Fort Scott High's Joce Allen (2) goes for a layup against Oswatomie's Alyssa Chisam (15) during the second half of an Anderson County Class 4A Sub-State basketball game at the FSHS gymnasium Monday night. Allen had eight points, three assists and three steals as the Tigers advanced in the tournament with a 59-25 victory. (Captured Images/Kenny Felt)

Fort Scott High's defense displayed championship-calibre form in an Anderson County Class 4A Sub-State Tournament first-round game at the FSHS gymnasium Monday night. The final score -- a 59-25 victory for the second-seeded Tigers -- was impressive enough. But consider all of this:

* -- Fort Scott's defense forced 29 turnovers and picked up 20 steals.

* -- The Tigers hardly allowed the Trojans an offensive rebound. In fact, Fort Scott outrebounded Osawatomie by the astounding margin of 44-19.

* -- Over the course of the second and third periods, the Tigers allowed one field goal on 17 Trojan attempts.

* -- Twenty of the first 40 Tiger points were scored off Trojan turnovers.

"We always talk defense," Fort Scott head coach Jeff Armstrong said. "And the girls understand that that's our ticket. If we're going to be competitive and make it to that next level -- and then be competitive there -- it's going to be on the defensive end."

The Tigers (15-5) weren't too shabby on offense, either. They connected on 21 of 46 field-goal tries in the first three periods and dished 14 assists in the game. And their offense was also their best defense as Fort Scott burned a good deal of the fourth quarter by protecting the ball in their half-court set.

Every one of the 12 Tigers who played recorded some sort of positive stat. Even if they didn't score, they got a rebound, picked up a steal or dished an assist.

"It was a team effort," Fort Scott head coach Jeff Armstrong said. "We were 12 deep tonight. Our bench players came in and there was no let down. It was very much a team effort."

Osawatomie (10-11), which won a share of the Pioneer League's inaugural-season championship when it beat Prairie View, 58-52, Friday night, kept pace early as leading threat Alyssa Chisam -- who scored 28 points in Friday's win -- scored her team's first four points.

But Kori Page Rienbolt's short jumper off a Hannah Hawkins assist sparked an 8-0 run, the last six of those points coming off turnovers, to put Fort Scott ahead 12-4 with 3:53 to go in the period.

Rachel Fisher's layup with 10 seconds to go kept the Trojans within 17-9 as the period ended. But the Tigers scored the first nine points of the second, making it 26-9 with 4:10 to go in the half.

Chisam scored her team's only points of the quarter on a pair of free throws with 3:34 to go. Then the Tigers scored seven more without an answer to make it 33-11 at the half.

Afton Gray scored a jumper to start the second half for the Tigers. Chisam broke her team's field-goal drought -- which had lasted nearly nine minutes -- a few seconds later. But then Fort Scott outscored Osawatomie 13-2 the rest of the quarter, once again holding Oz without a field goal.

It was 50-15 going into the final stanza but there would not be a mercy clock -- it's not a state rule but, rather, one left up to individual leagues. Therefore, it's not used in the post-season.

It was the last home game for the Tigers' six seniors: Gray, Hawkins, Joce Allen, Katelyn Simpson, Elizabeth Meech and Ashley Cavin. However, they get to keep playing at least one more day.

"They were excited," Armstrong said. "It wasn't nervousness, like this could be the end. They had a lot of confidence in themselves to the point where they felt comfortable. And for the seniors, I'm happy they got to play their last game here like this. Hopefully, the crowd will be able to travel to Anderson County and see us play and win a couple there."

Gray and Rienbolt each scored 13 points for the Tigers while sophomore Jolee Sharp added 10. Those three combined to make 17 of 30 field-goal attempts.

Chisam was the only Trojan to score more than three points. She finished with 13, five of which came in the final minute of the game.

Fort Scott shot 40 percent for the game, making 24 of 60 field-goal attempts. Osawatomie finished at 28 percent on eight of 29, going four for 26 in the first three quarters.

