Scott City girls pull away to advance to sub-state title game
Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Out of the four teams remaining in the Cimarron Sub-State entering Friday, the two teams with the best records remaining met up with the chance to fill the final spot of the championship game on Saturday. Scott City and Cimarron also met up for a second time this year, but this one would be on Cimarron’s home court. The teams would show nerves early on, and in the end, it would belong to the Lady Beavers, who gradually built their lead to advance to Saturday’s sub-state championship game with a 50-31 win over the Lady Bluejays at Cimarron High School.
Cimarron would lead early, with their last lead coming at 8-6 with 1:34 left in the opening eight minutes of play. After Emily Weathers’ three pointer gave the Lady Beavers a 9-8 lead with 1:19 left in the first quarter, Scott City would not trail the rest of the night. That basket led the Lady Beavers on a 9-0 run, as they took a 15-8 lead with 5:23 left in the first half. The teams traded baskets to close the half, as Scott City led 19-12 at the break.
To begin the second half, the Lady Beavers scored the first four points to get their first double digit lead at 23-12 at the 4:53 mark of the third frame. Cimarron would get it as close as nine the rest of the way, as Scott City (19-3) took a 32-18 lead after three quarters.
A three pointer put the Lady Beavers up 35-18 in the opening seconds of the fourth period, the Lady Bluejays were unable to get a run going, as Scott City pulled away, and led by as many as 22 late in the game at 50-28, before Cimarron (14-8) drained a three pointer late to make the final 50-31. The Lady Beavers would go 11-14 at the charity line in the final quarter.
Brynn McCormick led the way for Scott City with 17 points, while Emily Weathers added 13 and Lyndi Rumford had 12. They ended up finishing with 13 turnovers, and went 19-27 for the game at the free throw line. McKayla Miller led Cimarron with 13 points, as they were just 5-8 at the foul line. The Lady Bluejays committed 18 turnovers, and were outrebounded 32-27.
With the win, Scott City has won four straight in the series, which is the longest for them in the series history, and are 3-2 against the Lady Bluejays in the postseason. Cimarron leads the series 10-9. The Lady Beavers are at 19 wins for the second time in three seasons, and it’s the fourth time in school history they have hit that mark. It’s also their fourth consecutive sub-state championship appearance, which is the longest streak in program history.
Scott City will play Goodland for a fourth time on Saturday at 6 pm in Cimarron. The Cowgirls rallied from a six-point deficit in the third quarter to take a 48-43 win over Holcomb in the first game on Friday. Goodland is 12-10, and have won three straight, as they knocked off the Lady Beavers on February 27 in overtime 49-46. Scott City won the other two meetings 54-48 on January 7 in Scott City, and 51-37 in the Colby Orange & Black on January 24. This is the Cowgirls’ first trip to the sub-state final since 2014.
Coach Sarah McCormick Postgame
