By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner, one of the state's most prolific scorers, had an off night offensively -- by his lofty standards -- in Tuesday's non-league game at Washburn Rural.
Washburn senior John Hoytal (left) scored a game-high 20 points while Seaman senior Landon Wiltz (5) scored 14 points with four treys in Tuesday's 53-46 Viking win. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
But Bonner, who still led the Vikings with 15 points, got plenty of help from his friends as No. 5-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman used a big third quarter to build a nine-point advantage and held off the Junior Blues for a 53-46 win.
Bonner had a tough shooting night from the field, but hit a pair of 3s, including the game-clincher, and went 7 of 8 from the free throw line.
Viking senior Landon Wiltz hit four first-half 3-pointers and finished with 14 points while senior Griffin Zuniga also scored 14 points with a pair of 3s and senior Cameron Brian chipped in with eight points and a pair of treys.
Brian hit a big 3-pointer with 3:40 remaining after the Junior Blues had clawed within two points and Zuniga nailed a 3 to put Seaman up by a 48-42 margin with about two minutes left before Bonner connected with about 30 seconds remaining to give the 10-2 Vikings a 51-45 cushion
"There were a couple of those shots that some people behind me were like, 'No, no, yeah,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "But Cameron hit a big 3 for us and Griffin hit a big 3 and then Bonner goes to the corner in pretty much the same spot as the other two and those three shots allowed us to escape with the win.''
Tuesday's win was Seaman's second straight victory over a Class 6A school after the then-No. 2 Vikings dropped a disappointing 53-51 decision to Hutchinson in the first round of the McPherson Invitational last Thursday.
"We got a little bit too caught up in the rankings and the headlines and everybody patting you on the back telling you how good you are,'' Cox said. "I knew with the competition (Hutchinson) played that they'd been tested and we weren't going to scare them.
"We gave them too many layups and then they hit a big 3 late. We had a couple of opportunities, but we weren't ready to play and we paid the price for it, which is to (Hutch's) credit because they did what they had to do.''
Seaman has two more games on the schedule this week, hosting De Soto in a United Kansas Conference game on Friday before hosting St. James in the fifth-place game of the McPherson tournament at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Washburn Rural, which played without injured senior standout Simon Rowley, fell to 8-5 on the season despite a game-high 20 points from senior John Hoytal, who also grabbed eight rebounds. Sophomore Brooks Ballard added nine points and senior Draden Chooncharoen seven.
The Junior Blues will be at home again on Friday, hosting Highland Park in a non-league game.
SEAMAN BOYS 53, WASHBURN RURAL 46
Seaman 10 19 11 13 -- 53
Washburn Rural 16 11 4 15 -- 46
Seaman (10-2) – Wiltz 4-8 2-2 14, McConnaughey 1-2 0-1 2, Zuniga 5-9 1-1 14, Brian 3-8 0-0 8, Bonner 3-17 7-8 15, Scholes 0-2 0-0 0, Becker 0-1 0-0 0, Esser 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-47 10-12 53.
Washburn Rural (8-5) – Ballard 4-11 0-0 9, Hoytal 8-11 4-8 20, O'Connor 1-4 0-0 3, Chooncharoen 3-9 0-0 7, Schmidt 1-2 0-2 2, Nimz 0-1 0-0 0, Wright 1-3 0-0 2, Bradley 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 19-43 4-10 46.
3-point goals – Seaman 9 (Wiltz 4, Bonner 2, Brian 2, Zuniga), Washburn Rural 4 (Ballard, O'Connor, Chooncharoen, Bradley). Total fouls – Seaman 14, Washburn Rural 15. Fouled out – Wright. Technical fouls -- none.
