On to the finals! Scott City outlasts Concordia in overtime

Park City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Two of the first three semi-final games on Friday at Hartman Arena in the Class 4A, Division II State Basketball Tournament were decided by one and three points in regulation. While they were nail-biters to the very end, neither one comes close to the last game of the day between Scott City and Concordia. After 20 lead changes and 10 ties, a pair of Brett Meyer free throws with 19.1 seconds remaining in overtime proved to be the difference, as the Beavers head to their fourth state championship game in as many years, with 77-75 win over the Panthers.

Concordia looked flawless in the first quarter from the field, only missing three shots, and led 23-15 after the first quarter. They led by as many as 10 in the period, and had a 10-0 run in the opening period. After Scott City scored the final points of the quarter, the Beavers added 14 more to take a 29-23 lead with 4:27 left before halftime. The Panthers stormed back once again, pulling to within two midway through the second frame. At that point, Scott City outscored their foes 10-9 to take a 39-36 lead at the break. Concordia tied it up within the first 30 seconds of the quarter, But Scott City used a 7-3 run to give themselves a cushion. They would eventually lead by eight at 54-46 with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter, and it looked as though the Beavers were going to cruise to the finals. The Panthers had different intentions, scoring the final six points of the period to trail 54-52 going into the fourth quarter. In the final quarter alone, there were 10 lead changes. Trailing 71-69 late, Brett Meyer drove in and tied the game at 71 with a layup with 1:13 left in regulation. Concordia held the ball for the remainder of the fourth quarter, and missed the potential game-winner in regulation, and four more minutes would be played. In the extra session, the Beavers never trailed. In fact, four of the six points were scored at the free throw line by Scott City (21-3). After the Beavers scored the first four points of overtime, the Panthers responded with four straight to tie the game at 75 with 1:24 to go in the first extra period. Scott City held the ball for the next minute-plus and drew a foul with 19.1 remaining. Meyer calmly hit two free trows to give the Beavers a two point lead. Concordia (19-5) called time with about 12 seconds left setting up a potential game-tying shot. After they inbounded, Grant Holmes stopped just inside the right wing, as Trey O’Neil denied him a shot with great defense, and Holmes was unable to either pass it off or put up a shot as time expired, pushing the Beavers into the state championship game.

Scott City had three in double figure scoring, led by Trey O’Neil’s career-high 31 points on eight trey’s, while Brett Meyer finished with 18 and Sloan Baker added 11. Concordia’s Holmes duo combined for 57 of their 75 points. Senior Grant Holmes had 30 points, and is a Ft. Hays State University Signee, while Cooper Holmes added 27 and Kaleb Pounds pitched in 15. With the win, Scott City is in their sixth straight state championship game, dating back to 2006. They won the 4A title in 2006, finished runner-up in 3A in 2007, and won the previous three 3A state championships. 

Up next is a state championship game for the Beavers at 6:15 Saturday evening against Eudora. The Cardinals scored with seven seconds remaining to rally past the Andale Indians 44-43, as they improved to 19-5 on the season. Andale faces Concordia in the third place game at 2 pm.  The Girls final features Santa Fe Trail against Frontenac at 4, and the third place game at noon featuring Burlington and Holton.