Walker's 34 not enough in loss at Highland

HIGHLAND -- Dametrius Walker scored 34 points on 14-of-17 field-goal shooting here Wednesday night. But that effort, his second consecutive game of at least 30 points, was not enough as Fort Scott Community College's men fell to Highland, 70-63, in Jayhawk Conference-Division II play.

If there was any good news, it was in Brown Mackie's upset win over No. 4-ranked Johnson County, 63-59, at Salina. It means that the Greyhounds and Cavaliers remained tied with the best record among the state's Division II schools, each at 7-2.

Since Johnson County's loss came to a team that is higher in the region standings than Fort Scott's, the Greyhounds (4-1 conference, 12-15 overall) hold a tie-breaker. The teams also meet at Overland Park Saturday afternoon and if the 'Hounds can win there, they'll have a sweep in the season series with the Cavs (5-1, 24-3), which is the best tie-breaker to have. The 'Hounds would also have a tie-breaker over Johnson County in the conference race. Currently, the Cavs are a half-game ahead.

Walker became the first Greyhound with at least three 30-point scoring nights in a season since the 2007-08 season when Arsenio Williams breached that mark five times.

But while Walker shot lights out, the rest of the team made only 11 of 43 field-goal attempts, which is 26 percent. Highland made half of its attempts for the game on 24 of 48.

Highland also dominated the boards, 41-22. It's the seventh time in 11 games following the holiday break that Fort Scott has collected fewer than 30 rebounds in a game, although the Greyhounds have lost only three of those contests.

The Greyhounds led 35-31 at halftime but Highland (3-4, 14-14) shot 54 percent in the second half on 13 of 24 as the Scotties rallied.

Eddie Sims and Jeremiah Fleming each scored 8 points for Fort Scott. Mitchell Beal led Highland with 15 followed by Paul Clemons with 14, Brandon Hashim with 12 and Jaymond Kelly with 10.

FORT SCOTT: Walker 14-17 4-7 34, Sims 3-13 2-3 8, Fleming 3-10 0-1 8, Owens 1-2 0-0 2, Thompson 1-4 1-1 3, Cerda 1-3 0-0 2, Brull 2-7 0-0 6, Benbow 0-3 0-2 0, George 0-0 0-0 0, Freeman 0-1 0-0 0. TOTALS: 25-60 7-14 63.

HIGHLAND: Clemons 4-6 6-7 14, Beal 6-10 0-0 15, Hashim 5-12 0-0 12, Kelly 2-3 6-9 10, Thomas 1-2 3-4 5, Byers 1-3 0-0 2, Jasper 2-4 0-0 6, Sublett 0-1 0-0 0, Brewer, Jr. 1-2 0-1 2, Ewing, Jr. 0-1 0-0 0, Baker 0-2 0-0 0, Horner 2-2 0-1 4.TOTALS: 24-48 15-22 70

Halftime: Fort Scott, 35-31.

Three-point field goals: Fort Scott 6-22 (Walker 2-4, Brull 2-7, Fleming 2-8, Owens 0-1, Sims 0-2), Highland 7-24 (Beal 3-6, Jasper 2-4, Hashim 2-9, Byers 0-1, Sublett 0-1, Brewer, Jr. 0-1, Baker 0-2).

Total fouls: Fort Scott 21, Highland 19 Fouled out: None.

Rebounds: Fort Scott 22 (Walker 6), Highland 41 (Thomas 10). Assists: Fort Scott 8 (Sims 5), Highland 11 (Thomas 3). Turnovers: Fort Scott 9, Highland 18. Steals: Fort Scott 9 (Walker 4), Highland 1 (Thomas). Blocked shots: Fort Scott 1 (Sims), Highland 1 (Horner).