On Tuesday night, the Scott City Beavers hosted the Larned Indians in a doubleheader, marking their final non-conference games of the season at the Scott Community Events Center. The Beavers achieved a home sweep, with the girls winning 36-31 and the boys triumphing 57-17.
Scott City Girls 36, Larned 31
In an encounter that had not taken place in Scott City since 2010, the Lady Beavers faced a strong start from Larned, which quickly established a 9-0 lead within the first three minutes. However, the Lady Beavers regained composure, reducing their turnovers despite making only one field goal in the opening eight minutes, trailing 11-3 at the end of the first quarter. After falling behind 12-3 early in the second quarter, Scott City (7-11) mounted an 8-2 run, closing the gap to 14-11 with 3:07 remaining before halftime. The teams exchanged baskets, with Larned holding a slim 16-13 lead at the break.
The third quarter showcased a stellar performance by the Lady Beavers, who outscored Larned 17-5, including runs of 9-2 and 8-0, to enter the final quarter with a 30-21 advantage. Scott City led 32-22 with 7:02 left on the clock, but the Lady Indians made a late charge, utilizing three-pointers to close in on the score. After Larned narrowed the margin to 34-31 with 44 seconds remaining, the Lady Beavers sealed the victory with a final basket, ending the game at 36-31.
Lily Lightner led Scott City with a career-high 14 points, while Piper Fox contributed 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Lady Beavers struggled at the free throw line, shooting 6-19, and recorded 12 turnovers. For Larned, Jadyn Crosby led with 13 points, as they shot 4-8 from the foul line and also had 12 turnovers. Scott City has now won seven consecutive games in this matchup and leads the all-time series 19-14. The Lady Beavers have won two of their last three games and remain in 11th place in the Larned Sub-State standings, while Larned holds the seventh spot.
Scott City Boys 57, Larned 17
The Scott City boys” defense proved too much for Larned, as the Beavers capitalized on turnovers to build an early lead. They initiated the game with runs of 9-0 and 10-0, concluding the first quarter with a commanding 19-4 advantage. After Larned managed to score the first three points of the second quarter, Scott City (10-8) responded with a series of scoring runs and led 31-12 at halftime.
In the second half, Larned (6-13) struggled offensively, managing only five points and failing to score during the last 10:52 of the game. The Beavers extended their lead to 53-17 by the end of the third quarter, as a continuous clock ran through the final eight minutes, concluding the game with a 57-17 victory.
Junior Meza led the scoring for Scott City with 19 points, while Brendan Cook recorded a career-high 10 points. The Beavers were 4-7 from the free throw line and finished with eight turnovers. Larned received five points each from Luke Krehbiel and Kylier Greene, shooting 4-10 from the charity stripe and committing 27 turnovers. Scott City has now won eight straight games in this series, leading 30-7 overall. Following this game, Scott City is tied with Hoisington for fourth place in the 3A Larned standings, just half a game behind third place. Larned remains in 13th place.
Scott City will enjoy a week off before their next match, traveling to Colby next Tuesday, while Larned returns home on Friday to host Hillsboro.
