By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Seaman's boys started Friday night's United Kansas Conference game at Topeka West short-handed and things got worse for the Vikings when No. 8-ranked Topeka West took a nine-point lead midway through the second quarter.
Junior KaeVon Bonner scored a game-high 17 points as Seaman knocked off No. 8-ranked Topeka West 60-57 Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But a 13-0 run to end the first half reversed the Vikings' fortunes, with Seaman never trailing again and surviving a late West rally to take a 60-57 United Kansas Conference decision over the Chargers at West.
Seaman senior Bryer Finley (2) had 13 points in the Vikings' 60-57 UKC win at Topeka West Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman, which played without key injured reserves Matthew McConnaughey and Axton Brewer, got a game-high 17 points from junior KaeVon Bonner, 13 from senior Bryer Finley and 11 points from senior Dalton Smith while junior Landon Wiltz and junior Griffin Zuniga added 8 and 7 points, respectively.
"We were a little short on the bench, but the other guys just held it together enough to get it done,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "It's always going to be difficult against a team like Topeka West that's going to be a active as they are with their length and athleticism.
"We had a lot of turnovers and we forced some shots, but we overcame that and we can build off of that as we move forward.''
Cox also gave credit to sophomore Conner Scholes, who didn't crack the scoring column but was solid off the bench in crunch time for the Vikings.
"I thought Conner Scholes was big giving us some minutes as another guy who can handle the ball and do some positive things,'' Cox said. "He did his job.''
Seaman, now 2-1 overall and in the UKC, trailed by just a 13-11 margin at the end of the opening quarter, but Topeka West (1-1, 1-1) opened the second quarter with a 9-2 run to take temporary control.
After a timeout Seaman flipped a switch, ending the half with a Bonner 3-pointer and four straight points from Smith to give the Vikings a 26-22 lead at the break.
Topeka West got as close as one midway through the third quarter but Seaman went up by eight late in the period on a Zuniga basket and took a 45-39 lead into the fourth.
Seaman led by as many as eight points in the final quarter, including a 59-51 advantage with 25.3 seconds left after a Finley free throw, but things got sticky for the Vikings the rest of the way.
West got a 3-pointer from senior Javian Chambers with 9.6 seconds left and then immediately forced a Seaman turnover before senior Jalen Foy canned another Charger trey with 2.3 seconds remaining.
Zuniga hit a free throw to give Seaman its 60-57 lead before West got the ball to Foy, who launched a long 3-pointer that gave the Chargers a chance to force overtime before missing at the buzzer.
"I've seen them go in before and I was watching going, 'Please, no,' '' Cox said.
Topeka West senior Javian Chambers (21) scored 16 points in Friday's 60-57 home UKC loss to Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Chambers led Topeka West with 16 points while Foy and junior Keimani Paul added 11 apiece.
SEAMAN BOYS 60, TOPEKA WEST 57
Seaman 11 15 19 15 -- 60
Topeka West 13 9 17 18 -- 57
Seaman (2-1, 2-1) -- Finley 5-13 1-5 13, Bonner 5-12 4-4 17, Wiltz 3-10 1-3 8, Smith 5-9 1-4 11, Brian 1-5 2-2 4, Zuniga 2-5 3-4 7, Scholes 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-55 12-22 60.
Topeka West (1-1, 1-1) -- Ford 2-3 2-4 8, Duncan 3-6 0-2 6, Paul 5-12 1-2 11, Foy 4-10 2-3 11, Chambers 7-11 1-2 16, Dillahunt 0-0 0-0 0, Munganga 1-6 0-0 3, Traylor 1-2 0-0 2, Webb 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 23-54 6-13 57.
3-point goals -- Seaman 6 (Bonner 3, Finley 2, Wiltz), Topeka West 5 (Ford 2, Munganga, Foy, Chambers). Total fouls -- Seaman 16, Topeka West 21. Fouled out -- Brian. Technical foul -- none.
