Scott City boys survive Lyons scare
Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Scott City knew that Lyons would give them a scare. And a scare they gave the Beavers. While Scott City only trailed one time in the game, they were unable to put the Lions away. The Beavers were able to separate themselves late and advance to the sub-state semis on Tuesday night with a 56-48 win over Lyons at the Scott Community Events Center.
Trailing early on 2-1, the Beavers scored the next six points, only to see Lyons rally to tie the game at seven with 3:26 left in the opening frame. Scott City (12-9) used an 11-1 run over over the next three minutes to lead 18-8 in the first minute of the second period. The Lions rallied back with a 13-4 run over the next four minutes to pull to within 22-21 with 2:59 left in the half. A mini 4-0 run gave the Beavers a 26-22 lead at the break.
Scott City would score eight straight in the middle of the third quarter to take their largest lead of the game at 38-25 with 4:33 left in the third stanza. Lyons (8-14) made a 17-4 rally over a six and a half-minute stretch to tie the game with 5:56 left at 42 apiece. The Beavers hit a free throw, then used back to back triples from Junior Meza to spur an 8-0 run to lead 50-42 with 2:23 left. Lyons would get it to within four on a pair of occasions, with the last coming at 52-48 with 30 seconds left. Scott City knocked down four of their final six free throws in the final 26.6 seconds to survive and advance with a 56-48 win.
Drew Metzger scored a career-high 17 points to lead Scott City, while Junior Meza had 13, all in the second half. The Beavers went 19-27 from the free throw line and had 11 turnovers. Lyons had three in double figures, led by Tegan Link with 15 points, while Detrell Stanley and Paco Espinoza each had 14 points. The Lions were just 6-15 from the free throw line and had 13 turnovers.
Scott City improves to 6-0 all-time in the series, and 2-0 in sub-state play. They beat the Lions 59-46 in the Sterling Invitational Tournament opener on January 20. It’s the third straight sub-state tournament-opening win for the Beavers, their longest since 2017-19.
Coach Brian Gentry Postgame
Box Score
Lyons 8 13 14 11–48
Scott City 16 10 14 14–56
Lyons (8-14): Ventura 1 0-0 3; Hamilton 0 0-0 0; Alvidrez 1 0-2 2; Link 5 3-6 15; Montanez 0 0-0 0; Corona 0 0-0 0; Stabley 5 1-2 14; Espinoza 6 2-3 14; Team: 18 6-15 48
Scott City (12-9): Tarango 1 0-0 2; Radke 1 6-6 8; Faurot 0 0-0 0; Metzger 7 3-7 17; Irvin 2 3-4 8; Meza 3 5-6 13; Wren 0 0-0 0; Felker 1 0-0 2; Cook 1 0-0 2; Gossman 1 2-4 4; Team: 17 19-27 56
Three-Point Goals: Lyons 6 (Stanley 3, Link 2, Ventura 1), Scott City 3 (Meza 2, Irvin 1); Turnovers: Lyons 13, Scott City 11; Fouls: Lyons 19, Scott City 14; Fouled Out: Lyons (Alvidrez)
Scott City will play at Hoisington on Tuesday in the sub-state semis. Hoisington held off Ellsworth 40-34 at home on Thursday. This will be the second meeting between the teams, after the Cardinals rallied to win 62-55 in the season opener on December 4.