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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- With Seaman on the doorstep of history, the Vikings knocked that door down, claiming the first boys basketball state championship in school history with a decisive 66-47 romp past De Soto Saturday at White Auditorium.
Ending the season with an 11-game winning streak and four straight double-digit postseason victories, 18-7 Seaman outscored De Soto in all four quarters, including a 36-22 edge in the second half to turn the game into a rout down the stretch.
The win capped an amazing postseason run for the Vikings, who entered the state tournament as the No. 8 seed in the eight-team field.
"All the hard work we put in every single practice -- coach said we had I think about 80 of them -- and every single one we worked to get better and all that hard work finally paid off,'' Seaman senior Ty Henry said. "Going out my senior year as a state champ there aint any better finish than that.''
Seaman celebrates after Saturday's 66-47 win over De Soto in the Class 5A state championship game at Emporia's White Auditorium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
For the third straight state game, Seaman got off to a hot start, leading 14-10 at the end of the opening quarter.
De Soto (20-5) opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run to take an 18-14 lead at the 5:40 mark of the second quarter, but the Vikings outscored the Wildcats 16-7 to end the half and take a 30-25 advantage.
For the second straight day Seaman junior Kaeden Bonner drained a long, long 3-pointer to end the half and send the Vikings to the locker room with momentum.
De Soto, which will be Seaman's league rival in the United Kansas Conference next season, got no closer than three points in the third quarter and senior Mateo Hyman canned two free throws with 3.2 seconds left in the quarter to give the Vikings their biggest lead of the game at 45-35.
The Vikings opened the final period with hoops by Henry and senior Dreighton Griess and De Soto got no closer than 11 the rest of the way while Seaman went up by 21 (66-45) with two minutes remaining.
"The guys get all the credit for having themselves ready to play, to be focused, especially when you get in an invironment like this,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "It could be easy to be distracted and they were dialed in and just came out of the gates swinging and then I just loved our defense.''
Seaman junior Aron Davis scored a game-high 17 points in Saturday's 66-47 win over De Soto in the Class 5A state championship game. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman junior Kaeden Bonner scored 15 points and hit three of three 3-pointers in the Vikings' 66-47 win over De Soto in the Class 5A state championship game. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman junior Aron Davis led all scorers with 17 points and added 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots while hitting all eight of his shots from the field.
"I try to find my spot and see what I can do best,'' said Davis, who missed nearly half the season with an ankle injury. "Get to the rim, pass it around, get rebounds especially and hold down on the defensive end.
"My teammates were finding me today and I have trust in my teammates.''
Bonner finished with 15 points while hitting all three of his 3-point attempts and Hyman had 9 points, a game-high 8 rebounds and a game-high 4 assists.
The Vikings shot 64.7 percent from the field (22 of 34) and 73.9 percent from the free throw line (17 of 23).
Senior Gavin Wilhelm had eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, but his biggest contribution was on the defensive end.
Wilhelm drew the defensive assignment on De Soto standout David Cobin, who had scored 32 points, including the game-winning hoop, in the Wildcats' semifinal win over St. James Academy on Friday.
Cobin managed just 10 points Saturday while going 3 of 11 from the field and 1 of 5 from 3-point range.
"I knew I would (guard Cobin), I have done this multiple times throughout the year,'' Wilhelm said. "I was obviously worried because having a 32-point game is pretty scary, but I knew in myself I could do it.
"Yesterday I had 10 rebounds and I was doing everything I could to get to the boards. Today was more about not letting him touch the ball. That was my main goal.''
Tyler Schultze led De Soto with 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting from 3-point range while Trent Johnson added 10 points.
Cox won his third career state championship while never losing in a state final.
Cox's Shawnee Heights team won 5A state crowns in 2000 and 2002.
"I think the big difference here is it's the first one for Seaman High School in boys basketball, so that makes it extra special,'' Cox said. "It's pretty cool.''
SEAMAN BOYS 66, DE SOTO 47
De Soto 10 15 10 12 -- 47
Seaman 14 16 15 21 -- 66
De Soto (20-5) -- Johnson 4-8 1-1 10, T. Schultze 5-13 0-0 15, E. Schultze 3-5 0-0 6, Cobin 3-11 3-4 10, James 1-2 0-1 2, Hicks 0-3 0-0 0, Lang 1-2 0-0 2, Dow 0-0 0-0 0, Sullivan 0-0 0-0 0, Miller 0-0 0-0 0, McBride 0-0 0-0 0, Chappel 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 18-46 4-6 47.
