Holcomb wins two in Scott City

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Playing in their final games before midseason tournaments next week, the Holcomb Longhorns would make the short trip to Scott City to face the Beavers. With both teams dropping their previous games, something would have to give. In a pair of good games, it would be the visitors from Holcomb who came out with a couple of wins, as the Lady Longhorns survived with a 43-42 win, while the Longhorn boys pulled away in the fourth quarter to prevail 45-32.

Holcomb Girls 43, Scott City 42
There would be four lead changes and three ties in the night, with all coming in the first half. Both teams struggled scoring early on, as Scott City led 5-2 after the first quarter, only to see the Holcomb go on a 14-10 second quarter run to lead 16-15 at the break. The Lady Beavers had their chances to retake the lead midway through the third quarter, trailing 23-22, but Holcomb would pull away for the largest lead of the night at 29-22 with 1:59 left in the third frame. A 65-foot line drive shot by Amber Latta pulled Scott City to within 29-27 heading into the fourth frame. Holcomb grew their lead to six in the first minute of the fourth quarter, and would see the lead trimmed to one twice, with the last coming at 43-42 with 11.5 seconds left. The Lady Longhorns missed two free throws, as Scott City had a chance for the win, but a three-point shot fell short, and Holcomb survived for the one point win. 

Freshman Jera Kruleski led Holcomb with 15 points, as they went 12-18 from the free throw line, and had 18 turnovers. Scott City got 19 from Amber Latta and a career high 18 from Brooke Strine, as the Lady Beavers went 13-21 at the charity line and had 21 turnovers. 

With the win, Holcomb snapped a nine-game losing streak to Scott City, and won in Scott City for the first time since 2015. The Lady Longhorns lead the series 30-26. It was the sixth consecutive loss for the Lady Beavers, which is the longest since 2015. 

Holcomb   2-14-13-14-43
Scott City 5-10-12-15-42

Holcomb (3-5): Kruleski 3 7-8 15; Rodriguez 0 2-5 2; McVey 1 2-2 5; Jones 2 0-0 4; Blackburn 2 0-0 6; Holliday 2 1-1 5; Ruda 3 0-2 6; Team: 13 12-18 43
Scott City (1-6): Rumford 0 0-3 0; Strine 5 8-11 18; Amber Latta 6 4-6 19; Sowers 0 0-0 0; Ford 0 0-0 0; Felker 0 0-0 0; Cupp 1 0-0 2; Castillo 0 0-0 0; Patton 1 1-2 3; Team: 13 13-22 42

Three Pointers: Holcomb 5 (Kruleski 2, Blackburn 2, McVey 1); Scott City 3 (Latta 3); Rebounds: Holcomb 25, Scott City 25; Turnovers: Holcomb 18, Scott City 21; Fouls: Holcomb 21, Scott City 18; Fouled Out: Holcomb (Holliday)

Coach Amy Felker Postgame

Holcomb Boys 45, Scott City 32
For Scott City, it’s feeling like the same story, different day. It was the third straight game where the Beavers led at halftime, and struggled scoring in the second half. Scott City jumped out to a quick 12-3 lead, only to see Holcomb respond with nine straight to tie the game at 12 just seconds into the second quarter. The Beavers would maintain a lead throughout, and led 20-18 at the break. After leading 21-18 early in the third frame, Scott City would see Holcomb turn up the pressure on defense, and lost their lead. A 9-1 run in five minutes put the Longhorns up 27-22 with a minute left in the third quarter. It would see the Beavers also go 10 minutes without a field goal. Scott City would only get as close as 31-28 with 7:05 left, as Holcomb put the game away with an 11-0 run to lead 42-28 with 2:27 left. The Beavers scored the next four, while the Longhorns closed the game with the final three points of the night to take a 45-32 win. 

Cooper Autry had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Zephyn Mason had 10. The Longhorns went 10-12 at the free throw line and had 17 turnovers. Carter Gooden led Scott City with seven points, as they were just 3-6 from the free throw line and finished with 21 turnovers. 

With the win, Holcomb won in Scott City for the first time since 2018. Scott City leads the series 32-27. They dropped their sixth straight contest, which is their longest since 1997. 

Holcomb  10-8-12-15-45
Scott City 12-8-6-6-32

Holcomb (7-1): Palacios 0 2-2 2; Mesa 0 3-4 3; Long 3 0-1 8; Mason 3 3-3 10; VanPelt 2 2-2 6; Johnson 2 0-0 5; Autry 5 0-0 11; Team: 15 10-12 45
Scott City (1-6): Tarango 0 0-0 0; Rosin 2 0-0 6; King 1 0-0 2; Stevens 1 0-0 2; Thon 1 0-0 3; Culp 2 1-2 5; Hawkins 0 1-2 1; Baily 3 0-0 6; Metzger 0 0-0 0; Gooden 3 1-2 7; Team: 13 3-6 32r

Three Pointers: Holcomb 5 (Long 2, Mason 1, Johnson 1, Autry 1); Scott City 3 (Rosin 2, Thon 1); Rebounds: Holcomb 25, Scott City 17; Turnovers: Holcomb 17, Scott City 21; Fouls: Holcomb 8, Scott City 15; Fouled out: None.

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame

Holcomb will compete in the Hillsboro Trojan Classic next week, as they will be at Hesston on Tuesday. Scott City will be in the Sterling Invitational Tournament this year, as the girls will begin play at 6:45 Monday night against Sterling, and the boys will face Sterling Tuesday night at 7:30. Games will continue Thursday and Friday.