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'Hound men hold off Dragons for 4th win
Sophomore Austin Danner led Fort Scott Community College's men with 25 points Saturday afternoon. But the two that mattered most came from 16 feet out at the right wing with six seconds left in a battle with Wentworth Military Academy at Arnold Arena, breaking a tie and giving the Greyhounds the lead for good.
Gary Floyd stole the inbound pass and made two free throws to clinch the 78-74 victory with three seconds left
"A few of the guys in the huddle wanted that shot but I'm going to go with the guy that's been getting it done for me the last few games," Fort Scott head coach Michael Cook said of Danner's clutch shot. "I told him, 'You're not passing when we run this play for you. Make sure you know what to do and take the shot.'"
This was Fort Scott's fourth consecutive victory after starting the season 0-2. It's the first four-game win streak for the Greyhounds since January of 2007 when they beat Neosho County, Independence, Cowley and Highland.
The 'Hounds will try to make it five in a row tonight at Arnold Arena when Highland visits for a game that counts both in the Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division and toward Division II post-season seeding.
The Greyhounds led 47-35 at the half behind some hot 3-point shooting. Danner and Tyler Adams combined to make 6 triples in the half. A James Fleming 3-pointer and a Gary Floyd steal for a layup created the halftime margin.
But the 'Hounds lost that 3-point shot in the second half, going 1 for 6 from behind the arc. Fort Scott went without a field goal over six minutes as Wentworth (5-3) started catching up.
The Dragons scored 12 of 14 in a two-minute stretch to tie the score 61-61 on a 3-point shot by Jordan Davis with 9:43 to go. They went in front 68-66 with six minutes left on a Andre Scott 3-pointer.
From there, the teams traded scored for a time with Kevin House's short jumper -- his only score of the game -- bringing the 'Hounds to a 74-74 tie with 54 seconds left.
Johnson Decembre looked to give the Red Dragons the lead again but forced a jumper with 31.5 seconds to go. The rebound went to the 'Hounds, who called time out with 23.8 seconds to go to set up the play that led to Danner's basket.
"That's how seasons turn around, when you fight through bad things," Cook said, "and you get through all the the fouls and all the bad rebounding and you have two injuries. You get through those things. That'll be a good boost for us going forward."
Danner made 7 of 14 shots from the floor and all eight of his free throws as he led Fort Scott in scoring. Fleming added 19 points and Adams 15. Ray Ray Chase had another huge game on the boards as he hauled down 18 rebounds.
Scott led Wentworth with 23 points as he hit 7 of 11 fielders. Decembre added 20 points for the Dragons.
Fort Scott outrebounded Wentworth, 43-39, and committed just 11 turnovers. The 'Hounds shot 39 percent from the floor, making 24 of 61 field-goal attempts, and 81 percent from the free-throw line on 22 of 27.
WENTWORTH MILITARY: Melvin II 1-4 0-0 2, Scott 7-11 8-12 23, Decembre 7-17 4-4 20, Reed 0-0 0-2 0, Powel 3-6 0-0 7, Estwood 0-0 0-0 0, Gualberto 1-3 0-0 2, Davis 4-13 2-2 11, Decker 3-9 0-0 7, Barksdale 1-1 0-3 2. TOTALS: 27-64 14-23 74.
FORT SCOTT: Floyd 3-8 0-0 6, Fleming 5-10 8-8 19, House 1-3 0-2 2, Samuels 1-5 2-2 4, Wright 0-2 0-0 0, Adams 5-11 1-3 15, Danner 7-14 8-8 25, Chase 2-8 3-4 7, Stoneking 0-0 0-0 0, Hall 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 24-61 22-27 78.
Halftime: Fort Scott, 47-35.
Three-point field goals: Wentworth 6-18 (Decembre 2-4, Scott 1-1, Powelll 1-2, Davis 1-4, Decker 1-6, Melvin II 0-1), Fort Scott 8-24 (Adams 4-8, Danner 3-8, Fleming 1-3, Floyd 0-4).
Total fouls: Wentworth 26, Fort Scott 21. Fouled out: Reed. Technical fouls: Wentworth bench, Wright, Hall.
Rebounds: Wentworth 39 (Davis 8), Fort Scott 43 (Chase 18). Assists: Wentworth 12 (Scott 3), Fort Scott 15 (Wright 5). Turnovers: Wentworth 15, Fort Scott 11. Steals: Wentworth 3 (3 with 1 each), Fort Scott 7 (Fleming 2). Blocked shots: Wentworth 3 (3 with 1 each ), Fort Scott 3 (Chase 2).