Seaman(18-7) -- Hyman 2-3 5-6 8, Henry 3-8 2-2 8, Bonner 5-9 2-2 15, Wilhelm 2-3 2-2 8, Davis 8-8 1-5 17, Freeman 0-0 0-0 0, Griess 2-3 5-6 9, Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Phillips 0-0 0-0 0, Chapman 0-0 0-0 0, Barta 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-34 17-23 66.
3-point shots -- De Soto 7-21 (T. Schultze 5-8, Johnson 1-5, Cobin 1-5, E. Schultze 0-1, Hicks 0-2, Seaman 5-7 (Bonner 3-3, Wilhelm 2-3, Henry 0-1). Total fouls -- De Soto 18, Seaman 14. Fouled out – E. Schultze, Hicks. Technical fouls -- none.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden went toe to toe with Class 4A giant Bishop Miege in Friday night's state boys semifinal and gave the the Stags a battle before dropping a 62-50 decision at the Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina.
The Wildcats, who fell to 10-14 were within six points at the half, but could never get over the hump against defending champion Miege (18-6), which will play Andale for the state title at 6:15 p.m. Saturday.
Hayden will take on McPherson in a 2 p.m. third-place game Saturday. The Bullpups dropped a 49-42 semifinal decision to Andale on Friday.
Peyton Bartlett hit four of four 3-pointers and tied for team-high scoring honors with 14 points in Hayden's 62-50 state semifinal loss to Bishop Miege Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden junior Joe Otting scored 14 points in the Wildcats' 62-50 Class 4A state semifinal loss to Bishop Miege Friday night. [FIle photo/TSN]
Hayden led 26-22 after a 3-pointer by senior Peyton Bartlett with 1:42 left before halftime, but Miege scored the final 10 points of the quarter to take a 32-26 lead at the break.
Miege then opened the second half with a 9-3 run and Hayden never got any closer than nine the rest of the way.
Christian Bowen scored 24 points to lead the Stags while Aiden Wing and Daegan Jensen scored 13 points apiece.
Hayden, which knocked off top seed Eudora in the first round, got 14 points apiece from Bartlett and junior Joe Otting.
The Wildcats out-rebounded Miege by a 22-18 margin and shot 55 percent from the field (18 of 33), but the Wildcats hurt themselves with 17 turnovers.
BISHOP MIEGE BOYS 62, HAYDEN 50
Bishop Miege 15 17 16 14 -- 62
Hayden 15 11 9 15 -- 50
Bishop Miege (18-6) - Hall 1-5 1-2 3, Bowen 7-12 8-12 24, Wing 5-7 3-4 13, Jensen 4-8 5-7 13, Boylan 2-5 4-4 9, Armstrong 0-1 0-0 0, Coppage 0-0 0-0 0, Anderson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-38 21-29 62.
Hayden (10-14) - Bartlett 5-5 0-0 14, Muller 3-7 1-2 8, Scott 1-3 1-1 3, Duffey 2-7 2-2 8, Otting 6-7 2-2 14, Foster 0-0 0-0 0, Ridley 0-1 0-0 0, Ham 0-0 0-0 0, Alfonsi 0-0 0-0 0, Gorman 0-1 1-2 1, Rice 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 18-33 7-9 50.
3-point shots - Bishop Miege 3-5 (Bowen 2-2, Boylan 1-2, Armstrong 0-1); Hayden 7-15 (Bartlett 4-4, Muller 1-5, Duffey 2-4, Gorman 0-1,l Rice 0-1). Total fouls - Bishop Miege 15, Hayden 22. Fouled out -- Duffey.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
HUTCHINSON -- Silver Lake’s bid for a Class 3A girls state title came to end with a heartbreaking 59-53 loss to Goodland on Friday afternoon.
“I am proud of the way our girls fought until the very end,” Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter said. “We were able to fight through adversity and bring the game within three (points). Goodland is a really good team. Big, athletic and they are tough to simulate.
“This one was tough.”
