By CHARLES SPURLOCK
TopSports.news
A highly anticipated United Kansas Conference battle took place Friday night at Seaman High School, with the No. 2-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman Lady Vikings playing host to the No. 6 De Soto Wildcats.
Junior Anna Becker led the way with 17 points in Seaman's 50-47 UKC win over De Soto Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
Friday's game also had an impact on post season seeding as Seaman entered the game as the top seed in 5A East and De Soto the No. 2 seed.
In a thrilling, back-and-forth game, Seaman edged DeSoto, 50-47, improving to 13-1 overall and a perfect 10-0 in the UKC.
The game began with a quick start by the Lady Vikes, who led 7-2 with 3:38 left in the first quarter.
De Soto had to use a second timeout with 1:47 remaining in the quarter, trailing 12-2. But the Wildcats closed the quarter on a 5-2 run to close the gap to 14-7.
The second quarter started exactly the same, but the roles were reversed. De Soto’s Amanda Tower hit two 3-point baskets in the first 1:20 of the quarter to cut the Seaman lead to 14-13.
The Wildcat run continued until there was 3:53 remaining in the half, with De Soto leading 23-17. The Wildcats shot 7-10 from the field in the quarter and led 27-21 at the half.
“We knew coming into this game that it would be a battle,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "DeSoto is a good team and they can really shoot the ball. Basketball is a game of runs. We hit them with a run to start the game and then they went on a run. I want us to learn that when a team goes on a 6-0 run that we really need to be patient and run our offense. It felt like we tried to answer back too quick with guarded shots.”
In the third quarter, Seaman charged back and tied the game at 31 with about two minutes left in the quarter. The Lady Vikes took a 36-34 lead into the fourth quarter.
The final eight minutes was exciting and went down to the final seconds. De Soto took the lead at 46-41 with a little under three minutes left in the game but Seaman junior Anna Becker scored five straight points to tie the game at 46.
De Soto took a one point lead, 47-46, on a free throw by junior Makenzie Farmer. Once again, Becker scored a basket with a little under a minute remaining, giving the Lady Vikes a 48-47 lead.
De Soto called a timeout and set up a play for senior Tower to attempt a 3-point shot from the corner that missed.
Seaman called a timeout with 6.9 seconds left. DeSoto then had to foul twice to get to the two-shot penalty and called another timeout with 4.8 seconds left. Senior Taylin Stallbaumer calmly knocked down both free throws and De Soto’s last-second 3-point try was short, giving Seaman the hard fought victory.
“Credit to my girls, they kept their poise down the stretch and found a way to win,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "I thought Jaida Stallbaumer played one of her better games of the season. Maddie (Gragg) hit some big 3s late. In crunch time, Anna stepped up and got us baskets and Taylin iced it at the line.”
Seaman junior Jaida Stallbaumer scored 13 points to help the Vikings take a 50-47 UKC win over De Soto Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
The Lady Vikes had two girls in double figures, with Becker scoring 17 points and junior Jaida Stallbaumer 13. Sophomore Gragg corralled nine rebounds and junior Ava Esser grabbed eight boards. Jaida Stallbaumer also had 5 steals.
The Wildcats were led by junior Farmer with 16 points and Tower scored 11. Sophomore Ava O’Brien grabbed reseven bounds.
Seaman (13-1 overall, 10-0 UKC) will travel to Kansas City to play the Turner Bears next Tuesday in another United Kansas Conference contest.
SEAMAN GIRLS 50, DE SOTO 47
DeSoto 7 20 7 13 -- 47
Seaman 14 7 15 14- 50
DeSoto (12-3, 11-2) -- Ad. Tower 2-8 3-5 8, Farmer 6-10 4-6 16, Am. Tower 4-11 0-2 11, Conley 2-4 0-0 4, O’Brien 3-6 0-0 6, Kmiecik 1-2 0-0 2, Cimotto 0-0 0-0 0, Lawson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-41 7-13 47.
Seaman (13-1, 10-0) -- J. Stallbaumer 4-1 4-6 13, E. Stallbaumer 0-1 0-0 0, T. Stallbaumer 2-11 2-2 7, Becker 7-12 3-3 17, Wilhelm 0-2 2-2 2, Gragg 2-10 3-4 9, Esser 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 16-50 14-17 50.
3 point goals - DeSoto 4 (Am. Tower 3, Ad. Tower), Seaman 4 (Gragg 2, J. Stallbaumer, T. Stallbaumer). Total Fouls - DeSoto 16, Seaman 13. Fouled out - none.
