By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
There was no doubt that Wednesday's Class 5A sub-state semifinal between No. 3 East seed and No. 14 Kansas City-Sumner was a game that Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting expected to win.
But there were also plenty of things Darting wanted his team to accomplish in the T-Birds' postseason opener.
Senior Deacon Pomeroy led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Wednesday's 74-41 Shawnee Heights Class 5A sub-state win over KC-Sumner. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez scored 22 points with six 3-pointers in Wednesday's 74-41 sub-state win over KC-Sumner. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]AAr
And for the most part Darting felt like his team, now 18-3, accomplished those goals in Heights' 74-41 home romp past the 7-14 Sabres.
"We had a few people that I saw selfishness, happy with the 3 and wanted to get that easy bucket, but what I like about this group is I can never say they don't play hard,'' Darting said. "They come to play. Every game they're going to play hard.''
Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez connected on three 3-pointers in the first two minutes to stake the T-Birds to a 9-4 lead and Heights was in command by a 24-9 margin by the end of the opening quarter.
By halftime the T-Birds had stretched their margin to 27 points (47-20) and Shawnee Heights led 70-33 at the end of the third quarter, forcing a running clock over the final eight minutes.
Heights senior Deacon Pomeroy and Sanchez combined for 46 points, with Pomeroy scoring a game-high 24 points and also grabbing 11 rebounds and Sanchez adding 22 points with six 3-pointers.
Junior Da'Quan Lee also cracked double figures with 15 points.
Sumner senior Vincent Wing led Sumner with 15 points while junior Jaxon Davis added 13.
With Wednesday's win Shawnee Heights will be at home Saturday to host St. Thomas Aquinas in a 5 p.m. sub-state title game. Aquinas advanced with a 58-25 win over KC-Schlagle.
Saturday's game will be a rematch of last year's sub-state final, won by Heights 64-62 in overtime on a Pomeroy bucket.
"I think it will be the same kind of game this year, I really do,'' Darting said. "They're good, they're really good and I don't think I could find too many people that would say we aren't good either, so I look forward to it.
"Hopefully we look forward to it, but I'm excited about it.''
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS BOYS 74, KC-SUMNER ACADEMY 41
KC-Sumner 9 11 13 8 -- 41
Shawnee Heights 24 23 23 4 -- 74
KC-Sumner (7-14) -- Ross 3-5 0-0 6, Wing 7-16 0-0 15, Mathews 1-1 0-0 2, Davis 5-13 2-5 13, Reese 0-4 0-2 0, Wilson 1-2 0-0 3, Huddleston 0-1 0-0 0, Knight 0-0 0-0 0, Robinson 1-2 0-2 2. Totals 16-44 2-9 41.
Shawnee Heights (18-3) -- Pomeroy 8-15 6-7 24, Sanchez 8-18 0-0 0-0 22, Ross 2-9 0-2 4, Alston 0-2 0-0 0, Emmot 0-3 0-2 0, Cook 3-5 0-0 9, Campbell 0-2 0-0 0, Doby 0-2 0-0 0, Wallace 0-0 0-0 0, Lee 7-9 1-2 15, Ledell 0-6 0-0 0. Totals 28-71 7-13 74.
3-point goals – KC-Sumner 3 (Wilson, Wing, Davis), Shawnee Heights 11 (Sanchez 6, Cook 3, Pomeroy 2). Total fouls – KC-Sumner 14, Shawnee Heights 9. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
