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Tiger boys take overtime victory over 'Dogs
Fort Scott High School's boys may just be starting to come around.
The Tigers lost their first four games of the season. But a 48-43 win over Independence in overtime at the FSHS gymnasium Friday night gave Fort Scott its second consecutive victory following an 0-4 start to the season.
The last time a Fort Scott team started a season so badly -- 0-5 in 1998-99 --they fought back and won 14 of their last 17. This team, it seems, may be on its way to correcting its course in much the same way.
The win makes Fort Scott 2-2 in the SEK and 2-4 overall and puts the Tigers just half game out of third place and one game out of second.
"I think we've gotten better," Fort Scott head coach Jeff DeLaTorre said. "Adding Alex (Fink) has helped but I think everybody else, even when he's not in the game, has seen their confidence growing."
Independence fell to third place at 3-2, 5-3. The Bulldogs started the season 3-0 but have gone just 2-3 since.
Kaleb DeLaTorre hit a jumper from the free-throw line with 1:10 remaining in regulation time that tied the score at 43-43. Independence called a full time out with exactly a minute to go, worked the clock and called time again with 7.2 seconds left.
The Bulldogs ran a play for Tate Turner, who missed a medium-length jumper. Fink got the rebound with one second left.
The teams spent a lot of the overtime session feeling each other out. The first real chance either team had to score came with 1:14 left when Fink earned a two-shot foul. But he missed both shots.
Turner missed another shot with about 45 seconds to go -- Indy's first field-goal try of the OT. DeLaTorre got the rebound, got the ball to Mason Knopp, who found Jash Pytlowany for a tansition layup that held up as the game-winning points with 30 seconds left.
DeLaTorre made the one of two free throws with 18 seconds left to make it 46-43. Back at the other end, Dominique Thornton missed a 3-point shot. Pytlowany got the rebound.
A foul was called and DeLaTorre was awarded two free throws with one second left. He made both of them.
"There's a lot of those situations that came up tonight that we hadn't been in yet," DeLaTorre said. "To handle them like we did and to beat a very good team like (Independence) speaks volumes. I think we showed our character tonight."
Independence led 10-4 early on. But a Garin Sinn jumper brought Fort Scott within 10-7 as the first period came to a close.
Six-10 post Jack Olin scored back-to-back baskets to put the Tigers in front, 18-16, as the half wound down. Thornton hit a jumper with two seconds left to tie it going into the break.
DeLaTorre hit a 3-point shot from the right wing with 5:38 left in the third quarter to put Fort Scott up 23-19. But Indy scored the next 7 with Kyle Rinck making the score 26-23.
Olin's layup with 2:25 left tied the score at 26-26. Indy scored 6 of the final 8 of the quarter with Thornton converting a steal with five seconds left to make it 32-28.
Indy's lead grew two 38-32 with 4:21 to go as Marquise Johnson scored from a Thornton assist. But a pair of 3-point shots by Pytlowany helped close the deficit to 40-38 with 2:20 left.
DeLaTorre converted an old-fashioned 3-point play with 1:55 to go to bring the Tigers within 42-41. Ty Schabel went to the line for Independence with 1:25 left but made only one of his two free throws.
DeLaTorre finished with 15 points to elad the Tigers. Pytlowany added 11 and Olin made 5 of 7 shots from the field in scoring 10 points while also blocking 6 shots.
Turner scored 19 points for Independence but no other Bulldog had more than 7.
Knopp grabbed 9 rebounds for the Tigers, who won the battle of the boards 36-33. Chase Brown handed out 3 assists.
The Tigers shot 38 percent for the game, making 17 of 45 field-goal attempts, but made 6 of 9 in the fourth quarter and OT. Independence shot 33 percent on 17 of 52 overall and was just 1 for 9 from 3-point range.
DeLaTorre went 6 of 7 at the free-throw line, all of his attempts coming in the fourth quarter and overtime.
The Tigers travel to Chanute Tuesday night to take on the second-place Blue Comets (3-1, 7-2). Chanute beat Girard, 52-46, in a non-league game at Girard Friday night. It was the seventh straight win for the Comets after starting the season 0-2.
JUNIOR VARSITY -- Fort Scott claimed the junior varsity contest, 42-30, as Wyatt Reehl scored 11 points.
FRESHMEN -- Tuesday night, Parsons and Fort Scott met in a battle of undefeated teams with the Vikings taking a 50-41 in at Buck Run Community Center. Grant Goldston led the Tigers with 16 points and 5 assists. Kaleb Ashe was credited with 11 rebounds.
NOTES --In other SEK action Friday night, first-place Coffeyville (4-0, 7-1) defeated last-place Pittsburg, 62-50. The Purple Dragons fell to 0-4, 0-6. Also, Labette County (2-2, 4-2) routed Parsons, 72-36 at Altamont. Parsons is 1-4, 1-5.
INDEPENDENCE: Johnson 3-10 0-0 6, Turner 6-15 6-6 19, Thornton 3-11 1-2 7, Schabel 2-5 1-2 5, Berry 1-3 0-0 2, Rinck 2-4 0-0 4, Lawrie 0-2 0-0 0, Nutt 0-1 0-0 0, Speicher 0-1 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17-52 8-10 43.
FORT SCOTT: DeLaTorre 4-11 6-7 15, Brown 1-4 0-0 2, Pytlowany 4-8 0-0 11, Bradbury 0-1 0-0 0, Fink 0-0 0-0 0, Sinn 2-5 0-0 4, Knopp 1-9 2-4 4, Olin 5-7 0-0 10. TOTALS: 17-45 19-17 48.
Independence......... 10 8 14 11 0 -- 43
Fort Scott......... 7 11 10 15 5 -- 48
Three-point field goals: Independence 1-9 (Turner 1-2, Lawrie 0-1, Johnson 0-3, Thornton 0-3), Fort Scott 4-13 (Pytlowany 3-5, DeLaTorre 1-6, Knopp 0-2).
Total fouls: Independence 15, Fort Scott 13. Fouled out: None.
Rebounds: Independence 33 (Rinck 8), Fort Scott 36 (Knopp 9). Assists: Independence 4 (4 with 1 each), Fort Scott 8 9Brown 3). Turnovers: Independence 7, Fort Scott 12. Steals: Independence 8 (Thornton 4), Fort Scott 2 (DeLaTorre, Bradbury). Blocked shots: Independence 5 (Turner 2), Fort Scott 7 (Olin 6).