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Sports
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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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Sports
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Written by David Wolman
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Friday, 26 February 2010 08:00 |
The start to Tuesday’s home game couldn’t have been better for the Osawatomie girls’ basketball team.  Sophomore guard Rebecca Fisher blew past Anderson County’s defense for several baskets. Freshman post Tayler Soucie was grabbing rebound after rebound down in the paint. The intensity was high among the Trojan players, and the ball movement was quick and crisp. Things slowly fell apart for Osawatomie in the second and third quarters. The intensity that was once present was missing. But more importantly, the Trojans were settling for long jump shots instead of working the ball through their offense. Anderson County, as a result, was able to turn what was once a five-point deficit into a 51-40 victory. “We were in a flow early,” Osawatomie coach Don Blanchat said. “Later in the game, we settled for jump shots and passed the ball to the team (Anderson County) that was wearing the red jersey.” Fisher’s aggressive play on the offensive end helped staked the Trojans out to a 12-7 lead after one quarter. She scored all 12 of Osawatomie’s points during that stanza. She capped off her big quarter by registering a layup off a steal. She made six of her first seven field goal attempts and went on to finish with 20 points. “She was going with a head of steam,” Blanchat said.
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Sports
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Written by David Wolman
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Friday, 26 February 2010 08:00 |
Earning a No. 1 seed in the Class 4A substate tournament is a goal the Osawatomie boys’ basketball team has worked to achieve all season, but it hasn’t been something they’ve paid too much attention to. 
“We’ve just been working to get better as a team to get ready for substate,” senior Brendan Soucie said. “We just play every game as it’s our next. We don’t look ahead. We take each game as it comes.”
Entering Tuesday’s home contest against Anderson County, Osawatomie had already assured itself of one of the top two seeds and playing every contest in next week’s substate tournament on its home court. The Trojans made sure they would go through the tournament as the No. 1 seed following a 60-45 victory over the Bulldogs.
Osawatomie (17-2) set the tone early by playing at a fast pace. Not only did the Trojans push the ball up the court to get some good looks at the basket, their press defense took the Bulldogs out of their comfort zone.
Brandon Oakes provided a big spark for the Trojan defense early. He stole an inbounds pass by Anderson County in the backcourt and quickly converted the opportunity into a layup for a quick 6-0 Osawatomie lead.
“We started out really well,” Soucie said. “I’m pretty sure our press drove them crazy.”
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Sports
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Written by David Wolman
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Friday, 19 February 2010 08:00 |
The starters for the Osawatomie boys’ basketball team have become good bench-warmers. 
With several of their recent games, particularly in Pioneer League play, having been decided by the third quarter, the Trojan starters have been able to enjoy a nice view of the action from the team’s bench late in those games.
It was another victory in league play for Osawatomie Tuesday, when the Trojans, ranked eighth in the latest coaches’ poll, rode the momentum of a 22-point second quarter to a 66-37 home victory over the Wellsville Eagles, their eighth straight victory overall.
Wellsville made it a game early on.
After a couple of Eagle turnovers led to baskets by Seth Jones and Brendan Soucie for a quick 7-0 Trojan lead, Wellsville’s Drake Carolan and Jacob Brown combined to score six consecutive points later in the first quarter to cut Osawatomie’s lead to 10-9.
Osawatomie’s offense soon started to take over.
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Sports
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Written by David Wolman
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Friday, 19 February 2010 08:00 |
The positive feelings gained by the Osawatomie girls’ basketball team following last week’s home win over a 12-win Jayhawk-Linn squad were plentiful. Most importantly, the Trojans had hoped to ride the momentum from the two-point win into the approaching Class 4A substate tournament, including gaining a higher seed. 
All of those feelings were, at the least, temporarily washed away Tuesday.
The shots didn’t fall for the Trojans, especially from the perimeter. On defense, Osawatomie coach Don Blanchat wasn’t too pleased with how Wellsville was able to drive the lane and get its hands on rebounds. When all added up, it equaled a 42-30 home loss to the Eagles.
“It’s a definite letdown of how we played last Friday against Jayhawk-Linn, how well we moved the ball, how well we shot, what we did rebounding-wise ... it was just a big let down,” Blanchat said.
Neither team had much luck finding the basket in the first half. Missed shots were abundant. As hard as both squads tried, Osawatomie and Wellsville combined for just 18 first-half points.
Tayler Soucie attacked the lane for a layup with help from Courtney Kilbourn for Osawatomie’s first points of the contest.
Soucie’s basket proved to be just the first of three made field goals in the first half for the Trojans. Kilbourn jumped in the air along the base line to save possession of the ball for Osawatomie a couple of minutes into the second quarter, leading to another Soucie layup. Rebecca Fisher had buried a deep straightaway jumper only moments prior.
“We decided to take the first shot we saw,” Blanchat said. “When we came across half-court, we were looking to shoot it instead of working it through the offense. It seemed like we were too relaxed tonight, which is a bad thing, because we needed to play with more intensity and more focus out there.”
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