The Lady Eagles had been dominant the entire season and Silver Lake had been 3A’s No.1-ranked team for six weeks and three days prior to Friday's loss.
Silver Lake's record was 12-10 in 2020-2021 and the Eagles were an impressive 23-2 after Friday's loss. Silver Lake will play Nickerson, a 59-52 semifinal loser to Hugoton, in Saturday's 2 p.m. third-place game.
Silver Lake's girls will try to bounce back in Saturday's Class 3A third-place game after a 59-53 semifinal loss to Goodland on Friday. [Photo by Isaac Deer}
Silver Lake returns every player from its state roster next season. The Eagles’ starting five was comprised of three sophomores and two juniors.
“This experience for our kids was invaluable,” Porter said. “There was a wide range of emotions and understanding the gravity of the situation. This experience was huge for our team and our program.
“Hopefully we can make it back here next year.”
Silver Lake didn’t fold when things didn't go their way, battling through every possession.
Unfortunately for Silver Lake, when things went the Eagles' way for a small sliver of time, Goodland would have an answer.
In the first quarter, both teams started a bit shaky. The tension and nerves were evident early in the game.
Although both teams were rattled, points were coming at a decently fast rate for both teams.
Kaibryn Kruger was a big part of the Lady Eagles' first quarter success. K. Kruger was able to score seven points, block a corner 3-point attempt and steal the ball to set up Kaylee Deiter in the paint.
Goodland’s offensive outburst in the second quarter would be a large factor in why the Cowgirls were able to advance to Saturday's state championship game.
Goodland started off of the quarter on a 12-2 run. Silver Lake would manage a 7-0 run before the Cowgirls would finish out on a 6-0 run.
The Cowgirls shot nearly 50% from the field in the quarter while Silver Lake managed to shoot 20% from the field.
Silver Lake would need a terrific third quarter in order to turn the game in their favor.
Offensively the quarter would go on to be a solid one, defensively, not as much. It was a back and forth slugfest.
Goodland junior Talexa Weeter, who had a game-high 20 points, answered back for every Lake conversion. Weeter and the Cowgirls’ efforts made it increasingly difficult for Silver Lake to come out on top.
The Lady Eagles decreased a 15-point deficit to a 9-point deficit by the end of the quarter.
Stellar shooting from McKinley Kruger and key shots from Deiter would bring Silver Lake within three.
Weeter, Jaxi Mitchek and Emma Lehman would hush the Silver Lake faithful and take control of the game with two minutes to go.
All the Lady Eagles could do late was foul and hope for the best and Goodland held on for the win.
“Our season isn’t over, we have a game tomorrow,” Porter said. “It will be important for us to respond tomorrow from tonight’s game.”
GOODLAND GIRLS 59, SILVER LAKE 53
Goodland – 12 18 19 10 – 59
Silver Lake – 13 9 18 13 – 53
Silver Lake (23-2) – Farmer 5-12 0-0 11, McDaniel 2-6 0-0 4, K. Kruger 5-13 1-2 14, M. Kruger 4-10 4-5 16, Ross 0-3 2-2 2, Deiter 2-3 2-2 6.
Goodland (23-2) – Biermann 0-1 2-2 2, Mitchek 5-9 0-1 12, Weeter 8-13 3-5 20, Cure 1-3 1-5 4, O. Lehman 4-5 1-2 11, E. Lehman 3-9 2-2 10.
3-point goals – Silver Lake 8 (M. Kruger 4, K. Kruger 3, Farmer), Goodland 8 (E. Lehman 2, O. Lehman 2, Mitchek 2, Weeter, Cure). Team fouls – Silver Lake 17, Goodland 11. Fouled out – Silver Lake, Deiter. Technical fouls – none.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Back in Koch Arena for the first time since winning the Class 6A state championship in 2019, Washburn Rural's girls gave themselves a shot at another title with a hard-earned 44-43 semifinal win over previously-unbeaten Olathe North Friday night.
Now 22-2 on the season, Washburn Rural will play for championship at 4 p.m. Saturday against Derby, which edged Blue Valley in double overtime, 51-49.
Washburn Rural junior Brooklyn DeLeye drives to the basket in Friday's 44-43 Class 6A semifinal victory over previously-unbeaten Olathe North. [Submitted]
Washburn Rural led Olathe North 23-18 at the half, but the 23-1 Eagles stormed back to take an eight-point advantage in the third quarter.
