May 18, 2024

Holcomb takes two from Scott City

Holcomb, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–With a week that saw each school have three snow days, there were several unknowns on Friday night for Scott City and Holcomb at Holcomb High School. The doubleheader that was in non-league play saw the Longhorns with a sweep, as the girls game went down to the final seconds, as Holcomb won 59-58, and the Longhorn boys completed the sweep with a 53-41 win.

Holcomb Girls 59, Scott City 58
While the game was close throughout, a chunk of the excitement came in the fourth quarter. All eight lead changes and six of the nine ties came in the final eight minutes of the game. Holcomb built up a 12-10 lead after the first, but Scott City would not go away. The Lady Beavers woudl get to within 19-18 midway through the second quarte,r and 24-22, before the Lady Longhorns led 27-24 at the break. Holcomb (6-2) rattled off five straight to open the second half to have their largest lead of the game at 32-24 with 6:41 remaininig in the third frame. They would lead 37-30 at the 4:31 mark of the third stanza, when Scott City (4-4) made their run. They would wittle the lead down, and get to within 44-41 heading into the fourth quarter. While the Lady Beavers tied the game twice in the first minute, they would have their first lead of the game, with 5:55 left at 48-47. It wasn’t until the 1:13 mark of the game where they would have their largest lead of the game at two. It was 58-56 Scott City with 36.4 left after a pair of free throws, when Holcomb drove back and tied the game with 21 seconds left. On the other end, the Lady Beavers would turn the ball over and commit a foul with 5.2 seconds left. The Lady Longhorns hit the first free throw, but missed the second, and Scott City rebounded. The Lady Beavers had one more chance out of a timeout, as they got a good opportunity, but missed the shot with some contact, and Holcomb would prevail 59-58. 

Halle Jones had a career-high 36 poitns in the win, to go along with 10 rebounds to lead Holcomb. The Lady Longhorns were 14-21 at the foul line and had 13 turnovers. Scott City got a career-best from Kendall Gentry with 23 points, while Megan Trout added a career-high 17 points. Scott City was 6-10 at the line and also had 13 turnovers. 

It was Holcomb’s fifth straight win in the series, as they now lead the series 35-27. Scott City has dropped three stright, while Holcomb has won three straight.

Coach Amy Felker Postgame

Audio Game Recap

Scott City 10 14 17 17–58
Holcomb  12 15 17 15–59

Scott City (4-4): Gentry 9 2-2 23; E. Felker 2 0-0 4; Metzger 1 0-0 3; Irvin 0 0-0 0; Lewis 4 1-2 11; Cramer 0 0-0 0; K. Felker 0 0-0 0; Trout 7 3-4 17; Team: 23 6-10 58
Holcomb (6-2): Deniston 0 3-4 3; Wickwar 2 0-0 4; Galliart 2 0-0 5; Kruleski 3 2-6 9; Soukup 0 0-0 0; Jones 12 9-11 36; Resendiz 1 0-0 2; Team: 20 14-21 59

Three-Pointers: Scott City 6 (Gentry 3, Lewis 2, Metzger 1), Holcomb 5 (Jones 3, Galliart 1, Kruleski 1); Turnovers: Scott City 13, Holcomb 13; Fouls: Scott City 16, Holcomb 11; Fouled Out: Scott City (Gentry).

Holcomb Boys 53, Scott City 41
Scott City would jump out early on, but it would be the Longhorns that would put the game away in the fourth quarter for the win. The Beavers jumped out to 14-5 lead with 2:38 left in the first quarter, forcing a Holcomb timeout, after their sixth turnover of the quarter. Out of the timeout, the Longhorns would use a 10-0 run to lead 15-14 with 6:37 left before the break. When it looked like Scott City would get control back at 19-15, Holcomb (5-3) would battle back, and tie the game at 23 at the break. They would extend their run into the second half and lead 30-25 with 6:13 left in the third qurater. Scott City (6-2) responded with a run of their own to lead 36-33 late in the third quarter. The Beavers would eventually lead by one at 38-37 heading into the final period. That’s when the Scott City offense dried up. Holcomb would feat at the charity line in the final quarter, going 11-12, and outscored the beavers 16-3 to pull away with a 53-41 win.

Leading the way for Holcomb was Kaeden Hardy with 17 points, while Brody Deniston had 12 and Jareht Herrell added 10. At the line, the Longhorns were 22-27, and finished with 16 turnovers. Jackson Rumford had 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead Scott City, as the Beavers were just 7-10 at the line and had 12 turnovers. 

In the 66th meeting all-time, Holcomb has won the last three, and the series is now tied at 33-33. Scott City has dropped back to back games, after being off to their best start in nine seasons, while Holcomb snapped a three-game losing streak.

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame

Audio Game Recap

Scott City 14  9 15   3–41
Holcomb 13 10 14 16–53

Scott City (6-2): Duff 2 0-0 6; Ruelas 1 3-4 5; Stoecklein 0 0-0 0; Noll 3 1-2 7; Vulgamore 0 0-0 0; Tarango 2 0-0 5; Rumford 7 1-2 16; Bailey 0 0-0 0; Vance 0 2-2 2; Team: 15 7-10 41
Holcomb (5-3): Deniston 1 10-12 12; Ke. Johnson 1 0-0 2; Hardy 4 6-6 17; Ko. Johnson 1 3-4 6; Herrell 4 1-1 10; Brown 0 0-0 0; Knoll 2 2-4 6; Team: 13 22-27 53

Three-Pointers: Scott City 4 (Duff 2, Tarango 1, Rumford 1); Holcomb 5 (Hardy 3, Ko. Johnson 1, Herrell 1); Turnovers; Soctt City 12, Holcomb 16: Fouls: Scott City 24, Holcomb 14; Fouled Out: Scott City (Ruelas), Holcomb (Herrell).