Scott City takes two from Cimarron

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–It was a matchup of future league foes on Tuesday night at the Scott Community Event Center, as Scott City played host to the Cimarron Blue Jays on Winter Homecoming night. With seven games remaining, the game would be games that could be big as the teams make their push through the final month of the regular season. In the end, it would be the homestanding Beavers that would take a pair of wins, as the Lady Beavers would withstand a fourth quarter rally by Cimarron in a 57-44 win, while the Scott City boys went on a 11-0 run in the second quarter to race by the Bluejays 51-37. 

Scott City Girls 57, Cimarron 44
Scott City jumped out to a 7-0 lead before the Lady Bluejays would even score. Cimarron would be plagued early by turnovers, as they would trail 15-6 after the first quarter, and 21-8 early in the second frame. The Lady Beavers continued their push to a 14-point lead in the first half on a pair of occasions, and led 29-15 late in the half, before the Lady Bluejays made it 29-17 at the break. In the third quarter, Cimarron would come out with more energy and make it a game. A 10-4 run would pull them to within 33-27 with 4:18 left in the third quarter. Scott City (13-1) would go up 38-27 at the 3:26 mark of the third frame, when the Lady Bluejays went on a 9-2 run to make it 40-35 late in the third. The Lady Beavers would score the first two points of the fourth quarter to lead 44-35 a minute into the fourth quarter. That’s when Cimarron (9-5) made its rally. They scored the next six points to get to within 44-41 with 5:12 left. The Lady Bluejays had their chances to pull even closer, or tie, but were unable to. Scott City closed the game on a 13-3 run, and hit just one field goal in the final eight minutes to secure the win 57-44. 

Leading the way for Scott City was the Winter Homecoming Queen Emily Weathers, who poured in 19 points, while Amber Latta and Lyndi Rumford each had 12 points. The Lady Beavers were 17-20 at the line, including going 12-14 fourth quarter. They would commit 14 turnovers. Cimarron got 20 points from McKayla Miller and 10 from Melody Carter. The Lady Bluejays went 10 of 14 from the free throw line and finished with 23 turnovers. Cimarron would out rebound Scott City 27-23.

With the win, Scott City has now won three straight in the series, and defeated Cimarron on their home floor for the first time since 2009. The Lady Bluejays still lead the series 10-8. Scott City has won seven consecutive games. 

Scott City Boys 51, Cimarron 37
It would be a struggle early on for Scott City to get a flow going. Coming off one of their biggest wins in a while, the Beavers would exchange the lead with Cimarron eight times, and be tied once over of the first 12 minutes. After being tied at eight after eight minutes, the Bluejays would go on a 7-2 run to lead 15-11 with 4:52 left before halftime. That’s when the Beavers showed a little life. Scott City (8-6) scored the last 11 points of the half, and took a 22-15 halftime lead. Cimarron went on a scoring drought of 6:05, as the Beavers would hold the Bluejays to just one point over an eight-minute stretch. During that time, it would be a 21-1 run to go up 32-16 with 4:53 remaining in the third quarter. An 8-2 run gave Scott City their largest lead after three quarters at 43-23. Cimarron (4-10) would pull to within 13 with 2:54 remaining in the game at 49-36, as the Beavers would take the 51-37 win, putting together wins on back to back nights.

Winter Homecoming King Jackson Lewis led Scott City with 14 points, while Hunter Yager added 11. The Beavers were just 3-6 at the free throw line and finished with 14 turnovers. They had five players score at least six points. Cimarron got 15 from Nic Pfeifer and 12 from Andrew Ridenour. The Bluejays went 5-7 at the line and finished with 12 turnovers. Scott City won the rebounding battle 32-19.

With the win, Scott City is now 14-0 all-time against Cimarron, and have now won four of five on the season. The Bluejays have dropped three straight, as they fall to 1-7 after the Christmas break.

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame

Scott City will hit the road for their next three games, as they start the second half of GWAC play at Hugoton on Friday. Cimarron returns to Hi-Plains League competition, as they travel to Meade.