The Junior Blues cut their deficit in half by the end of the third quarter, trailing 35-31, and the Junior Blues outscored North 13-8 over the final eight minutes to pull out the win.
"I think we knew this was a huge game and it was going to come down to our defense from the start,'' Rural senior Emma Krueger said. "It really did come down to our 'D' and we hang our hats on that.
"They're a good team and we knew they were going to go on runs and out mindset was when that happened we just have to cut that momentum and find a way to translate it into our momentum.''
Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick was proud of the way his team answered North's big third-quarter rally.
"We blew a five-point lead and they came out and just kicked us,'' Bordewick said. "What was it, a 13-0 run or something? And we could of so easily just said, 'Hey, coming close is good enough,' but it aint.
"And with this group they keep fighting and they keep battling and they never think they're out of it. Being down eight to a team like that and just the way they battled every single possession, I couldn't be more prouder of a group.''
The game was tied 41-41 before sophomore Jada Ingram hit two free throws with 2:01 remaining to put Rural ahead to stay.
Junior MaRyah Lutz canned a free throw to put Rural up 44-41 with 59 seconds left to play, but Olathe North got within a point with 18.3 seconds remaining and the Eagles got the ball back on an alternating possession with 15.5 seconds left.
Rural senior Emma Krueger came up with a couple of near steals to take time off the clock but Olathe North retained possession before missing a potential game-winning shot as time ran out.
Lutz led Rural with 10 points while senior Krueger and Ingram added nine points apiece, with Krueger going 7 of 8 at the line.
Ingram and junior Brooklyn DeLeye both grabbed eight rebounds.
Rural hasn't always been a great free throw shooting team this season, but was 15 of 22 at the line against North, including several big makes down the stretch.
"Jada Ingram's free throws, those were huge, and Emma's free throws, huge,'' Bordewick said. "That's just, to me, a mental competitive edge that those kids bring and in a clutch, big-game situation. Knocking those down were huge.''
Rural also finished with a 27-19 rebounding advantage, including a 12-4 edge on offensive boards. Both Ingram and DeLeye grabbed four offensive rebounds apiece.
Washburn Rural beat Derby 54-37 in the semifinals of the Lady Firebirds Winter Classic earlier this season.
"It doesn't mean anything,'' Bordewick said. "When we did play them and beat them this year they didn't have the Brown kid (6-foot-3 junior Addyson Brown) and that's going to make a difference but I think we're really receptive of that challenge tomorrow, too.
"I think we'll be mentally and physically ready to go.''
WASHBURN RURAL GIRLS 44, OLATHE NORTH 43
Washburn Rural 12 11 8 13 -- 44
Olathe North 10 8 17 8 -- 43
Washburn Rural (22-2) -- Lutz 3-8 1-2 10, Krueger 1-2 7-8 9, Canfield 2-9 0-0 6, Ingram 3-5 3-6 9, DeLeye 2-9 2-4 6, Bagshaw 0-0 0-0 0, Carlgren 1-2 0-0 2, Brogan 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 12-35 15-22 44.
Olathe North (23-1) -- S. Simmons 1-6 0-0 3, Stanford 3-6 0-0 8, Copeland 4-9 1-2 10, Nwidadah 5-5 0-0 10, Alloway 3-8 2-2 9, Landry 0-2 0-0 0, Dillon 1-1 0-0 3, L. Simmons 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-37 3-4 43.
3-point shots -- Washburn Rural 5-18 (Lutz 3-6, Canfield 2-8, DeLeye 0-3, Krueger 0-1), Olathe North 6-14 (Sanford 2-4, S. Simmons 1-3, Copeland 1-3, Alloway 1-3, Dillon 1-1). Total fouls -- Washburn Rural 9, Olathe North 15. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- The beginning and end of the first half set the stage for the biggest win in Seaman's boys basketball history Friday afternoon at White Auditorium.
Seeking their first-ever berth in a boys state championship game, the Vikings put defending Class 5A champ Maize in a hole with a 12-0 start and got a huge 35-foot 3-pointer from junior Kaeden Bonner to end the half, riding that first-half momentum to a 66-54 victory over the Eagles.
"It was a great start to the game,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "Our guys were ready to go and knocked down shots, and our defense was outstanding.''
