Tigers whip Mustangs, move into 2nd in SEK

IOLA -- Fort Scott High's boys defeated Iola for the 37th consecutive time here Tuesday night, taking a 65-42 victory in Southeast Kansas League action.

With Coffeyville beating Parsons, 65-53, at Coffeyville in a battle of teams tied for the league lead, the Tigers found themselves in second place in the league at the end of the night. Coffeyville broke out of the first-place tie and is now 5-0 in the league and overall. Fort Scott is half-game behind at 5-1, 6-3 and Parsons is another half-game back at 4-1, 5-1.

For the Tigers -- who haven't lost to Iola since 1985 -- a balanced attack showed the way as Gary Floyd finished with 15 points, Cody Harper 13, Griffin Knopp 10 and Jeremy Hull 8. Ten Fort Scott players scored while Iola (2-4, 2-4) saw only five players produce points.

Each team traded 3-point goals to open the contest. Then the Tigers scored 15 of the next 17 to close out the period with an 18-5 lead.

The lead was as large as 25-10 after Knopp and Mikey Karleskint scored consecutive baskets early in the second period. But Michael Middleton found his shot for Iola and helped the Mustangs get within 25-18 by scoring 6 points in an 8-0 run.

It was 32-20 at halftime after Floyd made all three free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining after drawing a foul on a 3-point shot.

Iola closed within 32-23 early in the third but an 11-0 run which featured three 3-point shots -- one by Jonathan Stark and two from Harper -- served to provide some separation. Hull scored Fort Scott's last 6 points of the period to increase the lead to 49-30.

Middleton and Kent Toland each scored 13 points for Iola while Seth Walden finished with 11.

Fort Scott hosts Girard in a non-league contest Friday night then faces Parsons in a league make-up game Monday night. Both games will tip off following the girls' contest at about 7:30 p.m. in the FSHS gymnasium. Girard lost to Independence Tuesday night, 48-47, after the Trojans missed a shot at the buzzer.

JUNIOR VARSITY -- The Tigers prevailed 57-40 as Cameron Woodring scored 20 points and Stark added 12. Each only played two quarters.

FRESHMEN -- Tiger freshmen won 62-53. No other details were available.

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FORT SCOTT: Stark 1 0-0 3, Quick 1 0-0 3, Hull 3 2-2 8, Ruhl 0 0-0 0, Thorpe 1 0-0 3, Karleskint 1 0-0 2, Floyd 4 5-5 15, Woodring 2 0-0 5, Knopp 5 1-4 11, Harper 4 2-2 13, Fancher 1 0-0 2, Wright 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 23 10-13 65.

IOLA: Toland 4 4-4 13, S.Walden 3 5-5 11, Apt 0 0-0 0, Middleton 4 4-7 13, Peterson 1 1-2 3, D.Walden 0 0-0 0, Heffern 0 0-0 0, Browning 0 0-0 0, Larson 1 0-0 2, Kauth 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 13 14-18 42.

Fort Scott........ 18 14 17 16 -- 65

Iola............. 5 15 10 12 -- 42

Three-point field goals: Fort Scott 9 (Harper 3, Floyd 2, Stark, Quick, Thorpe, Woodring), Iola 2 (Toland, Middleton).

Total fouls: Fort Scott 19, Iola 13. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None.