Tiger offenses struggle as Pittsburg sweeps

PITTSBURG -- It was a frustrating night for both basketball teams at Fort Scott High School as both offenses struggled to score in a Southeast Kansas League doubleheader here Tuesday night.

Tiger girls scored just 7 points in the first half of a 43-23 loss to the league-leading Purple Dragons. Pittsburg's boys clinched a share of the league title with a 61-28 win during which they did not allow a point in the third quarter.

Girls: Pittsburg 43, Fort Scott 23.

Tiger girls (4-5 SEK, 6-11 overall) scored the game's first basket thanks to Emily Hale. But the Dragons (9-1, 12-6) scored the next 9 points and held a 12-4 lead after one.

Fort Scott was unable to score for approximately nine minutes in the first half. Haley Denton scored with 2:45 left in the first period but the Tigers' next basket didn't come until Madison Cook hit a 3-point shot with about 1:40 left in the half.

Daeshia Turner and Taylor Muff scored back-to-back hoops to make it 22-7 for the Dragons at the half.

Neither team scored out of the locker room until Cook made a pair of free throws with 4:15 left in the third period. The Dragons maintained a 32-14 lead after two.

Cook made two free throws to start the fourth quarter and Skyelar Brown hit a basket to cut the margin to 32-18. But Pittsburg scored the next 9 points.

Cook led the Tigers with 10 points, half coming in the third quarter. Muff scored 14 for Pittsburg, 11 coming in the second half.

Pittsburg also won the junior varsity and freshmen games. The JV score was 46-38 in overtime while the freshmen game's final was 43-37. No other details were available.

Boys: Pittsburg 61, Fort Scott 28.

Fort Scott (2-7, 5-12) led 4-2 after two minutes and got within 10-7 early in the first quarter. But Pittsburg (10-1, 16-1) scored the next 20 points to go up 30-7 with about five minutes left in the half.

Jessie Lawrence hit a 3-point shot for the Tigers as the half ended to cut the deficit to 42-21. But Pittsburg got 4 points each from Marque English, Chase Curtis and Trenton Austin as the Dragons outscored Fort Scott 14-0 in the third period.

Grant Goldston broke the scoreless drought with a 3-point field goal with 6:58 remaining in the game. However, the 30-point mercy rule was already in effect with the Dragons holding a 58-24 lead.

Goldston ended up the Tigers' leading scorer with 6 points. English paced Pittsburg with 13 points, Elkamil had 12 and Austin finished with 11.

Pittsburg won the junior varsity game, 79-46. Luke Martin and Jordan Hall each scored 11 points for Fort Scott.

The Tiger freshmen team won 66-28 behind 12 points each from Cooper Bradbury and Nick King.

Pittsburg is two games ahead of Independence (7-2, 10-7) in the loss column with two SEK games remaining. The Dragons can clinch the league title Friday night with either a win at Labette County or an Independence loss to Chanute.

GIRLS

FORT SCOTT: Torres 0 0-0 0, J.Allen 0 0-0 0, Farmer 0 0-0 0, Brown 1 0-0 2, J.Denton 1 1-2 3, A.Allen 0 0-0 0, Hale 2 2-4 6, Dwyer 1 0-0 2, Humble 0 0-1 0, Cook 2 4-6 10, Nelson 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17 7-13 23.

PITTSBURG: Turner 4 0-0 8, Lord 1 2-5 4, Beitzinger 2 1-2 7, Muff 6 1-2 14, O'Dell 0 0-0 0, Kidd 3 0-0 6, Casper 1 0-3 2, Rhue 0 0-0 0, McIntyre 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 18 4-12 43.

Pittsburg.................... 12 10 10 11 -- 43

Three-point field goals: Fort Scott 2 (Cook 2), Pittsburg 3 (Beitzinger 2, Muff).

Total fouls: Fort Scott 13, Pittsburg 15. Fouled out: None.

BOYS

FORT SCOTT: J.Lawrence 2 0-0 5, C.Goldston 0

0-0 0, Tourtillott 0 2-2 2, Michaud 2 0-0 4, Thomas 0 0-0 0, Horton 1 1-3 3, N.Lawrence 3 2-4 8, G.Goldston 1 3-4 6, Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Hall 0 0-0 0, Silvers 0 0-1 0, Rhoades 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 9 8-14 29.

PITTSBURG: Curtis 4 1-1 9, Kafka 0 1-2 2, Harris 0 0-0 0, Wiemers 0 0-0 0, Sutton 0 0-0 0, Leverenz 0 0-0 0, Roelfs 2 0-0 6, Elkamil 5 2-4 12, White 0 0-0 0, English 6 1-3 13, Butcher 2 2-2 7, Austin 5 1-2 11, Young 1 0-0 2, Roark 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 25 8-14 62.

Pittsburg..................... 22 20 14 5 -- 61

Three-point field goals: Fort Scott 2 (J.Lawrence, G.Goldston), Pittsburg 3 (Roelfs 2, Butcher).

Total fouls: Fort Scott 15, Pittsburg 16. Fouled out: None.