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Written by David Wolman
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Friday, 05 March 2010 08:00 |
PITTSBURG, Kan. — Fresh off recording its first win in the Pioneer League, a 16-point triumph over Prairie View, the Jayhawk-Linn boys’ basketball team was anxious to see how that momentum would carry over into Tuesday evening’s Class 2A substate tournament quarterfinal against Pittsburg St. Mary’s Colgan.
Things didn’t quite work out how they planned.
Colgan applied heavy defensive pressure on Jayhawk-Linn from the onset, and that spelled doom for the Jayhawks. Colgan forced Jayhawk-Linn into committing nearly 20 turnovers in the first half alone, and that allowed the Panthers to gain a 19-point lead at halftime, ultimately sending the Jayhawks to a season-ending 64-33 loss.
Colgan didn’t waste any time taking control. The Panthers took a 23-10 first quarter lead, before extending that advantage to 38-19 at intermission and 50-25 after three quarters.
Clayton Dierksen had a strong performance in his final game in a Jayhawk uniform, scoring a game-high 14 points. Steven Mann added six points, Jake Rowe four, Taylor Kellerman three, and Ben Rowe, Seth Gabbert and Nick Thompson two each. Mann, Thompson, Dane Jaeger and Chisolm Sluder also suited up for the final time for the Jayhawks.
Jayhawk-Linn finished the season with a 6-15 record. |
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Written by David Wolman
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Friday, 05 March 2010 08:00 |
Confidence is a funny thing when it comes to basketball.
Considering postseason play got underway this week, Jayhawk-Linn girls’ basketball coach Charlie Beckman knows this is a good time of the season to possess that quality. It is showing up at the right time for the Jayhawks. It certainly was noticeable Tuesday as the Jayhawks shot 47.6 percent (20 of 42) from the field in recording a 54-20 victory over West Elk in the first round of the Class 2A substate tournament in Mound City.
“We played pretty well,” Beckman said. “We controlled the boards and shot the ball well.”
It wasn’t just the offense that got the job done for the Jayhawks (15-6) earlier this week, their defense showed up in a big way as well. West Elk was limited to just seven field goals and seven points or less in every quarter.
The shots weren’t falling at a high rate for the Jayhawks early on, as they made just five of 13 field goal attempts in the opening quarter, but their ability to draw contact helped them jump out to a 16-7 lead. Jayhawk-Linn went to the foul line six times in the quarter, making five attempts, three by Amory Miller and two by Meriel Long.
Long scored 10 of her team-high 12 points in the first half. Miller and Emma Hargrove each had 11, Taylor Dawson 10, Chelsea Beckman six, and Jessica Walters and Emily Aikins two each.
Jayhawk-Linn broke the game open in the second quarter, outscoring West Elk 14-2 during that span to gain a 30-9 halftime advantage. |
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Written by David Wolman
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Friday, 05 March 2010 08:00 |
No matter what defense Council Grove threw at the Central Heights girls’ basketball team during Tuesday’s Class 3A substate tournament quarterfinal, the Vikings seemed to have no problems working the ball against it.
Council Grove opened in a zone defense. Casey Droddy and Cecilia Wuertz took advantage of it by sinking some outside shots. When Council Grove switched to a man defense in the second quarter, the Viking posts took their turn knocking down shots. It just proved to be one of those nights when Central Heights attacked Council Grove’s defense well in a 60-31 home victory on Buddy Welch Court.
Wuertz registered seven of her 12 points in the second quarter, when the Vikings opened an 18-3 lead. Katelin Horstick then found her stroke as she scored nine of her team-high 15 points in the first half, leading to a 29-14 Viking lead at intermission.
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Written by David Wolman
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Friday, 05 March 2010 08:00 |
Several minutes following Central Heights’ 78-35 victory over Eureka on Monday on Buddy Welch court, Viking coach Rusty Cannady walked into the office of assistant coach/athletic director Doug North to talk about his team’s performance. Cannady couldn’t help but be tickled about their effort.
“I told him I haven’t seen us play with that much energy in a while,” Cannady said. “Hopefully, the kids the past couple of weeks were just eager to finally get to substate week.”
Prior to the season, one goal Cannady set for his squad was to not lose any of their final three games, a reference to the substate tournament, where three wins by one team equates to a berth in the Class 3A state tournament in Hutchinson.
One down, two to go.
An area of emphasis for Central Heights (17-4), the top seed in the substate tournament, was to attack Eureka’s defense.
And attack the Vikings did.
Sam Leach had the hot hand early. He not only attacked the middle of Eureka’s defense for a few shots, but also sank two 3s. That set off a chain reaction. Skye Mills also hit a perimeter shot. Then the Viking posts got involved as Russell Hampton, Cody Sluder and Adam Seyler took control down in the paint.
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Written by David Wolman
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Friday, 05 March 2010 08:00 |
Normally when the Osawatomie boys’ basketball team huddles inside the locker room for pregame, there is a certain focus, but they might also share a few laughs and have a little bit of fun in the process. But considering what’s on the line this week — an appearance in the Class 4A state tournament — there was a certain sense of determination in their eyes. It was all business. 
That’s one characteristic Osawatomie coach Darren Soucie noticed once he stepped into the locker room prior to tip-off of Tuesday’s Class 4A substate tournament first-round game against Prairie View.
“You could tell in the locker room that they were ready to go, just by their demeanor,” Soucie said. “They’re excited because it’s substate week. They want to show people what they can do.”
What Osawatomie showed once they stepped onto the court Tuesday was a strong commitment on the defensive end. Turnovers forced by Osawatomie led to baskets the other way. Osawatomie forced Prairie View into committing 31 turnovers, and that allowed the Trojans to cruise to a 65-21 home victory.
Prairie View attempted to slow down the pace early. The Buffalo guards held the ball patiently until their teammates got open. That tactic worked against Prairie View as Osawatomie trapped their guards, and that led to several turnovers.
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