Tiger boys go into break with win

CHANUTE -- Fort Scott High School's boys will go into the break as one of the co-leaders in the Southeast Kansas League after beating Chanute, 48-39, here Friday night.

The Tigers, 3-2 overall, are tied on top of the SEK with Independence (5-0) with 2-0 league records. The Bulldogs needed overtime to win at Pittsburg Friday night, 52-43.

Chanute fell to 0-1, 3-2 as the Blue Comets were playing their league opener.

The Comets scored the game's first four points but the Tigers soon took the lead after an 8-0 run. Chase Brown started it with a jumper as he was fouled. He didn't make the following free throw but Kaleb DeLaTorre followed with consecutive 3-pointers to make it 10-6 with 3:44 on the clock.

The Tigers never trailed again but the Comets managed to fight back a couple of times. First, though, another DeLaTorre basket started a 14-2 run that lasted into the early part of the second quarter. A Brown score made it 22-8 with five minutes left in the half.

But Chanute scored 11 of the last 14 of the half to get within six points at the break. Aaron Haviland scored the last 5 on a 3-pointers and a pair of free throws in the final minute.

Derek Sharp scored the first basket of the second half for Chanute to get within 4 points, 25-21. But Benjamin Labbe scored back-to-back hoops for the Tigers, who began to stretch the lead again.

Wyatt Reehl's 3-point shot made it 34-25 with 1:30 to go in the third. Sharp made two free throws for Chanute for the last points of the quarter.

Labbe converted a 3-point play for the Tigers at the start of the final stanza. Chanute tried to keep it close, hitting a couple of 3-point shots, but eventually had to start fouling. Fort Scott put down 5 free throws in 32 seconds of game time to make it 49-37 with 11 seconds to go.

DeLaTorre hit 3 3-pointers on his way to leading the Tigers in scoring with 15 points. Labbe scored all 9 of his points in the second half. Sharp led Chanute with 16 points.

Fort Scott is idle until January 9. That night, the Tigers will take on Labette County in Altamont.

FORT SCOTT: DeLaTorre 5 2-5 15, Smith 0 1-2 1, Brown 3 1-3 7, Hudiburg 0 0-0 0, Bradbury 0 4-4 4, Fink 2 1-3 5, Robinson 0 0-0 0, Reehl 2 1-2 7, Labbe 4 1-2 9. TOTALS: 16 11-21 48.

CHANUTE: Manbeck 0 0-0 0, Richards 4 0-0 8, Haviland 2 2-3 8, Lind 1 2-2 4, Sharp 7 2-3 16, Erikson 0 0-0 0, Coper 1 0-1 3, Gough 0 0-0 0, Lewis 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 15 6-9 39.

Fort Scott................... 14 11 9 14 -- 48

Chanute..................... 6 13 8 12 -- 39

Three-point field goals: Fort Scott 5 (DeLaTorre 3, Reehl 2), Chanute 3 (Haviland 2, Cooper).

Total fouls: Fort Scott 11, Chanute 20. Fouled out: Manbeck, Cooper.