Indy boys control second half, down Fort Scott 44-41

FORT SCOTT -- Fort Scott High's boys saw the outside shot desert them and Independence took advantage to take control in the second half and go on to a 44-41 victory in the Southeast Kansas League opener for both teams at the FSHS gymnasium.

"Hopefully, we come out next week and get back after it next week because we haven't been clicking on all cylinders these past couple of games," Fort Scott head coach Jeff DeLaTorre said. "We battled at the end but we put ourselves in a big hole."

The Tigers (0-1 SEK, 7-6 overall) had three chances to at least force overtime in the last 30 seconds. Two 3-point shots failed to hit the mark but the rebound after the second one was knocked out of bounds by Independence (1-0, 9-3).

Matt Wright threw the inbound pass but the Bulldogs guarded the 3-point line as it was the only chance the Tigers had with two seconds left. Wright had to throw the ball a little deeper and Cody Harper's 25-foot shot hit the back of the rim and bounced away as the final horn sounded.

The game's first nine minutes were dominated by Fort Scott, who were looking to have a happy outcome for their Homecoming game. They held a 12-8 lead after one and Matt Wright boosted that at the start of the second quarter when he converted a 3-point play with 6:59 on the clock.

After that Garrett Webster, who didn't score at all in the first period, caught fire for Indy. He hit a 3-point shot from the left wing, then scored a shorter jumper from the left side. He drove in for a layup with 2:40 to go, tying the score at 15-15.

Cameron Woodring swished a 3-point shot for the Tigers from the left wing with 1:47 to go -- their second and last score of the period -- to make it 18-15. Webster took a steal in for a layup at the buzzer to bring the 'Dogs within one.

Indy led 31-28 after three and was able to keep the lead between 3 and 4 points the rest of the way. But the Tigers did tie the score one last time at 39-39 when Woodring hit two technical foul shots with 3:09 remaining.

Easton Julian and Webster scored back-to-back layups for the 'Dogs. Wright stuck back a missed shot to bring the Tigers within 43-41 with 46 seconds left. Fort Scott fouled Alex Steinle, who made 1 of 2 free throws with 44 seconds left.

Webster finished with 16 points for Independence, which shot 52 percent from the field on 15 of 29, and Reed added 11. Harper led Fort Scott, which shot just 26 percent on 11 of 43, with 11 and Woodring added 10.

The Tigers host Coffeyville in SEK play Tuesday night.

INDEPENDENCE: Gar.Webster 6-11 2-3 16, Taylor 0-0 0-0 0, Steinle 2-3 1-2 5, Reed 2-5 7-10 11, Shaffer 0-2 0-0 0, Julian 4-7 0-0 8, Nickles 1-1 2-2 4. TOTALS: 15-29 12-17 44.

FORT SCOTT: Stark 0-3 2-4 2, Quick 0-1 0-2 0, Thorpe 2-5 0-0 6, Wright 2-5 1-1 5, Woodring 2-14 4-4 10, Knopp 2-6 3-5 7, Harper 3-9 2-2 11, Rienbolt 0-0 0-0 0, Altic 0-0 0-0 0, Durbin 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 11-43 12-18 41.

Fort Scott........... 12 6 10 13 -- 41

Three-point field goals: Independence 2-6 (Gar.Webster 2-5, Reed 0-1), Fort Scott 7-29 (Harper 3-9, Thorpe 2-5, Woodring 2-11, Quick 0-1, Stark 0-3).

Total fouls: Independence 14, Fort Scott 17. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: Independence bench.

Rebounds: Indpendence 30 (Julian 11), Fort Scott 21 (Wright 6). Assists: Independence 8 (Julian 4), Fort Scott 9 (Stark 4, Woodring 4). Turnovers: Independence 17, Fort Scott 9. Steals: Independence 5 (Julian 2), Fort Scott 8 (Quick 2, Harper 2). Blocked shots: Independence 1 (Reed), Fort Scott 1 (Knopp).