By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' boys basketball team elevated to new heights in Tuesday night's 55-39 victory over Class 5A No. 7-ranked Basehor-Linwood.
The Thunderbirds were locked in, forced turnovers, nailed contested shots and stopped a Basehor-Linwood team that could've easily ruined Shawnee Heights' night.
Brennon Dodge
Jaret Sanchez
Although Shawnee Heights only had five players score points, those five had enough production to earn a 16-point victory.
"Tonight we were able to show everyone how good we are," Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting said. "We showed that we could play with the best in the state. That team we played tonight is one of the best teams in the state. In my opinion, I think Basehor is a top-five team in the entire state. We needed to play together, which is what we did. We played the game the right way tonight."
Star junior guard Brennon Dodge and standout sophomore Jaret Sanchez had a coming-out party in the Birdcage. Dodge had 18 points, including two 3-pointers, while Sanchez had 17 points and three 3-pointers.
To wrap up the Thunderbird point production, Jeremyah Kendrick added 12 points, Jayden Holly had six and Deacon Pomeroy two.
"Tonight, we didn't get bench help," Darting said. "We have to fix the bench scoring, and we have to get everyone to score. We need eight people to score; right now, we only have five, maybe six. Defensively, we played great tonight. We had to play extra hard against (Tyson) Ruud."
Washburn commit Ruud is a 6-foot-6 senior for Basehor-Linwood who is regarded as one of the top players in the entire state. Stopping Ruud's size, speed and skill was priority number one for the Thunderbirds. Although Ruud had 14 points against Shawnee Heights, it could've been a lot worse.
"I know (Washburn) coach (Brett) Ballard was here tonight, and he's got a great player with Ruud," Darting said. "We hacked (Ruud), denied him, played him as tight as possible, guarded him the best we could, and he still played well against us."
Darting acknowledged that this team is playing much better than they were at the beginning of the season. Darting credits the repetition at practice, shooting the ball better and playing more physically on defense has been critical adjustments for the team.
"We are in much better shape than how we started," Darting said. "We are day and night now. It's a matter of playing a full 32 minutes instead of 16 or eight. Our offense has much better movement now. We have two people (Dodge and Sanchez) on this team that can flat-out shoot, and everybody knows that. The movement helps because Dodge and Sanchez can shoot 3s all over the gym. As limited as we are in scoring, we can't afford to have bad shooting nights from Dodge and Sanchez."
Although the game wasn't entirely close, in the first half, the game was competitive. Basehor-Linwood's defense forced Shawnee Heights to take uncomfortable mid-range shots and didn't allow the Thunderbirds to play at the pace they wanted it to.
Shawnee Heights was able to hold on to a slim 26-20 lead at the halftime break.
The Thunderbirds came out of the locker room at the halftime break with an attitude and edge. Shawnee Heights forced turnovers, capitalized in the open transition and overwhelmed Basehor-Linwood with its lights-out shooting.
In the 22-point third quarter, Dodge and Sanchez had 14 of Height' points. Stellar transition plays led by the passing of Kendrick, Jaye Jones and Jayden Holly allowed the two stellar shooters to overwhelm Basehor-Linwood with its accurate spot-up shooting.
In the end, Shawnee Heights outplayed a talented Basehor-Linwood team, and the Thunderbirds earned an explosive win.
Next, the Thunderbirds will hit the road for a conference matchup against Leavenworth, a game that will be another challenge for battle-tested Shawnee Heights (2-2, 2-2).
"I just told our guys in the locker room that when we go to Leavenworth, expect 12 guys that are all terrific athletes, athletes that are as good as any in the state of Kansas," Darting said. "They run, jump, block shots, shout and holler with the best of them. We will go up and get beat on Friday night if you get warm fuzzy feelings about your play tonight. We have to put this game aside, and we have to go and get Leavenworth."
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS BOYS 55, BASEHOR-LINWOOD 39.
Basehor-Linwood 9 11 9 10 – 39
Shawnee Heights 14 12 22 7 – 55
Basehor-Linwood (2-3, 1-1) – Hinkle 3 1-2 7, Ruud 4 4-8 14, McBride 2 0-0 5, Brown 1 0-1 2, Gibbs 3 1-3 7, Blankenship 1 2-2 4.
Shawnee Heights (2-2, 2-2) – Jones 0 0-0 0, Dodge 6 4-6 18, Kendrick 4 3-4 12, J. Sanchez 6 2-2 17, Pomeroy 1 0-0 2, Holly 2 2-4 6. Totals 19 11-16 55.
3-point goals – Shawnee Heights 6 (J. Sanchez 3, Dodge 2, Kendrick), Basehor-Linwood 3 (Ruud 2, McBride). Total fouls – Shawnee Heights 16, Basehor-Linwood 17. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – McBride.
