By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Solid performances by seniors Ty Henry and Mateo Hyman set the stage for Seaman's boys basketball to cap off a stellar regular season Friday night with a home 70-58 Centennial League win over Emporia.
Seaman has played some the best basketball the Vikings have played all year in February, with somebody different on the roster capable of an explosive game on any night.
“We have had great balance this year,” Seaman coach Craig Cox said. “We have a lot of different guys that can score on any given night in many different ways. I think our versatility will be the key for us in the long run. It would be nice if the way we passed the ball, scored and played tonight would carry over into the postseason.
Hyman led the Vikings in scoring with 20 points Friday night while Henry added 16.
Seaman senior Mateo Hyman scored 20 points to lead the Vikings to their sixth straight victory Friday night, a 70-58 Centennial League win over Emporia. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“We as a team did a great job of getting everyone involved,” Hyman said. “My teammates gave me a lot of different opportunities to shoot the ball from many different places and my shots were going down.”
Seaman’s current six-game winning streak isn’t by accident, with the Vikings relying on team-first basketball.
Emporia was the latest victim of Seaman's hot streak, although the Spartans played Seaman competitively for the entire game.
“We couldn’t ever completely get away from (Emporia),” Cox said. “They deserve credit for how well they played. They made it extremely tough for us to break the game open.”
Emporia’s Parker Leeds had 22 points on the night while River Peters added 19. The Spartans converted 10 three-point shots, giving Seaman uneasiness for the first three quarters.
“The Centennial League is going to push you to be better night in and night out,” Henry said. “Everyone is going to give you their best shot. Credit to Emporia, they played hard tonight.”
Seaman held a slim six-point lead heading into the halftime break, but gained momentum with a 21-point third quarter, sparked by by Henry and senior Dreighton Griess.
That momentum carried over into the fourth quarter, with the Vikings able to close out the double-digit win.
“I do feel like the quality of our league has prepared us and everybody in the league for postseason play,” Cox said. "I hope and believe that we as a league all benefit from how competitive the league is night in and night out.”
Seaman’s confidence is currently riding high at the conclusion of the regular season, but the Vikings are also well aware that their record is 0-0 now.
“Going into playoffs I look forward to getting my teammates the ball and watching them get buckets,” Hyman said. “This season was big for us and I look forward to carrying it over into playoffs.”
“Our team is flowing right now,” Henry said. “We are on a little win streak so our confidence is on our side. It’s always good to be in this spot. We have some momentum.''
Seaman (13-7,12-5) will host a Class sub-state game on Tuesday night. The opponent will be announced Saturday.
SEAMAN 70, EMPORIA 58
Emporia 12 14 16 16 – 58
Seaman 19 13 21 17 – 70
Seaman (13-7, 12-5) – Griess 5 1-2 12, Hyman 10 0-2 20, Henry 7 1-1 16, Wilhelm 1 4-4 7, Davis 5 0-0 10, Bonner 2 0-0 5.
Emporia (3-17, 2-14) – Stewart 3 0-1 7, Leeds 7 4-6 22, Rech 1 0-0 2, Ortega 1 0-0 2, Peters 8 0-0 19, Templeton 2 0-0 6.
3-point goals – Seaman 4 (Griess, Henry, Bonner, Wilhelm), Emporia 10 (Leeds 4, Peters 3, Templeton 2, Stewart). Team fouls – Seaman 10, Emporia 11. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
