'Hounds take control in second half

Thursday, January 25, 2007
Captured Images/Kenny Felt Fort Scott's Jazmin Taylor (10) goes to the hoop against Johnson County's Katy Davenport as Cavalier Jacky Smith gets caught up in the play during the second half of play at Arnold Arena Wednesday night. Taylor scored 14 points as the Greyhounds took a 77-57 victory.

A 12-2 run midway through the second half gave Fort Scott Community College's women control of a Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division contest at Arnold Arena Wednesday night.

The Greyhounds went on to a 77-57 win that puts them in third place in the division at 5-3 with a 13-7 overall record.

But because Johnson County is a Division II team, the season sweep of the Cavaliers, 5-5, 15-7, doesn't help when it comes to Region VI Tournament seeding in March. For that purpose, Fort Scott is only 2-3, a game behind Labette for the fourth seed which would give the Greyhounds a first-round home game in the tournament (an overtime win over Highland earlier this month also doesn't count in seeding as that program decided to go down to Division II starting this year; see chart below for more).

Johnson County, ranked No. 10 in the NJCAA Division II poll, held a 22-11 lead after 10 1/2 minutes. But the Greyhounds outscored the Cavaliers 19-8 to tie the game at 30-30 with 1:27 to go on Keisha Walker's only basket of the half.

Katy Davenport, Johnson County's leading scorer on the night with 23 points, gave the Cavs a two-point lead at the half when she scored a layup with 35 seconds to go. She also put in two free throws to start the second half.

Fort Scott scored the next seven to take the lead as Walker began to warm up.

It was tied at 46-46 with 12 minutes left. Then Amber Bowles started the go-ahead run with a layup. Walker stuck back her own missed then Bowles scored a put back and Jasmine Hammond put in a transition bucket to make it 54-46 with 9:17 to go.

The 'Hounds put things away with a game-ending 8-1 run.

Walker scored 17 of her 19 points in the second half. Bowles also scored 19 points and grabbed a team-leading 16 rebounds. Jazmin Taylor added 14 points for the 'Hounds while also dishing seven assists and picking up four steals.

Iola graduate Heather Rourk added 13 points to the Johnson County attack while Meghan Waggoner scored 10.

The Greyhounds shot 43 percent from the field, making 31 of 72 field-goal attempts. Johnson County shot 37 percent of 20 of 54, going only nine of 26 in the second half.

Fort Scott turned the ball over just six times -- once in the second half -- while Johnson County committed 21 turnovers.

The Greyhounds host Allen County Saturday at 2 p.m. at Arnold Arena.