Girls break away in 2nd quarter

Fort Scott High School's girls broke open a close game early in the second quarter and held visiting Chanute without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes during the second half as the Tigers took a 55-35 victory in Southeast Kansas League play at the FSHS gymnasium Tuesday night. It was the first game back from the holiday break for both teams.

The Tigers (3-2 SEK, 4-4 overall) held a slim 18-16 lead after one period but scored the first six points of the second. After that outburst, the game settled into a defensive battle.

The Blue Comets (3-2, 3-3) made 7 of 10 field-goal attempts in the first quarter but went just 6 for 28 (21 percent) the rest of the way.

Jolee Sharp led the Tigers with 27 points and 10 rebounds while Megan McDermed added 18 points while also grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing 3 assists. Each player had 4 steals.

Fort Scott head coach Jeff Armstrong said that players performing their roles well was the key to victory.

"Tonight ,we had girls playing their roles very well," Armstrong said. "They weren't looking out for themselves. They're playing as a team. If we can score 55, we'll have a good chance of beating anybody the way our defense works."

McDermed tossed in a wide-open 3-point shot with 1:56 left in the second quarter to give the Tigers their biggest lead of the half, 33-21. Chanute made up some of the gap at the free-throw line at the end of the half, then saw Jordan Wiltse convert a 3-point play to bring the Comets back within 33-28.

Sharp and McDermed scored consecutively for the Tigers before Mackenzey Sutcliffe scored for Chanute to bring her team within 37-30 with 3:50 remaining. The Comets would not score again for nine minutes and 24 seconds.

The Tigers scored 7 straight points to end the third with a 44-30 lead. McDermed scored 7 of the Tigers' first 9 of the fourth to help make it 53-30 with 4:11 remaining.

Every Chanute player scored but none reached double figures. Ali Aylward led the Comets with 9 points and 8 rebounds.

The Tigers host Parsons Friday night. The Vikings (2-2, 2-3) defeated Iola, 38-33, Tuesday night.

NOTES -- Sharp and McDermed combined to make 15 of 24 shots from the field....

Wiltse made Chanute's first 2 field goals of the game and the first one of the second half. But she did not attempt any other shots in the game....

JUNIOR VARSITY -- Morgan Tourtillott scored 10 points for the Tigers, who lost to Chanute, 34-30.

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CHANUTE: Bagshaw 0-1 1-3 1, Olson 0-2 1-2 1, Sutcliffe 2-4 0-0 4, Manahan 1-4 1-2 3, Sharp 1-13 1-2 3, Braman 2-3 2-4 6, Aylward 4-8 1-4 9, Wiltse 3-3 1-2 7, Keal 0-0 1-2 1. TOTALS: 13-38 9-21 35.

FORT SCOTT: Sharp 10-19 4-4 27, Therwhanger 1-1 0-2 2, Carpenter 2-5 0-0 4, Tourtillott 0-1 0-0 0, Shelton 0-1 0-0 0, Harper 1-2 0-0 2, Allen 0-0 0-0 0, McDermed 5-9 6-10 18, Campbell 1-1 0-0 2, Karleskint 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 20-39 10-16 55.

Chanute......... 16 9 5 5 -- 35

Fort Scott...... 18 15 11 11 -- 55

Three-point field goals: Chanute 0-6 (Bagshaw 0-1, Manahan 0-1, Sharp 0-4), Fort Scott 5-8 (Sharp 3-5, McDermed 2-2, Carpenter 0-1).

Total fouls: Chanute 17, Fort Scott 19. Fouled out: None. Technical foul: None.

Rebounds: Chanute 20 (Aylward 8), Fort Scott 34 (Sharp 10). Assists: Chanute 4 (Bagshaw 2), Fort Scott 12 (McDermed 3). Turnovers: Chanute 17, Fort Scott 20. Steals: Chanute 7 (Sharp 2, Wiltse 2), Fort Scott 11 (Sharp 4, McDermed 4). Blocked shots: None.