Tiger girls give Armstrong 100th victory

Jeff Armstrong holds up a plaque commemorating his 100th victory as Fort Scott girls' head coach following the Tigers 43-13 win over Iola at the FSHS gymnasium Friday night. Armstrong is seven wins away from becoming the program's winningest coach (Kenny Felt/Exclusive to the Tribune).

Fort Scott High School head girls' basketball coach Jeff Armstrong doesn't see himself as someone who's won 100 games since he took over 7 1/2 seasons ago.

He's just happened to coach a lot of good players over the years, showing them how to win 100 games, including a 43-13 Homecoming rout of former Southeast Kansas League rival Iola at the FSHS gymnasium Friday night that put him right on the century mark.

"It's an honor I'm very blessed to have," Armstrong said after the game. "I didn't win any of those games. The girls did. So it's a blessing to be a part of their lives. Through those wins, I've gotten to know eight years of girls' basketball players and those are the things I'm going to remember. The memories that I cherish aren't necessarily ones tied to the wins."

Fort Scott's Sidney Maycumber (31) takes a shot over Iola's Hannah Endicott during the first half of play at the FSHS gymnasium Friday night. Maycumber scored 8 points and had 6 rebounds in a 43-13 rout of the Fillies. (Kenny Felt/Exclusive to the Tribune)

Armstrong is the second-winningest girls coach in school history, trailing current FSHS principal Bob Beckham, who won 106 games in eight season from 1989-97. Only five basketball coaches have won 100 or more games at Fort Scott High when boys' coaches Jeff DeLaTorre (currently at 211), Danny Brown (178) and Gary Key (177) are included.

And this game was won the way many of Armstrong's teams have done so -- full-court pressure causing a lot of turnovers which lead to easy baskets. The Tigers (8-5) forced 31 Iola turnovers and recorded 20 steals.

"We were able to change up the pace a little bit with some pressing," Armstrong said, "some trapping; we rotated a little better. Looking at only giving up (six) points in the second half, definitely the defense stepped up and played really well."

Iola (0-13), which is now a member of the Pioneer League, managed just 3 field goals on 20 shots in the first three quarters. The Fillies finished 5 of 27 (19 percent) from the floor in the game.

Fort Scott scored 8 consecutive points late in the first and early in the second quarter to get ahead 14-4. Tiera Floyd scored the last two baskets of the first and Brianne Lawrence scored the first two field goals of the second period.

It was 19-7 at halftime. Hannah Endicott scored the first basket of the second half for Iola. But the Fillies didn't score again in the third period and the Tigers went on a 14-0 run. Lawrence and Jillian Lattimer, Fort Scott's post players, combined for the last 10 points.

Lattimer had a good night off the bench and ended up as Fort Scott's leading scorer with 9 points. Lawrence led the Tigers with 10 rebounds while adding 8 points of her own. Forward Sidney Maycumber also chipped in with 8 points.

The Tigers outrebounded the Fillies, 31-25. Hannah Tourtillott picked up 5 of the Tigers' steals while Lawrence and Katren Rienbolt each had 4.

No Fillie scored more than 2 field goals. Mikaela Platt, who didn't appear until the second quarter, led Iola with 5 points.

Fort Scott has now won 8 of its last 9 games with the only loss during this run coming at state-ranked Girard by 3 points on Jan. 11.

The Tigers will head back into SEK play the rest of the season beginning with Tuesday night's game at Pittsburg. The second time through the now 12-game, double-round robin schedule begins Friday against Labette County at the FSHS gymnasium.

JUNIOR VARSITY -- The Fort Scott JV also won easily, 40-19. Ashley Cook led the Tigers with 15 points.

Jeff Armstrong won his 100th game as a head coach Friday night. Here are some facts about his coaching career to this point:

* First year, 2005-06.

* Record after Friday night: 100-67.

* Second-longest tenured FSHS girls' basketball coach, seven seasons. Bob Beckham, now the FSHS principal, coached eight seasons from 1989-90 to 1996-97.

* Will become the all-time leader in wins for a girls' basketball coach with seven more victories. Beckham is the leader with a record of 106-71.

* First head coaching victory came in his first game, a 41-35 victory over Owasso, Okla., at the Willard Classic on Dec. 1, 2005. The Tigers went 3-0 in the tournament that season to win the title.

* First Southeast Kansas League win came on Jan. 31, 2006, a 47-31 victory over Independence.

* 2007-08 team was Class 4A Sub-State champion.

* 50th win came on Jan. 30, 2009, vs. Pittsburg by a 35-21 score.

* Is only one of five FSHS coaches -- boys or girls -- to coach 100 victories. The others are Jeff DeLaTorre (211), Danny Brown (178), Gary Key (177) and Beckham.

IOLA: Long 0-1 0-0 0, Reno 0-0 0-0 0, Moore 0-3 0-0 0, Piazza 0-6 0-0 0, Lohman 1-7 0-0 2, Ford 0-1 1-2 1, Endicott 1-4 0-0 2, Driskel 1-1 1-2 3, Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Platt 2-4 1-2 5, Love 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 5-27 3-6 13.

FORT SCOTT: Tourtillott 0-2 0-0 0, Shoemaker 0-0 0-0 0, Allen 0-2 2-2 2, Sh.Maycumber 0-1 0-0 0, Rienbolt 3-7 0-0 6, Floyd 3-6 0-0 6, Hasenplaugh 1-2 2-2 4, Cook 0-1 0-1 0, Si.Maycumber 2-5 4-6 8, Barbour 0-0 0-0 0, Lawrence 4-9 0-3 8, Lattimer 2-6 5-7 9. TOTALS: 15-41 13-21 43.

Fort Scott........... 10 9 16 8 -- 43

Three-point field goals: Iola 0-8 (Lohman 0-1, Endicott 0-1, Platt 0-1, Piazza 0-2, Moore 0-3), Fort Scott 0-4 (Tourtillott 0-1, Cook 0-1, Rienbolt 0-2).

Total fouls: Iola 16, Fort Scott 10. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None.

Rebounds: Iola 25 (Endicott 7, Driskel 7), Fort Scott 31 (Lawrence 10). Assists: Iola 2 (Piazza, Lohman), Fort Scott 6 (Tourtillott 2). Turnovers: Iola 31, Fort Scott 19. Steals: Iola 7 (Lohman 2), Fort Scott 20 (Tourtillott 5). Blocked shots: Iola none, Fort Scott 2 (Floyd, Lawrence).