BY KEVIN FLAHERTY/THE MORNING SUN
Jolee Sharp scored 23 points as the Fort Scott girls’ basketball team held off the Pittsburg Purple Dragons 42-40 Tuesday night.
The first game of the season for both clubs was close throughout. After Pittsburg built an early 11-4 lead, Fort Scott came roaring back, taking a 16-11 advantage. Neither team would hold a lead bigger than five points the rest of the game. Pittsburg cut the Fort Scott lead to one at 37-36, and came within two points at 40-38 and 42-40, but couldn’t quite find the basket to put them over the hump.
“I thought Pittsburg was a very improved team,” said Jeff Armstrong, Fort Scott girls coach. “We had to adjust to their intensity. I thought we were able to keep our cool and maintain the ball, but we didn’t make a lot of shots.”
Thirteen of the Tigers’ 14 field goals came courtesy of two players, Sharp and Megan McDermed, who had 12 points.
“Jolee had another big game,” Armstrong said. “This was her fourth game of more than 20 points. She’s carrying us right now. Hopefully, we can develop some help. I think Megan McDermed did a nice job of that tonight with her 12 points.”
Pittsburg was led by 21 points from Kristina Willis and 10 points from Julia Perez-Diaz.
“I thought we had a lot of bright spots,” said Tom Hubbard, Pittsburg girls coach. “We played a lot of kids, and every one contributed in some meaningful way.
“We are disappointed and not happy with the result,” Hubbard said. “We came in and felt like we had a shot to get this game and be 1-0. Home games are very important. But we have some things to build on heading into the Coffeyville game.
The Pittsburg girls’ junior-varsity team defeated Fort Scott, 31-27. Morgan Woods paced the Dragons with 8 points, while Rashelle Hall added 5. Every player on the junior varsity team scored for PHS. Morgan Tourtillote scored 10 for Fort Scott’s JV team.

Fort Scott boys 52, Pittsburg 45
The Fort Scott boys knocked in nine three-pointers on their way to a seven-point victory over Pittsburg.
Kiley Roelfs, Pittsburg boys coach, said after the game that it was difficult to pinpoint the source of the loss, except to say that Fort Scott punished Pittsburg for its mistakes.
“In the first half, they scored on some dead ball opportunities, and that seemed to swing things a bit,” Roelfs said. “Then in the second half, we had too many possessions where we didn’t get a shot.
“It seemed like every time we made a mistake, they made us pay for it.”
Typically, that punishment was doled out from long distance. Half of Fort Scott’s field goals were three-pointers, with junior guard Gabe Quick serving as the primary offender. Quick scored 14 points on four made three-pointers and two free-throws.
“I thought we came out flat, but we had a good second quarter and built some momentum,” said Fort Scott boys coach Jeff DeLaTorre. “We aren’t a big team, so we have to rely on (three-pointers). I thought we battled all night.”
No one player exemplified that more than Gary Floyd, who scored all 11 of his points, including two key three-pointers, in the fourth quarter.
“He’s been battling a stomach ailment and wasn’t himself,” DeLaTorre said. “Late, he was able to settle down a big and get his shots to fall.”
He needed them, thanks to a torrid fourth quarter from Blake Wilson, who poured in 15 of his 20 points in the final quarter.
“We just have to tip our caps to Fort Scott,” Roelfs said. “They played extremely well, and there’s no question they earned it.”

Fort Scott girls 42, Pittsburg 40
Fort Scott 11 13 8 10 — 42
Pittsburg 11 11 8 10 — 40
FORT SCOTT (42) — Jolee Sharp 7 7-10 23, Megan McDermed 6 0-2 12, Kori Allen 1 2-2 4, Mallory Shelton 0 2-2 2, Jenna Campbell 0 1-2 1. Totals: 14 12-18 42.
PITTSBURG (40) — Kristina Willis 7 6-9 21, Julia Perez-Diaz 4 0-1 10, Ellen Sheppard 1 0-0 3, Hannah Wolgamott 1 0-0 2, Ashley Willis 1 0-0 2, McKenzie Spresser 0 2-4 2, Rashelle Hall 0 0-2 0. Totals: 14 8-16 40.
Fort Scott boys 52, Pittsburg 45
Fort Scott 8 12 12 20 — 52
Pittsburg 10 7 9 19 — 45
FORT SCOTT (52) — Gabe Quick 4 2-2 14, Gary Floyd 4 1-2 11, Griffin Knopp 3 2-4 8, Johnathan Stark 3 0-1 8, Cody Harper 2 0-0 5, Mikey Karleskint 1 2-2 4, Jeremy Hull 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 7-11 52.
PITTSBURG (45) — Blake Wilson 8 0-0 20, Jordan Elliott 4 1-2 9, Zach Younge 3 1-2 7, Clay Southern 1 2-2 4, Josh Reed 1 0-0 3, Bryan Mendez 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 4-6 45.