Scott City splits with Purcell in final Roundball Classic games

Garden City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–After a pair of tough losses on Friday night, the Scott City Beavers headed south on Saturday to face the Purcell, Oklahoma Dragons in the final day of the Clarion Inn Roundball Classic. Saturday would see a doubleheader split in the Beavers and Dragons first-ever matchup, as the Purcell girls struck early and won 45-27, while the Scott City boys held off a Dragon comeback in a 75-66 victory.

Girls
Poor shooting and plenty of early turnovers doomed Scott City from the very beginning. Purcell (5-1) forced eight first quarter turnovers, and used a 12-0 run to lead 16-2 with 1:51 remaining in the first quarter. The Lady Beavers had a 5:42 drought in the first quarter, that was too much to overcome. Scott City settled down, but were unable to slow down the Dragons, especially from behind the arc. Lady Dragon senior Jaden Webb drained five three’s in the first half, as they took a 33-11 halftime lead. The Lady Beavers would actually outscore Purcell in the second half, as they switched up defenses, and slowed down the Lady Dragons. The biggest lead Purcell would get was at 29 early in the fourth quarter at 44-25. Scott City (1-3) used an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter, mainly with reserves.

Leading the way for the Lady Dragons was Jaden Webb with a game-high 23 points, while Haylee Swayze added 13, all coming in the first half. Purcell was 17-24 at the foul line, and out-rebounded Scott City 38-25. Freshman Emily Weathers lead Scott City with eight points off the bench. The Lady Beavers finished with 16 turnovers, after having eight in the first quarter. It was the first time since 2012 that Scott City finished 0-3 in the classic, and are now 3-12 through the 15 games played.

Coach Sarah McCormick Postgame

Boys
Both Scott City and Purcell were coming off their first losses of the season. In an energetic game, both teams bounced back well. The Dragons raced out to a 12-4 lead, only to see the Beavers end the final 3:43 of the first quarter on a 10-2 run to tie the game at 14 after the first quarter. Scott City (3-1) jumped out to a 21-16 lead about midway through the second quarter, when the Dragons made their final push, using a 16-10 run to take a 32-31 hafltime lead. The lead was exchanged four times and the score was tied three times. It would be the Beavers to jump out strong in the second half, and never surrender the lead. Scott City started with a 13-2 run to take a 44-35 lead with 2:50 remaining in the third quarter. Their lead grew to as big as 10 on three occasions. The Beavers led 51-44 after three quarters, and the closest Purcell (4-2) would get was with three minutes remaining at 60-56. The Beavers were able to put the game away at the foul line, despite the three-point shooting efforts of the Dragons. In the fourth quarter alone, Scott City 17-20 at the foul line.

Jordan Horn started for the first time this season, and led the Beavers with a career-high 26 points, with 16 coming in the second half. Bo Hess had a season-high 20 points and Drew Duff had 12 points coming off the bench. Scott City finished 29-33 from the foul line. Their 75 points were the most in a game since scoring 81 points against Russell in the opening round of sub-state on March 2, 2015. Purcell got 20 points from Jack Scrutchins, 13 from Brady Barrett and 10 from Adam Wells. The Dragons were 13-17 from the foul line. Scott City improves to 12-3 all-time in the classic through the first five seasons.

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame