By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Shawnee Heights boys took United Kansas Conference foe De Soto to the wire, losing 56-46 in what was a one-possession game with less than 40 seconds to play.
The lead switched hands throughout the contest, and the score was tied at 44-44 with 2:30 remaining. The T-Birds failed to hit a field goal attempt the rest of the way, however, while the visiting Wildcats hit big shots and knocked down free throws to finish off the win.
Despite a tough shooting night Shawnee Heights senior Brennon Dodge (11) led the T-Birds with 16 points in Friday's 56-46 loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights junior Jaret Sanchez scored 11 points in the T-Birds' season-opening 56-46 UKC loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Playing three sophomores and a freshman much of the game, T-Bird coach Ken Darting was undaunted by the outcome.
“I loved it,” Darting said. “These young kids are just awesome. They work hard every day. They are going to be really good. (The De Soto) coach said, ‘I hope we don’t get in the same sub-state with you.’
“Our older kids are helping these young kids along. We’ve got some young kids who are shell-shocked right now. But I love them. My opinion of them didn’t change.”
The T-Birds' primary scoring threats – senior Brennon Dodge and junior Jaret Sanchez – ran hot and cold. The two combined to hit 10 of 32 attempts. Dodge led the T-Birds with 16 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Sanchez, who also scored just three points in the second half, finished with 11.
Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting was pleased with the T-Birds' effort in Friday's 56-46 UKC loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Darting didn’t place the blame on those two, however.
“I thought we had some people, what I call our ‘secondary contributors,’ who didn’t contribute,” Darting said. “And I say every day ‘Jaret and (Brennon) have got to have good games every day, no matter whether they’re getting double-teamed or whatever. They’ve got to get it done. When those guys who are good shooters have an open shot, they’ve got to make them.”
A bright spot for the T-Birds was the fourth-quarter effort of Da’Quan Lee. Scoreless through three periods, the 6-foot-2 sophomore sparked the T-Birds with seven straight points, including the bucket to tie the game at 44-44.
Lee finished with seven points for the T-Birds, while Deacon Pomeroy contributed eight.
De Soto was paced by senior point guard David Cobin, who tallied 20 points despite attempting just nine shots from the field.
“They’ve got something special in David Cobin. He just takes the game and controls it,” Darting said. “But I’m satisfied with the first game. We’re playing probably the third or fourth best team in the state and we’re even with two and a half minutes left. “We had a chance to beat a very good team. We just didn’t get it done.”
DE SOTO BOYS 56, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 46
De Soto 13 14 9 20 -- 56
Shawnee Heights 12 13 10 11 -- 46
De Soto (1-0) – Lang 4-11 3-4 11, Cobin 5-9 7-12 20, Bell 3-5 2-4 11, Miller 1-5 2-2 4, Johnson 3-7 0-0 7, Ogden 1-5 0-0 3, Sheppard 0-2 0-0 0, Parks 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 17-44 14-24 56.
Shawnee Heights (0-1) – Pomeroy 3-8 2-4 8, Dodge 6-18 2-2 16, Ross 0-0 0-0 0, Emmot 1-4 0-0 2, J. Sanchez 4-14 1-2 11, D. Sanchez 0-5 0-0 0, Moore 0-3 0-0 0, Cook 0-0 2-2 2, Lee 3-4 0-1 7. Totals: 17-56 7-11 46.
3-point goals – De Soto 8 (Cobin 3, Bell 3, Johnson 1, Ogden 1), Shawnee Heights 5 (Dodge 2, J. Sanchez 2, Lee 1). Total fouls – De Soto 14, Shawnee Heights 19. Fouled out – Pomeroy, Lee, Johnson. Technical fouls – None.
