Scott City splits doubleheader with Colby

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–On Valentine’s night at the Colby Community Building, two GWAC foes would battle for sub-state seeding with the season winding down. Both games would be well-contested, and would see a split in the doubleheader. In the showdown of top six ranked teams in Class 3A, the Scott City girls rallied for a 49-41 win, while the Colby boys held off a late Beaver rally in a 51-46 win.

No. 5 Scott City 49, No. 6 Colby 41
Colby would get out to the hot start, leading 11-2 midway through the first quarter. Scott City would gradually get back into the game, and pulled to within 15-10 after the first eight minutes. After the Lady Eagles led 17-10 in the first minute of the second frame, the Lady Beavers responded with an 8-2 run over the next three minutes to pull to within 19-18 with 2:36 left before halftime. Colby got the final basket of the half and took a 21-18 lead into the locker room. The Lady Eagles would go on a 7-2 run to lead 28-22 at the 5:22 mark of the third period. Scott City (15-2, 5-2 GWAC) would rally to pull to within 29-26 after three quarters. It took nearly three minutes into the final frame for the Lady Beavers to grab the lead. A Kennedy Holstein jumper in the lane gave them their first lead of the game at 35-33 with 5:11 remaining. Colby (14-3, 5-2) would take their final lead with 4:17 remaining at 38-37. After that, an 11-3 run by Scott City would close the game out, hitting six of eight free throws down the stretch to take a 49-41 win. The final period saw the Lady Beavers outscore the Lady Eagles 23-12. There were three lead changes and two ties, all coming in the final eight minutes.

Emily Weathers led Scott City with a game-high 22 points. It was also her season high of points. The Lady Beavers were 7-13 at the free throw line and had 12 turnovers. Colby got 11 points from Brooklyn Jones. The Lady Eagles shot 6-13 at the foul line, and finished with eight turnovers. 

With the win, Scott City takes over the top spot in the Cimarron Sub-State standings with three games to play. If Colby and Scott City were to have identical records, the Lady Beavers own the tiebreaker, since they’ve won two out of the three games this year. Also with the win, the Scott City has now won 11 out of the last 12 meetings in the series, including seven straight in Colby. The Lady Eagles still lead the series 45-15 since 1984.

Coach Sarah McCormick Postgame

Colby Boys 51, Scott City 46
It was a game that featured just one tie and five lead changes. Scott City came out hot shooting, and taking an 8-3 lead midway through the first, and eventually lead 13-7 with 2:21 left in the opening frame. Colby would rally for eight straight to go up 15-13 on a half court heave at the buzzer by Hunter Vaughn. After the Eagles saw their rally go to 10 straight, the Beavers came back with eight straight to lead 21-17 with 4:27 remaining in the second period. Scott City maintained the lead for the rest of the half and took a one-point lead into recess at 24-23. Colby (11-6, 5-2 GWAC) opened the second half with two straight three’s to lead 29-24, just 90 seconds into the second half. The Beavers were unable to lead the rest of the way. They were able to close to within 33-32 with 2:31 left in the third quarter, before an 11-0 Eagle run would make it 44-32 with 6:49 remaining in the game. Scott City (8-9, 3-4) made one final surge in the final minute, going on a 9-1 run over a 56-second span to pull to within 49-46 with seven seconds remaining. However, Colby put the game on ice with a pair of free throws to hang on to the win.

Colby had three in double figures, led by Calvin Stapp with 15 points, followed by Hunter Vaughn’s 13 and Payton Wahlmeier with 10. The Eagles were just 5-9 from the foul line and had 16 turnovers. Scott City got 12 points from Hunter Yager, as the Beavers finished just 4-6 at the free throw line, and finished with only four turnovers. Colby won the rebounding battle 25-18.

With the win, the Eagles have now won three straight in the series, the most since January 25-December 3, 2003, and snapped an 11-game losing streak to Scott City in Colby. Since 1984, both teams have won 30 games apiece. With the win and Holcomb loss, the Eagles moved into third place in the Cimarron Sub-State standings, while Scott City stays in fifth place with three games to play.

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame

Scott City returns home on Tuesday and Friday, as they close out their home slate with Ulysses on Tuesday and Holcomb on Friday, before going to Goodland to close out the regular season. Colby visits Goodland on Tuesday, hosts Hugoton next Friday and visits Holcomb to wrap up the regular season.