Scott City, Ulysses split GWAC doubleheader

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–If you entered Friday night’s game with a three-game winning streak, little did you know that it would not be your night. In the battle of Great West Activities Conference foes, it was the Scott City girls holding on late for a 50-42 win, while the Ulysses boys stunned the Beavers, with a 70-65 overtime victory.

Girls
Scott City set the ton early on against the Lady Tigers. The Lady Beavers never trailed, opening a 6-0 lead in the first minute. Ulysses would only get as close at 8-7 late in the first quarter, before Scott City scored the final five points to lead 13-7 after the first quarter. The second quarter proved to be the biggest quarter of the night. In that quarter, the Lady Beavers used runs of six, seven, and seven to build a 35-15 halftime lead, capped off by a Macie Price three. However, the second half was much different. While the pace of the game slowed down, Ulysses (4-4, 2-1 GWAC) pushed back after their trailed 37-15 with 5:59 remaining in the third quarter. Their biggest run came in the late stages of the third quarter, and into the fourth, using a 9-0 run to get to within 45-32 with 4:46 left. While Scott City (4-3, 2-0) hit 5-10 free throws in the final quarter, the Lady Tigers took a bite into the margin, and a last second three pointer made it single digits at 50-42. Leading the way for the Lady Beavers was Macie Price with 15 points, while Bailey Latta added 14, and Emily Smith had a career-best 10 points. Scott City was 7-14 from the foul line, but committed 23 turnovers. Ulysses got a game-high 18 points form Gina Ballesteros. The Lady Tigers were 7-15 at the charity line, and were out-rebounded 39-31. With the win, Scott City has now won three straight games for the first time since January of 2010. It was also the first time since 2011 and 2012 that they defeated Ulysses three straight times.

Coach Sarah McCormick postgame

Boys
To say it was a highly-spirited game in the second half would be an understatement. These two long rivals had a game that felt like a throwback between the two teams, that included an extra four minutes. The first four-plus minutes saw the lead exchanged four times, with Ulysses pulling away toward the end to take a 17-13 lead after the first quarter. Scott City scored all seven of their points a the foul line in the second quarter, yet trailed 25-20 at the break. The Beavers would have a field goal drought of 10:21 from the first to the third quarter, and scored only nine points in that span. Scott City (5-2, 1-1 GWAC) made a surge after trailing 31-23 with 5:01 left in the third quarter. A 13-4 run over the final five minutes of the quarter gave the Beavers a 36-35 lead heading into the final period. After trailing by three early in the fourth, Ulysses (5-3, 2-1) made a surge, and it looked as if they would take control of the game. A 10-2 run gave them a 45-40 lead with 3:11 left. The fourth quarter and overtime would see three ties and six lead changes. Scott City used an 8-2 run to take the lead on Drew Duff three with 32.1 seconds remaining to go up 52-51. Duff was fouled and was unable to hit the free throw. The Tigers raced back, and went up with 22.3 seconds at 53-32 on a pair of Tre Pauda free throws. A foul on Ulysses would put the Beavers back at the charity line with 9.5 seconds left. They were able to hit one out of two, and the Tigers missed two chances to end the game in regulation. To begin overtime, Scott City hit a three pointer to go up 56-53 just 30 seconds into the extra session. After that, Ulysses went on an 11-2 run over a two-minute stretch and never looked back. Scott City was only able to pull to within four points, as the Tigers pulled off the surprise win. Ulysses was led by Tre Pauda’s 21 points, while Jaidon Taylor had 14, AB Romero added 12 and Bryan Garcia finished with 11. The Tigers committed 17 turnovers, and were 13-17 at the line, including a 7-10 effort in overtime. Scot City got 16 points apiece from Jordan Horn and Bo Hess, and 15 from Drew Duff, all in the second half. The Beavers committed 14 turnovers and were 26-39 at the foul line. With the win, Ulysses snapped a 13-game losing streak to Scott City, dating back to January 4, 2010. The win was also the first in Scott City since January 13, 2004.

Coach Brian Gentry postgame