By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
The semifinal round of Class 5A boys sub-state at Seaman was a rematch from late January, where the Seaman Vikings defeated the Valley Center Hornets, 61-55, in the fifth-place game of the January Jam Tournament in Valley Center.
Senior Bryer Finley (2) scored 25 points in Wednesday's 68-61 overtime sub-state loss to Valley Center. [File photo/TSN]
But on Wednesday night, the Hornets won a tough, back-and-forth battle over the Vikings, 68-61 in overtime.
“I thought Valley Center played well. We knew they would be scrappy and they hurt us early by running out and getting easy shots,” Seaman coach Craig Cox commented after the game.
Although the Hornets were getting those easy shots early, the Vikings were able to buckle down on defense and were leading the game 25-22 at the end of the first half. Senior Bryer Finley led the Vikings with 9 points while junior Cameron Brian scored 6 points over the first sixteen minutes.
“Probably the biggest stretch was in the third quarter where we built a sizable lead, but they went on a 10-0 run and had all the momentum,” Cox commented on the important third quarter that saw Valley Center take a 38-36 lead into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter saw the teams trade baskets until Valley Center was able to stretch their lead to 51-46 with just over four minutes remaining. But Seaman fought back with a 6-0 run to take a 52-51 lead which was followed by a 4-0 run, giving the Hornets a 55-52 lead with a little over two minutes remaining.
With Valley Center leading 56-54 with 48 seconds left, Seaman called a timeout and junior KaeVon Bonner responded by getting fouled and knocking down both free throws to tie the game with 31 seconds left. Valley Center held the ball for the last shot, but was unable to score and the game went to overtime, tied at 56.
In the overtime, Seaman scored first on a layup by Finley, but Valley Center responded with a three-pointer by senior Caleb Needham, who led the Hornets with 16 points -- all in the second half and overtime.
In what was the biggest sequence of the overtime, Bonner was fouled with 2:46 left, trailing 59-58, but missed both free throws. Senior Dalton Smith grabbed the offensive rebound for the Vikings, but he also missed both free throws. Valley Center missed two of their own free throws and Finley was able to tie the score at 59 with a little over two minutes remaining in overtime. Moments later, Seaman was able to take a 61-60 lead, but Needham responded for the Hornets with another three-pointer with 1:20 left to regain the lead, 63-61.
Seaman wasn’t able to score for the remainder of the game while Valley Center made five free throws to make the final score, 68-61.
Coach Cox expressed the difficulty his team experienced throughout the game, “We didn’t attack their zone as well as we needed to and didn’t make the plays down the stretch.”
The Vikings were led by senior Bryer Finley, who scored 25 points, and junior KaeVon Bonner who scored 20. Junior Cameron Brian came off the bench and scored 8 points.
The Hornets were led by four players in double figures. Seniors Caleb Needham and Colby Newton scored 16 and 14, respectively. Junior Austin Saner dropped in 11 while senior Bryson Saner pitched in 10 points.
Seaman closed out their season with a 13-8 record and say goodbye to seniors Bryer Finley, Blake Toyne and Dalton Smith.
Valley Center advances to the sub-state championship on Saturday night at 5 p.m., where they will travel to Topeka West, which defeated Bishop Carroll 69-63 in overtime.
Valley Center 68, Seaman Boys 61 (OT)
Valley Center 12 10 16 18 12 -- 68
Seaman 10 15 11 20 5 -- 61
Valley Center (11-10)
B. Saner 4 2-3 10, Needham 4 5-6 16, Newton 4 4-6 14, A. Saner 4 3-4 11, Hatfield Jamolod 0 0-0 0, Logan 2 1-2 6, Chavez 3 0-0 6, Burgess 2 1-4 5. Totals 23 16-25 68.
Seaman (13-8)
Finley 7 9-11 25, Bonner 7 4-9 20, Toyne 0 0-0 0, Wiltz 1 0-0 2, Smith 1 0-2 2, Zuniga 1 0-0 2, McConnaughey 1 0-0 2, Brian 3 2-2 8. Totals 21 15-24 61.
3 point goals - Valley Center 6 (Needham 3, Newton 2, Logan); Seaman 4 (Finley 2, Bonner 2). Total Fouls - Valley Center 20; Seaman 22. Fouled out - Chavez, Brian. Technicals - none.