Meech hauled down 11 rebounds for the Tigers while Hawkins had seven and Sharp six. Allen, Rienbolt and Hawkins each dished three assists. Hawkins had four steals while Allen and Sharp each had two.

The Tigers will take on No. 3 seed Burlington (15-6) Thursday night in one of the semifinals at Garnett. Burlington defeated Paola, 55-51, Monday night.

In other games, top seed Louisburg (18-3) easily dispatched Prairie View, 62-38, and fourth-seeded Ottawa (12-9) won for the seventh time in its last eight outings as it downed Anderson County, 56-24.

(7) OSAWATOMIE: Maring 0-1 0-0 0, French 1-1 1-2 3, Booe 1-6 0-0 3, Needham 0-1 0-0 0, Fisher 1-2 1-2 3, Chisam 4-12 4-4 13, Madden 1-3 0-0 2, Yager 0-0 0-0 0, Bailey 0-3 1-2 1, Baker 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 28-29 7-10 25.

(2) FORT SCOTT: Gray 6-10 0-0 13, J.Allen 3-6 1-3 8, Cavin 0-3 0-0 0, Sharp 5-8 0-0 10, Simpson 1-7 0-0 3, Rienbolt 6-12 1-1 13, Hawkins 1-1 3-4 5, Bingesser 0-2 0-0 0, Collins 0-0 1-2 1, Dikeman 0-2 0-0 0, R.Allen 1-3 1-2 3, Meech 1-6 1-2 3. TOTALS: 24-60 8-14 59.

Osawatomie......... 9 2 4 10 -- 25

Fort Scott........... 17 16 17 9 -- 59

Three-point field goals: Osawatomie 2-8 (Booe 1-4, Chisam 1-4), Fort Scott 3-8 (Simpson 1-1, Gray 1-2, J.Allen 1-2, Rienbolt 0-1, Dikeman 0-2).

Total fouls: Osawatomie 11, Fort Scott 10. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none.

Rebounds: Osawatomie 19 (Chisam 6), Fort Scott 44 (Meech 11). Assists: Osawatomie 2 (French, Needham), Fort Scott 14 (J.Allen 3, Rienbolt 3, Hawkins 3). Turnovers: Osawatomie 29, Fort Scott 18. Steals: Osawatomie 5 (Madden 2), Fort Scott 20 (Hawkins 4). Blocked shots: Osawatomie 1 (Bailey), Fort Scott 1 (Rienbolt)

4A SUB-STATES

GIRLS

Monday's Games

ANDERSON COUNTY

(1) Louisburg 62, (8) Prairie View 38

(4) Ottawa 56, (5) Anderson County 24

(2) Fort Scott 59, (7) Osawatomie 25

(3) Burlington 55, (6) Paola 51

COFFEYVILLE

(1) Labette County 52, (8) Parsons 43

(4) Columbus 56, (5) Independence 49

(2) Girard 63, (7) Coffeyville 50

(3) Iola 49, (6) Chanute 41

Thursday's Games

ANDERSON COUNTY

Burlington (3: 15-6) vs. Fort Scott (2: 15-5)

Ottawa (4: 12-9) vs. Louisburg (1: 18-3)

COFFEYVILLE

Columbus (4: 10-11) vs. Labette County (1: 19-2)

Iola (3: 14-7) vs. Girard (2: 18-3)

BOYS

Tuesday's Games

ANDERSON COUNTY

Prairie View (8: 3-17) at Ottawa (1: 15-5)

Anderson County (5: 10-10) at Burlington (4: 12-8)

Paola (7: 4-16) at Fort Scott (2: 13-6)

Osawatomie (6: 10-10) at Louisburg (3: 12-8)

COFFEYVILLE

Columbus (8: 2-18) at Coffeyville (1: 14-5)

Independence (5: 9-10) at Labette County (4: 11-9)

Parsons (7: 3-17) at Girard (2: 15-5)

Iola (6: 5-15) at Chanute (3: 12-7)