By ANDREW GILL
TopSports.news
In Wednesday night’s 60-56 Class 5A boys sub-state victory over Emporia, nobody came up bigger for the Vikings than sophomore Aron Davis and junior Mateo Hyman.
The two shared team-high scoring honors with 18 points each and when Seaman needed clutch free throws down the stretch, Davis and Hyman stepped up each time.
“I felt like we maintained our poise when it wasn’t looking good for us,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "We got to the free throw line and knocked quite a few down which really helped us.''.
The Davis-Hyman pair collectively went 14 of 15 from the charity stripe and 12 of those 14 came in the fourth quarter as the Spartans resorted to fouling to save clock.
Even more impressive was Davis’s defensive effort, recording 5 blocks on the night.
“He’s deceiving,'' Cox said of Davis. "He’s long and even with (Charles) Snyder having a big game for them, Aron blocked a lot of shots and did a good job.''.
Snyder, a senior, finished with the game-high 22 points and 8 rebounds for the Spartans.
The win marked Seaman’s third of the season over Emporia but was by far the narrowest margin of victory.
“Emporia deserves a lot of credit. They obviously prepared well and came ready to play. We were fortunate to be able to get the win,” Cox said.
Junior Ty Henry was also a heavy offensive contributor, adding 13 points for the Vikings.
Cox’s squad will now look to knock-off the 18-2 Topeka West Chargers for a 5A state tournament berth.
The Chargers bested Seaman in both regular season matchups.
“They’re just so explosive offensively with multiple guys capable of putting up 20-plus points,” Cox said, adding, “they got us pretty good both times in the regular season. Hopefully that’ll be motivation for our players to go out there and give them our best shot.”
Topeka West will host the Vikings for the 5A sub-state championship at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
SEAMAN BOYS 60, EMPORIA 56
Seaman 14 12 13 21 -- 60
Emporia 13 7 20 16 -- 56
Seaman -- Hyman 5 8-9 18, Henry 5 2-2 13, Bonner 2 2-3 7, Stallbaumer 2 0-0 4, Davis 6 6-6 18. Totals 20 18-20 60
Emporia -- Ortega 2 0-0 4, Gilpin 3 0-0 8, Hines 2 2-2 7, Leeds 7 1-1 15, Snyder 9 4-6 22. Totals 23 7-9 56
3-point goals -- Seaman 2 (Henry, Bonner), Emporia 3 (Gilpin 2, Hines). Total fouls -- Seaman 8, Emporia 16. Fouled out -- Gilpin.
