Scott City basketball teams take Sterling Invitational Titles

Sterling, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–The Scott City Beaver basketball teams looked to wrap up a good week with tournament wins on Friday night, as the Lady Beavers faced Southeast of Saline, while the boys took on Sterling in the championship games. Both games would come down to the wire, as the Lady Beavers picked up a 46-43 win, while the Beaver boys hung on for a 49-45 victory, claiming their first Sterling Invitational titles in the five seasons they have been in the tournament.

Scott City Girls 46, SE of Saline 43
The Lady Trojans came in winning seven straight, and they started off strong, using a 12-1 run in a four-minute stretch to lead 15-6 late in the first quarter, before taking a 15-9 lead into the second period. Scott City (7-5) would chip away at the deficit, as they went on a 9-3 run over a three-minute stretch to take the lead at 20-19 with 3:17 left before the break. The teams would enter intermission tied at 22. To open the second half, the teams would go back and forth, before the Lady Beavers closed the third quarter wiht a 10-3 run to lead 37-32 going into the final quarter. That would be their biggest lead of the night. SE of Saline (9-3) came back in the fourth quarter to take the lead 43-41 with 1:45 remaining. That would be their final lead. Scott City hit just one field goal in the fourth quarter, and found themselves at the foul line in crunch time. They would hit 5-6 free throws in the final 1:33 of the game, and held off a last second three-point attempt by the Lady Trojans to pick up a 46-43 win.

Scott City was led by Avery Lewis with 15 pionts and Megan Trout with 10 points, all coming from the foul line. The Lady Beavers went 15-22 from the charity strip and had 13 turnovers. Southeast of Saline got 13 from freshman Kyiah Samuelson and 11 from Sutton Douglass. They were 8-18 from the foul line and had 17 turnovers.

Scott City won the first-ever meeting over the Lady Trojans, as they have now played every team in the tournament at least once. The Lady Beavers won their first midseason tournament since 2020, when they won the Orange & Black in Colby in their final season in the tournament. They became the fifth team in 12 years of the girls tournamament to win the title. Megan Trout was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Coach Justin Faurot Postgame

Box Score
Scott City 9 13 15 9–46
SE of Saline 15 7 10 11–43

Scott City (7-5): K. Gentry 1 1-2 4; Fox 1 0-0 2; Metzger 1 0-0 3; Irvin 2 0-0 4; P. Gentry 1 1-2 4; Weathers 2 0-0 4; Lewis 5 3-4 15; Felker 0 0-0 0; Trout 0 10-14 10; Team: 13 15-22 46
SE of Saline (9-3): Heinrigh 2 0-0 4; McQuillan 0 0-0 0; Samuelson 5 0-2 13; Feldman 0 0-0 0; Rohr 1 2-4 4; Douglas 5 1-4 11; Ruran 0 1-2 1; Villalas 0 0-0 0; Pearson 2 4-6 9; Team: 15 8-18 43

Three-Point Goals: Scott City 5 (Lewis 2, K. Gentry 1, Metzger 1, P. Gentry 1); SE of Saline 5 (Samuelson 3, Heinrich 1, Pearson 1); Turnovers: Scott City 13, SE of Saline 15; Fouls: Scott City 17, SE of Saline 13; Fouled Out: Scott City (Fox).

Scott City Boys 49, Sterling 45
It would be an instant classic of two top-10 teams in their classifications. Sterling entered as the No. 4 ranked team in Class 2A, while Scott City is ranked No. 10 in Class 3A. In a game that saw 10 lead changes and five ties, the Beavers would come out on top in the end. Both teams played even in the first quarter that saw the scored tied at 10. In the second quarter, Scott City (10-2) trailed 16-14 midway through the second, and would go on an 11-0 run over a four-minute stretch of the second and third quarter to lead 25-16 early in the second half. The Black Beavers would get down 35-25 with 2:04 left in the third quarter, whe they would start their charge. A run of 13-2 over a five-minute stretch of the second half put Sterling on top 41-38 with 3:14 left. While Sterling (9-3) made their signature fourth quarter surge, the Beavers stayed poised. A three-pointer tied the game at 41 with 2:46 left. Scott City would go up 42-41 with around two minutes left, only to see the Black Bears take their final lead at 43-42 with 1:44 left. The Beavers went up for a basket on the ensuing possession, and would get their shot blocked. When Sterling would grab the rebound, Scott City forced a turnover, and Alex Tarango drained a straight away three to put the Beavers up for good at 45-43 with 1:11 remaining. They would get two big stops in the final minute, and hit all four of their free throws. The Black Bears got the final points of the game with 3.8 seconds left, as Scott City snapped a two-game losing streak in the series to pick up the win 49-45.

Jackson Rumford recorded a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Eloy Ruelas had a season-high 14 points to lead Scott City. The Beavers were 8-10 from the foul line and had 17 turnovers. Sterling got 19 from Boston Eckert, as they were 7-12 at the free throw line and had 17 turnovers.

Scott City now leads the series with Sterling 3-2, and it was their first win in the series since defeating the Black Bears in Lakin in the 2016 3A Sub-State championship game. The Beavers also beat Sterling in the 1958 State Championship game, the school’s first state title. Scott City also won their first Sterling Invitational in their first finals appearance. They became the 18th school to win a tournament title in the tournament’s 53-year history. It was Scott City’s first midseason tournament title since winning the Orange & Black in Colby in 2016. Jackson Rumford was named to his third straight All-Tournament team, and won the Clair Gleason Most Inspirational Player award for the second consecutive year.

Coach Brian Gentry Postgame

Box Score
Sterling 10 6 14 15–45
Scott City 10 12 14 13–49

Sterling (9-3): Smith 3 2-2 9; Farney 1 2-4 4; Newberry 3 0-0 7; Jewis 0 0-0 0; Dashiell 2 0-0 4; Ekart 7 3-6 19; Morris 1 0-0 2; Team: 17 7-12 45
Scott City (10-2): Ruelas 5 0-0 14; Radke 3 0-0 7; Faurot 0 0-0 0; Meza 1 0-0 3; Tarango 3 2-2 9; Wren 0 0-0 0; Rumford 4 5-6 15; Bailey 0 1-2 1; Team: 16 8-10 49

Three-Point Goals: Sterling 4 (Ekart 2, Smith 1, Newberry 1); Scott City 9 (Ruelas 4, Rumford 2, Radke 1, Meza 1, Tarango 1); Turnovers: Sterling 17, Scott City 17; Fouls: Sterling 12, Scott City 13; Fouled Out: None.

The girls tournamnet saw Lyons defeating Hutch Trinity 46-36 for seventh, Smoky Valley knocking off Sterling for fifth place 33-27 and Hugoton held off Kingman for third place 45-42. On the boys side, Hutch Trinity defeated Kingman in the seventh place game 70-36, SE of Saline defeated Smoky Valley for fifth 48-32, and Lyons edged Hugoton for third 63-62.

Scott City will be back on the road on Tuesday, as they will take on Goodland for a second time this year.