Scott City, Wichita Trinity split doubleheader

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Going in to Thursday night’s doubleheader with Scott City and Wichita Trinity, the sense was that there was a possibility of two competitive games. After the dust settled, it turned out to be that. Just as the first three years in the series between the two schools, the result of who would win did not change, as the Lady Knights pulled away in the fourth quarter for the 51-40 win, while the Beaver boys had to rally from a four-point deficit for a 61-51 win at Scott Community High School on the opening night of the Clarion Inn Roundball Classic.

Both teams were tense early on, as Wichita Trinity led 6-3 after the first quarter. Following a slow first quarter, both teams were able to get the offenses going. The Lady Knights would gradually expand their lead to 21-14 at the break, using a 15-11 second quarter run. Scott City would stay in the game for the most part, cutting the deficit to 30-25 with 3:40 remaining in the third quarter. Unfortunately for the Lady Beavers, that would be as close as they would get. A 7-2 Wichita Trinity (1-1) run gave them a 37-27 lead after three quarters. The Lady Knights scored the final points of the third frame, and the first eight of the fourth quarter to lead by as many as 18 at 45-27 with 5:29 left in the game. Scott City (0-1) didn’t give up, as they cut the deficit at 49-40 with 2:22 left in the game. Wichita Trinity hit a pair of free throws to ensure them their first win of the year. For the Lady Knights, they had three players score double figures, as Alex Bearup led the way with 14 points, Kaleigh Schrag had 13 and Ellen Knocke added 10. They shot 55% from the field, but were just 5-14 from the foul line. Scott City also had three in double figures, led by Bailey Latta with 12, Kaitlyn Roberts with 11 and Kiana Yager with 10. The Lady Beavers shot 39% from the field and were just 3-9 from the free throw line and had 14 turnovers.

Head Coach Sarah McCormick Postgame

In the nightcap, Scott City led for a majority of the way. The Beavers led 13-10 after the first quarter, and would lead by as many as 12 at 26-14 with 3:20 left before halftime. They had a 9-2 run in a two and a half minute time span. Wichita Trinity would crawl back in to the game right before half. In the final 2:55 of the half, the Knights used a 10-4 run to pull to within 30-24 at the intermission. They would score the first six points of the half to tie the game at 30 with 5:24 left in the third period. In fact, Scott City (1-0) was held without a field goal for the first 4:17 of the second half. After the Beavers had a 35-32 lead, Wichita Trinity (0-2) closed out the quarter on a 12-7 run to take a 44-42 lead after three quarters. The Knights took a 48-44 lead with 6:29 left, and that would be about the time the game would turn. Scott City went on a 12-0 run in a 3:04 span to lead 56-48 with 2:36 left. Wichita Trinity ended their scoring drought at 5:23 on a free throw, only to see the Beavers score five of the games final seven points of the game. Scott City had three players in double figures, led by Bo Hess with 18 points, Drew Duff had 13 off the bench and Dylan Hutchins had 10, all in the first half. The Beavers shot 56% for the game, and were 16-19 from the foul line, including a 11-12 fourth quarter free throw performance. Leading the way for Wichita Trinity was Drew Thornton with 19 points, while Ben Adler chipped in 14 points off the bench. The Knights were 42% from the field and shot 8-12 at the foul line.

Assistant Coach Brian Gentry Postgame