Front-line strength leads to Fort Scott girls victory

Saturday, January 28, 2012

INDEPENDENCE, Kan. -- The strength of Fort Scott High's girls up front led to a 57-47 victory over Independence as Southeast Kansas League play opened here Friday night.

Post players Mallory Shelton, Heather Karleskint, Brianne Lawrence and Jillian Lattimer combined for 32 points as the Tigers (4-9 overall) won their sixth consecutive SEK opener. Include forwards Katren Rienbolt and Sidney Maycumber and one ends up with a total of 49 points from the front line.

Independence (5-8) scored the first two points of the game, then would not score again until almost a minute passed in the second quarter. Karleskint, a six-foot senior averaging around 2 points a game, provided the biggest boost, scoring 8 points in the first as the Tigers held a 15-2 lead.

Rienbolt scored the first 4 points of the second before Indy's Jordan Sutton broke the Bulldogs' scoring drought. Rienbolt kept on scoring and her basket with 2:14 remaining made it 28-7.

It was 35-13 at the half, the Tigers just 3 1/2 points off their scoring average already. The pace slowed in the second half, but Fort Scott led by 21, 41-20, going into the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs did make some headway in the fourth but they hole they had dug was too deep to come out from. They weren't within 10 points until less than a minute remained in the contest.

Rienbolt and Lawrence finished with 14 points each for Fort Scott while Karleskint scored 9. Anna Hignight led Independence with 20 points and Sutton finished with 15.

Statistics provided by the Independence Daily Reporter show the Tigers making 20 of their 42 field-goal attempts for 48 percent while Indy shot 40 percent on 21 of 53. Fort Scott outrebounded Independence, 45-26, as Lawrence brought down 10 boards.

The Tigers go back to Montgomery County Tuesday night, this time to face Coffeyville in another Southeast Kansas League contest.


From the Independence Daily Reporter

FORT SCOTT: Rienbolt 6-9 2-4 14, Lawrence 6-11 2-4 14, Karleskint 3-6 3-4 9, Tourtillott 2-3 4-9 8, Lattimer 1-2 3-5 5, Shelton 1-3 2-6 4, Sd.Maycumber 1-4 1-1 3, Allen 0-2 0-0 0, Gray 0-1 0-0 0, Shoemaker 0-1 0-0 0. TOTALS: 20-42 17-33 57.

INDEPENDENCE: Hignight 9-17 0-1 20, Sutton 5-12 3-7 13, Welch 3-7 0-1 6, Cox 2-4 0-2 4, Ewing 1-2 0-0 2, Coda 1-1 0-0 2, Yakshaw 0-8 0-0 0, Freeman 0-1 0-0 0, Derrick 0-1 0-0 0. TOTALS: 21-53 3-11 47.

Fort Scott... 15 20 6 16 -- 57

Independence.... 2 11 7 27 -- 47

Three-point field goals: Fort Scott none attempted, Independence 2-11 (Hignight 2-4, Sutton 0-2, Yakshaw 0-5).

Total fouls: Fort Scott 14, Independence 24. Fouled out: Yakshaw. Technical fouls: None.

Rebounds: Fort Scott 45 (Lawrence 10), Independence 26 (Yakshaw 5, Cox 5). Assists: Fort Scott 13 (Allen 4), Independence 7 (Welch 2, Hignight 2). Turnovers: Fort Scott 29, Independence 19.