Scott City girls, Lakin boys take home wins

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Coming off midseason tournament play, Scott City hosted Lakin in a pair of games that featured not only a pair of tournament champions from Saturday, but also a pair of teams that are in the Colby Sub-State this year. While one game would turn out lopsided, one would end with free throws down the stretch. Both games saw the tournament champions from the weekend come out with wins. Neither game saw a lead change, as the Lady Beavers posted a 64-32 win, while the Bronc boys hang on late for a 73-65 win.

Girls
Scott City was coming off a high they haven’t experienced in 23 years. Winning their first Colby Orange & Black since 1995, the Lady Beavers met up with a struggling Lakin team. One thing that Scott City didn’t do was overlook their opponent. They jumped out to a 4-0 run before the Lady Broncs got on the board. The Lady Beavers would then go on a 12-0 run, and eventually take a 21-5 lead after the first quarter. Scott City (11-1) used runs on 12, 10, eight and 10 in the game. A 13-2 run to start the second quarter put them up 34-7 with under three minutes left, and then an 8-3 run gave them a 44-14 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Lady Beavers hit two straight three’s to open the third quarter to have their biggest lead of the night at 50-14. Lakin (2-10) scored seven straight to pull to within 29 midway through the third frame. Scott City eventually led 55-23 going into the fourth quarter. With a continuous clock and a 32-point margin, the fourth quarter saw both teams score nine points, as both teams cleared the bench in the end.

Three players led Scott City in double figures, with Emily Weathers leading the charge with 16, Emily Smith had 15 and Macie Price added 11. The Lady Beavers were 10-20 at the free throw line and committed just nine turnovers. A total of 10 players scored for Scott City out of 13 that entered the game. Lakin got 13 points from Jaya Esquibel. They were only 1-7 at the foul line and had 26 turnovers.

Scott City has now won eight straight games, their long streak since the 2008-09 season. It’s also the first time the Lady Beavers have knocked off Lakin in back to back years since the 2011 and 2012 seasons, and their biggest victory over the Lady Broncs since January 30, 2009, when they won 64-22. The series is tied at 21 apiece since 1984.

Boys
Lakin has been known for their three-points shooting entering Tuesday’s game, coming in averaging over 30 attempts per contest. While the Broncs got off to a good start, Scott City couldn’t have gotten off to any worse of a start. Lakin jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first minutes before the Beavers scored, and eventually turned that into a 23-2 run, before leading 23-5 after the first quarter. Scott City was only able to hit one field goal in the first eight minutes. The Beavers were persistent, and used a 9-2 run to pull to within 30-16 with about four minutes left in the half. Lakin (10-2) closed the final two minutes on a 9-4 run to take a 44-24 halftime lead.

The Broncs extended their lead to 22 early in the third quarter at 48-26. Scott City (5-7) would slowly start to dwindle the deficit, scoring the final five points of the third quarter to pull to within 58-42 after three quarters. After a Lakin basket to being the fourth quarter, Scott City started making their comeback. A 6-0 run got the Beavers to within 12 with 5:48 left at 60-48. Eventually, they got the deficit to eight with 2:52 at 64-56, before Lakin pushed it back up to 69-59 with 1:47 left. Scott City would pull to within six, with the last coming at 71-65 with seven seconds left. Lakin hit a pair of free throws to escape Scott City with a 73-65 win.

Lakin hit six three’s in the first quarter, and 10 by the break. They ended up hitting 13 for the game. The Broncs got 23 each from Diego Davila and Hunter Kirby, while Dawsen Shalberg added 16. Lakin was 19-29 at the foul line and finished with 12 turnovers, 11 coming in the second half. Scott City was led by Jordan Horn’s 22 points and Marshal Faurot added 15. The Beavers were 14-19 at the free throw line and finished with 14 turnovers.

With the win, Lakin snaps a 14-game losing streak to Scott City, and had lost nine straight in Scott City. It was the first win for the Broncs in the series since January 25, 2008, when they won 64-61. Scott City has won 34 of 45 games in the series since 1986.

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame

Scott City will host Goodland on Friday, the second night of six straight home games. The Cowboys snapped a four-game losing streak with a 67-54 win at Wray, while the Cowgirls fell to Wray 64-39. Lakin will return home, hosting Wiley, CO on Friday.