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Future Tiger leads Grizzlies over Fort Scott
FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Kendra Frazier, a 6' 4" senior for Labette County who signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Missouri last month, scored 44 points and grabbed 20 rebounds as she led her team to a 62-51 overtime victory over Fort Scott High in Southeast Kansas League play Friday night.
The performance by Frazier overshadowed a career-best performance by Fort Scott junior Kori Page Rienbolt, who led the Tigers with 21 points as she made seven of 13 shots from the field, including four three pointers, to help keep her team in the game.
Frazier got the game into overtime by putting back a teammate's errant shot with eight seconds left. She then scored the first six points of the extra session to put her team ahead for good, 55-49, with 2:34 left in the OT.
"I didn't even know she had 44 until after but that made sense because no one else had to score for them," Fort Scott head coach Jeff Armstrong said. "The girls did a very good job on Frazier; she's really just a very good player."
The Tigers, 1-1 in the SEK and 1-4 overall, showed no fear early. The game's first two points were scored by Afton Gray -- all 5' 8" of her -- as she took the ball to Frazier and hit a jumper over her. Rienbolt hit a three-pointer and Joce Allen scored in transition to make it 7-0 just a minute and a half into the game.
Fort Scott never trailed in the first quarter, holding a 12-11 lead after eight minutes. Their full-court press was causing problems for the Grizzlies, 2-0 in the league and overall.
Labette County committed 29 turnovers in regulation play but just one in the four-minute overtime session. Fort Scott often capitalized on those turnovers, a trait they've been showing so far in the young season.
The Grizzlies took the lead for the first time when Frazier made two free throws with 5:45 on the clock in the second period. Frazier followed with a layup and Jymie Graham hit a three-point shot to make it a 20-14 lead with 4:48 to go.
A three-point play and a short jumper from Frazier made it 25-18 with 1:15 to go. But Gray scored the last four points of the half, including a three-pointer from about 21 feet with 50 seconds to go.
The Tigers came out of the locker room for the third quarter much as they had at the beginning of the game, taking the game to the Grizzlies -- who were given the No. 3 ranking in Class 4A in the first Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Poll last week -- and reclaiming the lead.
Rienbolt's basket with 5:40 to go put the Tigers up 27-26. Jolee Sharp stole the inbound pass and scored quickly, then Gray made a transition layup.
Frazier brought the Grizzlies within 32-31. But Rienbolt hit a triple to spark a 7-2 run to end the period. Sharp capped the period by hitting a jumper over Frazier.
Frazier scored the first 10 points of the final stanza and it looked as if maybe the Grizzlies were going to finally pull away. But the Tigers had an answer for that.
Back-to-back Rienbolt treys were part of a 9-2 run that put Fort Scott in front 48-45 with one minute to go in regulation. Frazier cut the deficit to one with a layup with 43 seconds left.
The Tigers had a chance to put the game away at the line but could only make one of four free throws in the final 35 seconds.
The Grizzlies made half of their shots from the field, making 24 of 48 field-goal attempts as Frazier herself went 17 for 21. The Tigers shot 26 percent on 16 of 61, going just one for eight in the overtime session.
Gray was the only other player in the game who reached double digits in scoring, putting 11 points through the net.
Labette County outrebounded Fort Scott 34-11 in the second half and OT on its way to an overall 47-27 advantage.
Allen led Fort Scott with six rebounds and five assists. Sharp had five steals.
The Tigers turned the ball over just 16 times.
"I'm really pleased with the girls," Armstrong said. "They played so well. I'm proud of them because the cards were stacked against them. There were probably some people who didn't think we had much of a chance and the girls came out and proved that with a lot of hear and a lot of effort and doing what we need to do to be successful, we can compete even with the top teams in the state.
"I felt like the girls, even though it doesn't show as a win, the girls outplayed them, especially in regulation."
The night simply belonged to Frazier, who had a double-double (14 points and 10 rebounds) and the fourth quarter alone. The Tigers used no one taller than 5' 9" in the contest and have only one player taller than that in the entire program. Add her long wingspan to the equation and you've got a very tough defensive assignment.
But no other Grizzly scored more than five points so if Frazier had had an ordinary night, it's possible the Tigers would have won.
In any case, this exhibition by Fort Scott should back Armstrong's case that his team can compete with any team in the SEK and in the state in Class 4A.
"This is a good step forward," he said. "I know it's a loss but that doesn't mean it's a step back. Hopefully, Tuesday against (Independence, Kan.), we can take this and use it as a stepping stone for what we can do in February and March."
JUNIOR VARSITY -- Labette County took a 51-38 win over the Tigers in the JV contest. Breianna Jones led Fort Scott with 15 points while Monica Dikeman scored 11, including three three-point goals.
FRESHMEN -- Labette County made it a sweep on the girls' side with a 69-29 victory. Kori Allen scored 15 points to lead the Tigers and Megan McDermed scored 11. Allen and Jenna Campbell each had six rebounds.
The JV squad was to play twice Saturday as they rounded out play in their home junior varsity tournament. All three teams will join the boys' squads at Independence Tuesday night. The varsity contest will count in SEK league play. JV and varsity games will be at Losey Gymnasium.
LABETTE COUNTY: Farrow 0-0 0-0 0, O'Connell 1-5 0-1 2, Graham 2-6 0-0 5, Smith 1-3 1-2 3, Lambkins 2-4 0-1 4, Frazier 17-21 10-10 44, Britton 0-3 0-0 0, Penner 1-6 2-2 4. TOTALS: 24-48 13-16 62.
FORT SCOTT: Gray 3-16 4-6 11, J.Allen 2-10 2-2 7, Sharp 3-13 3-5 9, Simpson 0-3 0-0 0, Rienboldt 7-13 3-6 21, Hawkins 0-0 0-0 0, Bingesser 0-0 0-0 0, R.Allen 1-6 1-3 3. TOTALS: 16-61 13-22 51.
Labette County...... 11 14 8 16 13 -- 62
Fort Scott.............. 12 10 17 10 2 -- 51
Three-point field goals: Labette County 1-11 (Graham 1-4, Smith 0-1, O'Connell 0-2, Britton 0-2, Penner 0-2), Fort Scott 6-26 (Rienbolt 4-6, J.Allen 1-4, Gray 1-8, R.Allen 0-1, Simpson 0-2, Sharp 0-5).
Total fouls: Labette County 21, Fort Scott 20. Fouled out: Graham. Technical fouls: none.
Rebounds: Labette County 47 (Frazier 20), Fort Scott 28 (J.Allen 6). Assists: Labette County 11 (O'Connell 3), Fort Scott 8 (J.Allen 5). Turnovers: Labette County 30, Fort Scott 16. Steals: Labette County 8 (Graham 2, Frazier 2), Fort Scott 12 (Sharp 5). Blocked shots: Labette County 6 (Frazier 6), Fort Scott none.