Scott City splits games with Palmer Ridge

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Both Scott City’s boys and girls teams entered Thursday night’s games at home vs Palmer Ridge with the opportunity to get off to a 2-0 start to the season. While it would be a tall task in both games, the night ended up with a pair of good matchups, and a split. The Lady Bears scored with 14.8 seconds remaining in overtime to win 42-41, while the Beaver boys pulled away late in a 55-42 victory.

Girls
The two things that prevented Scott City from a 2-0 start: a scoreless third quarter, and way too many missed free throws. There’s no doubt the Lady Beavers had their chances to win. Unfortunately Thursday night, it wasn’t meant to be. Palmer Ridge (3-2) started out hot from the field, building an 11-2 lead halfway through the first quarter. Scott City slowly chipped away at the lead, and trailed by five at 13-8 after the first quarter. In the second period, the Beavers took the lead just over two minutes into the period at 16-15, and never trailed for the rest of the half. Their biggest advantage was at 22-17 with 2:24 remaining before halftime, and saw it diminish to 24-22 at the break. The third quarter was a complete whitewash by the Lady Beavers, as they scored all 11 points of the period, and took a 33-24 lead into the final quarter. Scott City however, would battle back quickly. While they never led in the quarter, they started the first half of the period on  a 10-3 run to pull to within 36-34. When it looked like Palmer Ridge was destined to pull away, the Lady Beavers fought back. The Lady Bears took a 39-34 lead with 3:46 remaining in regulation. They did not score until late in overtime. A Nancy Wiebe steal and layup with 2:13 to go in the fourth quarter tied the game at 39. Both teams had their chances in the final two minutes, but missed shots and free throws down the stretch. In overtime, Kiana Yager’s jumper put Scott City (1-1) at 41-39 with 2:18 remaining. Palmer Ridge got a free throw with 34 seconds left. Following a timeout, the Lady Beavers had the inbounds stolen, and an Eden Bonser layup with 14.8 seconds remaining gave Palmer Ridge the 42-41 lead. Scott City got the ball tied up with 0.9 seconds left, as the Kaitlyn Roberts shot at the end missed wide, and the Lady Bears escaped.

Sam Rippley led Palmer Ridge with 21 points, 11 coming in the first quarter. The Lady Bears were 8-19 from the free throw line, and committed 27 turnovers. Leading the way for Scott City was Bailey Latta with 11 points, including three three-pointers. Scott City struggled again at the foul line, going only 5-21, and committed 18 turnovers. 

Coach Sarah McCormick Postgame

Boys
While Palmer Ridge has had one single-digit win in their four wins, Scott City knew they would be up to the challenge with a confident team. The Beavers delivered, even though it wasn’t easy at times. Scott City jumped out to a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter, only to see the Bears rally back on a 6-2 run to end the first quarter in a 16-13 score after eight minutes. The teams traded leads four times. After Marshal Faurot’s three-pointer to give the Beavers a 22-20 lead with 5:52 remaining in the half, Scott City never trailed the rest of the way. In fact, it was defense that won them this game. A 10-3 run in the final six minutes of the half gave the them a 29-23 lead at recess. After Palmer Ridge (4-1) pulled to within 31-27 with 5:36 left in the third quarter, Scott City scored the next 10 points to lead 41-27 with 2:19 remaining  in the third frame. The Bears mauled their way back into the game, scoring 13 out of the next 15 points in a six and a half-minute span to pull to within 43-40 with 3:37 left in the game. Scott City (2-0) took over at the foul line, going 10-10 in the final 3:20, and also hit one field goal to close the game on a 12-2 run, preserving their second win of the season. 

Justin Faurot lead all scorers with 20 points, including an 11-11 free throw line performance, while Jordan Horn added 13 and Bo Hess had 12. The Beavers were 20-24 from the charity line, including going 10-10 in the fourth quarter. They also had 18 turnovers.

Palmer Ridge was led by Tyler Trego’s nine points, all on three pointers. The Beavers finished 6-11 from the foul line and committed 18 turnovers. their 42 points were a season low.

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame

Scott City will host Wichita Trinity on Friday night. The Knight boys fell to Holcomb 58-26, while the girls held on for a 47-44 win over Holcomb. Palmer Ridge will face Garden City Friday night on the second night of the Clarion Inn Roundball Classic.