Beavers never trailed, despite five ties in the game. After leading 12-10 after the first quarter, Scott City (6-3) stretched their lead to as many as nine points with 1:59 left before halftime at 27-18, which capped off an 8-0 run. The Beavers would extend their lead in the opening seconds of the second half at 30-20, only to see the Stallions make a comeback. KC Schlagle (3-8) fought back, hitting three three-pointers, and an old-fashioned three point play, as they pulled to within 38-35 after three quarters. The Stallions scored the first two points of the fourth quarter to get to within one, but never threatened after that. Scott City used runs of eight and seven to build their biggest lead to 57-41 with 1:48 remaining. The Beavers scored their final three points from the foul line as they advanced to the championship semi-final round, and their 12th straight Orange & Black Tournament win. Bo Hess tied a career high 26 points, matching his 26 he scored just 13 days ago against Colby in the same building, while Dylan Hutchins had 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. Schlagle was led by Jordan Young with 12 and Ronnell Mitchell with 11.

Assistant Coach Brian Gentry Postgame

Scott City will take on both Fountain Fort Carson teams on Friday. The Lady Beavers will play at Colby High School at 3 pm, while the boys will play at the Community Building at 4:45. Fountain Fort Carson’s girls lost to Palmer Ridge 69-44, while the Trojan boys surprised Palmer Ridge 64-56.