Scott City picks up a pair of wins to open Orange & Black play

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–The Scott City basketball teams opened up play in the 34th Annual Paul Wintz/Tom Bowen Orange & Black Classic on Thursday afternoon in the Colby Community Building against a pair of teams that they’ve had recent history with. Just like their previous matchups, the Beavers were able to advance to Friday’s championship semi-final games. The Lady Beavers took down Fountain Fort Carson 56-40, while the boys rallied for a 55-47 win over Hays.

Scott City Girls 56, Fountain Fort Carson 40
When Scott City and Fountain Fort Carson met up three years ago, both teams were struggling with their programs. Three years later, it has been a turnaround from where they were. The Lady Beavers led from start to finish, as they scored the first seven points, two minutes into the game. Fountain Fort Carson responded with a 7-2 run over the next couple minutes to pull to within 9-7 with 3:05 left in the opening quarter. Scott City bounced back and would go on an 11-1 run over a five-minute stretch, leading 20-8 with 5:51 left before halftime. The Lady Trojans would pull to with 23-17 with a little over a minute before halftime, before Scott City scored the final five points of the half to take a 28-17 halftime lead.

Fountain Fort Carson (9-3) made one big surge to start the second half. They scored the first eight points in a little over 100 seconds to pull to within 28-25 with 6:19 left in the third frame. Scott City (6-3) went on a run, that was too much for the Lady Trojans to overcome. A 17-0 run over three and a half minutes give the Lady Beavers a 45-25 lead with two minutes remaining in the third period. The closest Fountain Fort Carson came the rest of the afternoon was at the end at 56-40, as they had to score the final seven points of the game. Scott City’s biggest lead was at 23 at 56-33 with 2:07 left.

Leading the way for Scott City was Emily Weathers with a career-high 25 points. Seven Lady Beavers scored in the game. They were 5-12 from the line and had 22 turnovers. Samiyah Worrell led Fountain Fort Carson with 11 points. The Lady Trojans shot 10-21 from the free throw line and had 18 turnovers. Scott City won the rebounding battle 37-28.

With the win, Scott City improves to 2-0 all-time against Fountain Fort Carson. They also improved to 30-40 all-time in the Orange & Black, and are 9-15 in tournament openers in their 24th tournament appearance. The Lady Trojans fell to 2-3 in the first round, and are 6-7 in their fifth tournament appearance.

Coach Sarah McCormick Postgame

Scott City Boys 55, Hays 47
In recent years when Scott City and Hays met up, it turns out to be a classic. This year’s matchup was a tale of two halves. The Indians would control the first half, while the Beavers took charge in the second half. Scott City led early 2-0, but it was Hays has who used a 9-2 run over the next two and a half minutes to lead 9-6 midway through the first quarter. Another big run by the Indians used another run of 8-3 and led by a 17-9 margin with two minutes left in the first quarter. Their lead would be at 22-14 after the first quarter. The Beavers would slowly crawl back into the game in the second period. After trailing 27-19, Scott City (6-3) went on a 9-2 run over the next three minutes to get to within 29-28 with a minute left in the first half. Hays scored the final basket of the half to take a 31-28 halftime lead.

While the first half belonged to the Indians, the Beavers took charge in the second half. It all started with a 13-2 run to lead 41-32 with 1:16 left in the third period. Hays (4-4) scored the final four points to pull to within 41-36 heading into the fourth quarter. The closest the Indians got in the final eight minutes was at 43-39 with 7:14 left. Scott City used an 11-3 run to take a 54-42 lead, their largest of the game, with 2:56 left, and held on for the 55-47 victory.

Joe Evans poured in a career-high 18 points, while Hunter Yager added 16. The Beavers were 7-10 at the foul line, and finished with 15 turnovers. Hays was led by Tradgon McRae with 17 points and Trey Adams with 12. The Indians finished 3-6 at the line and had 13 turnovers. Scott City dominated the glass 28-17.

With the win, Scott City improved to 4-1 all-time against Hays, with all games coming in the Orange & Black. The Beavers also snapped a two-game losing streak in the tournament opener, and improved to 34-18 all-time in their 18th tournament appearance. They also improved to 12-6 in the first round. Hays dropped their second straight tournament opener, and are now 12-4 in the opening round and carry a 28-18 all-time record in the tournament.

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame

Scott City will face Hays on the girls side of the championship semi-finals at 3 pm Friday afternoon in the Colby Community Building. The Lady Indians defeated Goodland 59-36 Thursday afternoon at Colby High School, to improve to 5-3 on the year. Hays is coached by Scott City alum Alex Hutchins, who is in his first year as the head coach in Hays. The Beaver boys face Maize at 4:45 Friday afternoon at the Colby Community Building. The Eagles enter with a 10-0 record, after a 61-22 win over Goodland. Maize is ranked No. 1 in Class 5A.

Other scores on Thursday saw on the girls side, Colby beat Green Valley Ranch 61-6, and Highland Park hit a last second basket to down Pine Creek 39-38. On the boys side, Pine Creek defeated Christian Heritage 76-61 and Colby held off Green Valley Ranch 62-55.

Friday’s Schedule
Girls
Championship Semi-Finals at the Colby Community Building
Scott City (6-3) vs Hays (5-3) 3pm
Colby (7-3) vs Highland Park (8-4) 6:30 pm
Consolation Semi-Finals at Colby High School
Fountain Ft. Carson (9-3) vs Goodland (2-7) 3 pm
Green Valley Ranch (1-10) vs Pine Creek (3-10) 6:30 pm

Boys
Championship Semi-Finals at the Colby Community Building
Maize (10-0) vs Scott City (6-3) 4:45 pm
Colby (6-4) vs Pine Creek (11-3) 8:15 pm
Consolation Semi-Finals at Colby High School
Goodland (0-8) vs Hays (4-4) 4:45 pm
Christian Heritage (9-7) vs Green Valley Ranch (4-7) 8:15 pm