By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After avenging its only loss of the season in an emotional five-point United Kansas Conference road win over No. 2-ranked Topeka West on Tuesday, the No. 3 Seaman boys returned to action Friday against a Leavenworth team that entered the night in the throes of a six-game losing streak.
Senior KaeVon Bonner scored 24 points as No. 3-ranked Seaman rolled to a 72-50 UKC win over Leavenworth Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But the Vikings didn't slack off, stretching their winning streak to six games with a 72-50 home UKC romp past the Pioneers.
"It's no disrespect to Leavenworth, but all our guys see is their record and don't know anything about what they're going to bring to the table,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "So coming off of a big win, that human nature letdown is scary.
"So for us to hold it together enough to get the job done and separate ourselves in the second half was good.''
Now 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the UKC, the Vikings led 16-13 at the end of the opening quarter and 30-22 at halftime before turning the game into a rout with a 22-10 third quarter to open up a commanding 52-32 advantage and cruised the rest of the way.
Leavenworth used a box-and-one defense on Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner, but the Viking star still finished with a game-high 24 points while hitting nine of 10 shots from the floor.
"Give Leavenworth a lot of credit for their defensive game plan,'' Cox said. "They came out and showed us that box and one, which we really haven't seen much. We've done some preparation, but until you actually see somebody else do it, it's not the same.
"It gave us an opportunity to see what would work and what wouldn't and I thought we found some stuff there in the third and early fourth quarter that worked.''
Senior Landon Wiltz scored 18 points in Seaman's 72-50 UKC home win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Landon Wiltz also had a big night for the Vikings, scoring 18 points while going a perfect five of five from the free throw line.
Junior Adrian Brantley led Leavenworth (2-7, 1-6) with 14 points, including three 3-pointers while junior AJ Clark added 10 points.
Seaman will compete in next week's 62nd annual McPherson Invitational, with the Vikings the top seed.
Seaman will open its tournament bid at 4:35 p.m. next Thursday against Hutchinson.
SEAMAN BOYS 72, LEAVENWORTH 50
Leavenworth 13 9 10 18 -- 50
Seaman 16 14 22 20 -- 72
Seaman (8-1, 7-1) – Wiltz 6-13 5-5 18, McConnaughey 3-5 0-1 6, Zuniga 3-3 0-0 7, Brian 1-1 1-2 4, Bonner 9-10 5-8 24, Scholes 0-2 5-6 5, Becker 1-1 0-0 2, Esser 2-2 0-0 4, LaRosh 0-0 0-2 0, Martin 0-1 0-0 0, Ralph 1-1 0-0 2, Moulden 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-39 16-22 72.
Leavenworth (2-7, 1-6) – Cheatham 1-6 2-7 4, King 3-6 0-1 6, Clark 2-7 5-8 10, Brantley 5-11 1-2 14, Alonzon 2-3 2-2 6, Jefferson 0-1 0-0 0, Davis 0-4 1-2 1, Tolbert 0-1 0-0 0, Lobina 0-0 0-0 0, Flanders 0-0 0-0 0, Butter 3-5 0-0 9. Totals 16-45 11-22 50.
3-point goals – Leavenworth 7 (Brantley 3, Butter 3, Clark), Seaman 4 (Wiltz, Zuniga, Brian, Bonner). Total fouls – Leavenworth 22, Seaman 21. Fouled out – Brantley, Brian. Technical fouls -- McConnaughey, Tolbert.
