SCHS defense buries Liberal in O&B semis

Scott City junior Drew Kite drives between two Liberal defenders during Friday's 66-38 win in the semi-finals of the Orange and Black Classic.

Printer-friendly version

E-Mail this story

By Rod Haxton, editor

When Scott City head coach Glenn O’Neil says his basketball team is not one-dimensional, he’s usually referring to their ability to score from the inside or outside.

Beaver fans know there’s another way that can be interpreted. The SCHS boys can beat you with their offense or their defense.

Liberal has been the victim of both forms of multi-dimensional play.

After being burned by Scott City’s three-point shooting a week earlier, the Redskins got a taste of the Beavers defense when Scott City cruised to a 66-38 win in the semi-finals of the Orange and Black Classic on Friday.

Unlike their previous meeting when the Beavers knocked down five treys in the first nine minutes, SCHS didn’t make any shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter. Liberal had to feel pretty good about the way the game unfolded when they opened up a 15-10 lead with 1:27 left in the opening period.

That’s when the nightmare known as the SCHS defense took control.

Senior guard Braeden Robinson hit a basket that started an 11-0 scoring blitz. Robinson’s trey to start the second quarter was Scott City’s first of the game and opened up a 21-15 lead.

Robinson said it was just a matter of making a few adjustments.

“They hustled to the ball more and the knew our back cuts, but that’s just something you have to adjust to,” says Robinson. “We’re used to seeing Holcomb three or four times a year, so we’re used to making adjustments.”

That would be an understatement.

SCHS held a 23-20 lead with just over 6-1/2 minutes remaining in the half. The next time that Liberal would score there was 3:55 left in the third period. That’s a scoreless drought of more than 10 minutes during which the Beavers put together a 26-0 scoring blitz for a 46-20 cushion.

“We know defense will win us these games. We raised our defensive intensity, especially coming off the way we played the night before (against Palmer Ridge),” says Robinson, referring to his team’s uninspired 52-41 win in the tournament opener.

“We knew we hadn’t played our best game against Palmer Ridge and it was something we talked about. But that’s one of the things I love about this team is our ability to work through those things.”

Scott City spread the offensive wealth with five players contributing to the 26 point scoring run.

The O’Neil brothers - Brett and Trey - accounted for 17 consecutive points. That included a trey by Brett, followed by consecutive treys from his younger brother. The senior guard then closed out the first half with a soft shot off the glass for a 36-20 lead.

SCHS continued their scoring surge in the second half with 10 more unanswered points, led by the post play of Drew Kite and Joey Meyer. Kite dished off an assist to Meyer and Kite then followed by driving the lane to make it 46-20 with 4:09 left in the third period.

Kite, who was 8-of-13 from the field, finished with a game high 18 points and nine rebounds. Meyer was 5-of-7 from the field for 10 points.

B. O’Neil added 10 points on 5-of-8 field goals, but put on a passing exhibition in the game with 13 assists - many of them threading the Liberal defense.

During a 9-0 SCHS scoring surge that overlapped the third and fourth quarters, O’Neil scored a basket and then followed with assists on three consecutive baskets - two by Kite and the final by Jeremy Clinton that opened up a 62-28 lead to start the fourth period.

The Beavers will face McCook in the Orange and Black finals on Saturday at 8:15 p.m.