By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
While fans, players and even some coaches may get more fired up by slam dunks, acrobatic scoring plays and long-distance 3-pointers, it's defense that excites hall of fame high school basketball coach Ken Darting more than any other facet of the game.
Sophomore Jaret Sanchez scored a game-high 18 points, with three 3-pointers and a 4-point play, in Shawnee Heights' 69-32 UKC romp past Leavenworth Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
And Darting had plenty to get excited about Friday night in Shawnee Heights' 69-32 United Kansas Conference romp past Leavenworth at Heights.
Leavenworth jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first three and a half minutes of the game, but the Pioneers were held scoreless over the next 10 and a half minutes as the T-Birds went on a 26-2 run to take charge.
"Defense just sets up everything, it just does,'' Darting said. "We walk in and see some of those athletes and you think, 'Oh my God, what are we going to do with them?' But we just help each other so much.
"What's making the difference this year over the last four years, and certainly the last two, is the kids believe the same thing I do. They believe that defense wins, that they can't go out and get in a shootout and win.''
The Pioneers, who fell to 4-10 overall and 8-3 in the league, managed just 13 points in the first half as Shawnee Heights (11-4, 8-3) opened up a huge 33-13 cushion, with sophomore Jaret Sanchez capping the half with three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt as time ran out.
Leavenworth didn't get out of the teens until the 5:08 mark of the third quarter and the Pioneers didn't get into the 30s until midway through the fourth period.
Sanchez led all scorers with 18 points, including a four-point play in the third quarter, while junior Brennon Dodge added 14 points and senior Q Stovall came off the bench to score 13 points.
Leavenworth did not have a player crack double figures and the Pioneers only had one double-digit quarter (12 points in the third), while managing seven, six and seven points in the other three.
Shawnee Heights will be back at home next Tuesday to host city rival Topeka West, which is ranked No. 9 in Class 5A.
The T-Birds dropped a 64-51 UKC decision to Topeka West in its third game of the season.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS BOYS 69, LEAVENWORTH 32
Leavenworth 7 6 12 7 -- 32
Shawnee Heights 16 17 17 19 -- 69
Leavenworth (4-10, 2-9) -- Miller 2-5 1-3 6, Bethea 1-2 3-4 5, Lewis 4-13 0-0 9, McLaughlin 0-8 2-4 2, Strickland 0-1 3-4 3, Crawford 2-3 0-0 4, Beard 0-1 0-0 0, Brooks 0-4 0-0 0, Johnson 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 10-39 9-15 32.
Shawnee Heights (11-4, 8-3) -- Jones 4-5 0-0 8, Dodge 6-9 0-0 14, Kendrick 1-3 0-0 2, J. Sanchez 5-13 5-6 18, Pomeroy 2-2 0-0 4, Holly 1-1 0-0 2, Moore 2-2 0-0 4, D. Sanchez 0-1 0-0 0, Malcom 0-0 0-0 0, Stovall 6-10 1-2 13, Parker 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 29-48 6-8 69.
3-point goals -- Leavenworth 3 (Miller, Lewis, Johnson), Shawnee Heights 5 (J. Sanchez 3, Dodge 2). Total fouls -- Leavenworth 11, Shawnee Heights 16. Fouled out -- none.