Junior Kaeden Bonner hit six 3-pointers to finish with a team-high 18 points as Seaman advanced to its first-ever boys state championship game with a 66-54 semifinal win over Maize Friday in Emporia. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The 17-7 Vikings, who posted their 10th straight victory, will play for the state championship at 4 p.m. Saturday against the winner of the second boys semifinal between St. James Academy and De Soto.
Two days after dispatching top seed Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the first round, Seaman got off to another hot start Friday, riding two early 3-pointers from Bonner, who hit six 3s on the day, to build its lead to 12-0 at the 3:11 mark of the opening quarter.
That was the start of a wire-to-wire win for the Vikings against the 19-5 Eagles, who never got any closer than three the rest of the first half and no closer than five in the second half after Bonner's buzzer-beater to end the half put Seaman in command by a 31-18 margin.
"That was big,'' Bonner said. "I was confident because I had made some 3s before that. It was from deep but I just pulled it with confidence and it just felt good.''
Maize cut into Seaman's double-digit lead with a 19-13 third quarter, cutting its deficit to 44-37 on a hoop from Kyle Grill to end the quarter.
Maize's Jaden Gustafson opened the fourth with a basket to get the Eagles within five, but Bonner answered with a 3-pointer to help the Vikings regain the momentum.
"In the second half I knew they're well-coached and that they would make some adjustments,'' Cox said. "They got the ball in deep on us and made their run, but but we hit enough shots to keep them at arm's length and make the free throws that we needed down the stretch.
"They didn't have any fear. I saw in their eyes that they were confident and I felt like that they were going to get the job done.''
The Eagles threatened again with less than two minutes remaining, cutting Seaman's lead to 55-50 with 1:25 remaining on back-to-back 3-pointers from Grill, but Seaman put the game away with a 9-0 run.
Seven of those points came at the free throw line, including four straight from senior Ty Henry to give Seaman a 64-50 lead with 24.1 seconds left, as the Vikings canned 19 of 23 charities on the day.
Seaman senior Mateo Hyman (10), celebrating a Viking bucket Friday, scored 17 points in Seaman's 66-54 Class 5A semifinal win over Maize. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Bonner, who scored all of his points on 3-pointers, led Seaman with 18 points while senior Mateo Hyman was right behind with 17 points, going 6 of 6 from the field and 5 of 7 from the free throw line.
Henry was the third Viking in double figures with 10 points while junior Aron Davis had nine points and senior Gavin Wilhelm six, with all six coming in the final 1:42.
Wilhelm also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds while Bonner led the Vikings with five assists.
"We all just stepped up and did our part,'' Bonner said.
Now Seaman will try to end its historic run with a state title.
"We've got a lot of momentum right now, a lot of confidence and we're excited about tomorrow,'' Cox said.
Senior Jaden Gustafson led Maize with a game-high 21 points while Grill added 15 points and junior Avery Johnson 13 points.
SEAMAN BOYS 66, MAIZE 54
Maize 5 13 19 17 -- 54
Seaman 12 19 13 22 -- 66
Maize (19-5) -- K. Grill 5-11 3-4 15, Johnson 5-10 1-2 13, Belcher 2-7 0-0 5, Gustafson 9-16 3-6 21, Schmidt 0-1 0-0 0, A. Grill 0-0 0-0 0, Hanna 0-0 0-0 0, Booth 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 0-1 0-0 0, Stover 0-0 0-0 0, Reyes 0-1 0-0 0, Sharp 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-47 7-12 54.
Seaman(17-7) -- Hyman 6-6 5-7 17, Henry 3-7 4-4 10, Bonner 6-15 0-0 18, Wilhelm 1-5 4-5 6, Davis 3-4 2-3 9, Freeman 0-0 0-0 0, Griess 1-3 2-2 4, Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Phillips 0-0 0-0 0, Chapman 0-0 0-0 0, Barta 0-0 2-2 0. Totals 20-40 19-23 66.
3-point shots -- Maize 5-15 (K. Grill 2-6, Johnson 2-6, Belcher 1-3), Seaman 7-20 (Bonner 6-12, Davis 1-1, Wilhelm 0-4, Henry 0-2, Griess 0-1). Total fouls -- Maize 21, Seaman 13. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- none.
