By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- Down 14 points with four and a half remaining in Wednesday night's Class 5A boys quarterfinal, Piper coach Steve Wallace knew he had to try something different to give his Pirates a chance.
Shawnee Heights junior Jaret Sanchez scored 19 points to tie for game-high honors in the T-Birds' 72-71 loss to Piper in the Class 5A state tournament. {Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Wallace's answer was a fullcourt press that turned the tide down the stretch as Piper scored 14 of the final 15 points to pull out a 72-71 win and advance to Friday's 6 p.m. semifinal against undefeated and top seed Maize South (23-0).
"We hadn't done that against them,'' Piper coach Steve Wallacd said about the use of the press. "First of all, they're a great defensive team, the best we've played all season consistently, and I felt like we just had to do something to get some offense going.
"So we tried it and luckily it worked.''
Shawnee Heights, which was playing its United Kansas Conference rival for the third time, led virtually the entire game, except for one 17-second stretch early in the second quarter, and led 32-26 at the half and took a 57-50 advantage into the fourth quarter after leading by as many as 13 points in the period.
The T-Birds looked to be in control of the rubber match when Heights took a 68-54 advantage on a Jaret Sanchez bucket with 4:37 remaining.
Heights still led by double-digits at 70-58 after Deacon Pomeroy scored with 3:44 left, but managed only a Jayden Moore free throw the rest of the way as the Pirates took control with their defensive effort.
Shawnee Heights committed 17 of its 22 turnovers in the second half, with a flurry of those miscues coming in the final minutes while the T-Birds also missed some crucial free throws and a couple of ill-advised shots.
"Manhood,'' Heights coach Ken Darting said. "Fifteen-year-old freshmen and sophomores against men. Fourth quarter was just a complete collapse. We just totally collapsed physically. We totally collapsed.''
Darting agreed with Wallace that the Pirates' pressure proved to be the difference.
"It was a desperation trap no question,'' Darting said. "It was a desperation trap. If they thought they could do it they would have been doing it the last two and a half games (against us). It was like, 'We're down 14, let's try this,' and they got a couple of steals and layups and they got more confident and we got more scared, and more hesitant and that happens.''
The T-Birds still held on for a 71-69 advantage after Moore's free throw with 53.1 seconds left but Derrick Jackson hit the first of two free throws with 8.2 seconds remaining and when he missed the second charity Devin Kerr snuck inside for the rebound and hit the follow shot to give Piper its first lead since the 6:09 mark of the second quarter.
"I didn't play but what six guys (mainly) so they played their butts off and I'm just so proud of them,'' said Wallace, who coached Shawnee Heights to the 2017 5A title. "I don't even know what just happened to be honest with you.
"I love coaching this team. That's what I told them when I went in the locker room, I love coaching these guys. They didn't give up.''
Shawnee Heights still had one last opportunity to pull out the win after a time out with 3.7 seconds on the clock, but Piper partially tipped the inbounds pass and the 19-4 T-Birds could only manage a long desperation attempt by Dylan Sanchez as time expired.
Senior Brennon Dodge scored 16 points with 5 assists and 4 steals in Shawnee Heights' 72-71 state tournament loss to Piper Wednesday night. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Piper's Alamar Brooks (5) and Dave Thomas (24) defend Shawnee Heights junior Deacon Pomeroy during Wednesday's 72-71 Piper win over Heights in the Class 5A state tournament. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Sanchez, a junior, led Shawnee Heights with 19 points and 10 rebounds, including three 3-pointers, while Dodge added 16 points with 5 assists and 4 steals, sophomore Ontarius 12 points and Pomeroy 11.
Shawnee Heights lost senior Jayden Holly to an injury midway through the first quarter.
Kerr scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebouds for Piper while Jackson had 17 points and Phillip Moore Jr. and Dave Thomas scored 12 apiece.
Piper advanced to face undefeated and top-seeded Maize South (23-0) in a 6 p.m. semifinal on Friday while Highland Park (22-1) and Kapaun Mt. Carmel (20-3) will square off in the first semifinal at 2 o'clock Friday.
PIPER BOYS 72, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 71
Shawnee Heights 17 15 25 14 -- 71
Piper 9 17 24 22 -- 72
Shawnee Heights (19-4) -- Pomeroy 5-15 1-3 11, Dodge 7-13 0-0 16, Ross 0-0 0-0 0, Emmot 4-7 4-4 12, J. Sanchez 7-13 2-4 19, Cook 0-0 0-0 0, D. Sanchez 1-2 1-2 4, Lee 4-6 0-0 8, Holly 0-0 0-0 0, Moore 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 28-57 9-15 71.
Piper (20-3) -- Walton 2-4 0-0 4, Moore Jr. 4-13 4-7 12, Kerr 8-13 3-5 19, Jackson 4-12 8-10 17, Thomas 5-8 2-4 12, Brooks 3-4 0-0 6, Seigel 0-0 0-0 0, Roth 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 27-57 17-26 72.
3-point shots -- Piper 1-12 (Jackson 1-5, Walton 0-1, Moore 0-1, Kerr 0-1, Thomas 0-2, Roth 0-2), Shawnee Heights 6-15 (J. Sanchez 3-6, Dodge 2-3, D. Sanchez 1-2, Pomeroy 0-3, Emmot 0-1). Total fouls -- Shawnee Heights 18, Piper 16. Fouled out -- Emmot. Technical fouls -- none.
