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Tigers prevail in defensive slugfest with Nevada
Defense was the name of the game as Fort Scott High's boys took a 45-34 win over Nevada at the FSHS gymnasium Tuesday night.
Both teams shot under 40 percent for the night and Nevada actually had less than one field-goal attempt per minute in the course of the game. Fort Scott shot just 33 percent, making 15 of 46 attempts, while Nevada finished at 39 percent on 14 of 36.
It didn't help Nevada's cause that it went one of 10 from behind the three-point line and only five of 11 at the free-throw stripe. Fort Scott was four of 17 from three and 11 of 17 at the stripe.
"I think both teams played very well defensively," Fort Scott head coach Jeff DeLaTorre said. "It was a night where neither team got going offensively. We started out pretty well and did a good job of moving the ball around and got some open shots and knocked them down. But as the second quarter progressed, they stayed in their zone and our shots weren't falling. Instead of making some adjustments and trying to get it inside, we started settling for the outside shot and it wouldn't fall."
The Tigers stretched a two-point advantage into a 14-6 lead after one period as Zach Quick put in five points and Kevin Gray scored four.
Fort Scott led 18-6 after an Alex Barner stickback with 5:06 left in the second quarter before Nevada's Bryan Campbell hit three jumpers in a row to end the half and bring the visitors within six.
Campbell has been playing with an ankle sprain severe enough that Nevada head coach John McNeley said it would keep most others out of the lineup.
"That's Byran," McNeley said. "There's not very many kids who would be playing. He's so limited right now. He can't to the things he normally can do. But to get done what he got done in that stretch of the second quarter when...he took it into his own hands."
Fort Scott, 2-2, got the lead back up to 28-15 with three minutes left in the third after Zach Smith scored five straight points. He finished as Fort Scott's leading scorer with 13 points.
"He knocked shots down," DeLaTorre said. "You're always going get some looks for a three and he knocked them down. He also went to the basket, cut behind the zone. Those are things we have to do. You have to attack the basket, get it inside and then everything else opens up outside."
Nevada's 6' 5" center, James Tumm, took things into his own hands at the end of the third, personally outscoring Fort Scott 8-2 to bring NHS within 31-25 by the end of the quarter.
"I'm surprised with some of the things he can do," McNeley said. "James is a space-eater but that's not all he is. He's got some athletic ability. He's not the quickest person in the world but he understands that and he's able to get some things done."
Trevor Hinkle's basket cut the deficit to 33-27 with 5:41 to go. Barner made one of two free throws and Smith nailed a three-pointer to put FSHS back up by 10. Timm scored a layup for Nevada to trim it back down to 37-29.
With about three minutes to go, Fort Scott pulled the ball out. Quick held it at the top of the key for about 25 seconds before cutting up the lane for an easy layup with 2:31 to go that nearly put things away.
"It was kind of a roll of the dice," DeLaTorre said of the play. "When we got under the three-minute mark, we decided to pull it out and make them come out of that zone. When they did, we had the floor spread and it opened up a lane for ZQ to take it to the basket.
"When people go man against us, we feel good about the way we can attack."
Campbell drove for a layup and Drew Weatherly hit a three-pointer to cut the lead down to 39-34 before Nevada called a 30-second time out with 1:17 remaining. But Fort Scott made six straight free throws in the last minute to put the game away.
Tumm led Nevada with 13 points as he made five of eight shots from the field. He also finished with 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Campbell added 11 points.
Quick scored nine points for the Tigers. He and Chris Banks each dished three assists. Quick, Smith and Barner each grabbed six rebounds in leading Fort Scott to a 33-28 rebounding advantage. Jeff Johnson had three steals and Tony Karleksint blocked three shots.
JUNIOR VARSITY -- Fort Scott took a 55-27 win over Nevada as Barner scored 12 points. Aaron Judy and Matt Wheeler each had nine.
The Tigers led 21-6 after one period of play. A 50-16 lead after three caused the running-clock rule to go into effect in the fourth.
Barner also had five rebounds to lead the Tigers, who are now 3-1.
FRESHMEN -- Nevada took a 41-28 win despite failing to score in the second quarter. Gary Floyd led the Tigers, 1-1, with 14 points. Garrett Baugher ad 15 rebounds for the Tigers, who outrebounded Nevada by a 47-34 margin.
All of Fort Scott's teams, including the girls, play at Pittsburg Friday night. The varsity games are non-league. The alternate gym is a Pittsburg community Middle School on North Broadway.