By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Jack Becker’s desperate heave at the buzzer had the right distance. It appeared on line. Had it fallen, it would have given the Seaman Vikings a remarkable upset and a comeback for the ages. But the shot ricocheted high off the rim and fell harmlessly to the floor as the crowd gasped.
Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner led the Vikings with 27 points in Thursday's 54-52 loss to two-time defending Class 5A champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]
The Vikings gave top-seeded Kapaun Mt. Carmel all it could handle in the Class 5A state semifinals Thursday in Koch Arena, losing 54-52 after trailing by as many as 18 late in the third period. Seaman outscored the defending champion Crusaders 24-12 in a wild fourth-quarter comeback that nearly ended in Cinderella fashion.
Seaman could muster no offense in the first 16 minutes. The Vikings attempted just 15 shot attempts in the first half, but committed 10 turnovers to just one assist, putting Seaman at a 25-15 deficit at the intermission. A 6-2 Viking run to close the third period did little to portend what was to come. The fourth quarter began with Seaman trailing 42-28.
The Vikings’ high-scoring senior KaeVon Bonner provided most of the Vikings’ output for three quarters, but he had to work for every point. He found his groove late in the third period and sparked a 16-4 run that brought the Viking crowd back to life. Gradually the Vikings whittled the lead, helped by poor foul shooting down the stretch by the Crusaders.
When the Crusaders missed two free throws with 21 seconds remaining, Seaman had a chance to tie or win on the final possession. Bonner probed the lane, first left, then right, trying to get off a shot. He forced up a jumper that was stuffed on the right block. He shuffled the ball to Becker for the desperation heave. Seaman coach Craig Cox was not happy with the no-call on Bonner’s drive.
Seaman coach Craig Cox reacts to a call during Thursday's 54-52 loss to two-time defending Class 5A champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]
“I get it, officials don’t want to decide games. But when it’s clearly a foul, it’s a very easy call,” Cox said. “You’ve got to blow that whistle. You cannot reward (the defense) in that situation.”
Cox recognized that Kapaun Mt. Carmel wasn’t going to gift Seaman an opportunity to get back in the game. The Vikings would have to force the opening.
“We kept talking about, ‘We need to take it to them,’ ” Cox said. “They make it very difficult with their outstanding defense. That’s why we struggled so much in the first half. And I thought we just got more aggressive and did a better job of rebounding, since the first half was not good at all.”
The Vikings outscored Kapaun Mt. Carmel 30-14 over the final 10 minutes. Bonner scored 11 of his 27 points in the fourth -eriod rally. He was followed in the box score by Griffin Zuniga with 13.
“We just showed our character and showed what our kids were made of with that comeback,” Cox said. “There was probably a little bit of embarrassment in the first half with the way that we played and how much we struggled. I was proud of them for showing that they weren’t going to give up and lay down and get steamrolled, which could have happened.
“For our guys, everybody in the arena is saying the same thing about our team, how impressed they were in the second half with the comeback.”
Kapaun Mt. Carmel, which extended its undefeated streak to 43 games on Tuesday by dispatching of Shawnee Heights by a score of 53-38, now stands at 44 wins in a row with a shot at a three-peat. The Crusaders will face Bonner Springs, which handled Topeka West in the late game at Wichita, for the state title.
The Vikings will have to regroup for the consolation game on Saturday, a third meeting with Topeka West. The two teams split their regular-season games.
“We need to come out and do tomorrow what we did in the second half, because (Topeka West) is going to be in the same position where they’re gonna be disappointed,” Cox said. “Then it becomes who wants the game. It’ll be tough because it’s going to be a quick turnaround. But I have confidence in our guys that they’ll regroup and get focused and hopefully play well.”
KAPAUN MT. CARMEL BOYS 54, SEAMAN 52
Seaman 9 6 13 24 -- 52
Kapaun Mt. Carmel 11 14 17 12 -- 54
Seaman (22-5) – Wiltz 1-3 2-2 4, McConnaughey 0-2 2-2 2, Zuniga 5-10 0-0 13, Brian 1-2 1-3 3, Bonner 6-17 13-13 27, Esser 0-1 0-0 0, Scholes 0-1 1-2 1, Becker 1-3 0-0 2. Totals14-39 12-22 52
Kapaun Mt. Carmel (27-0) – Maingu 2-3 0-0 4, Porter 3-8 1-2 8, Keller 3-6 6-10 12, Rapp 6-14 2-3 18, Dalian 2-4 2-2 8, Jones 1-1 0-2 3, Cary 0-3 0-0 0, Gooch 0-2 1-2 1, Stuhlstatz 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-42 12-21 54.
3-point goals – Seaman 5 (Zuniga 3, Bonner 2), Kapaun Mt. Carmel 8 (Rapp 4, Dalian 2, Porter, Jones). Total fouls – Seaman 20, Kapaun Mt. Carmel 21. Fouled out – Brian, McConnaughey, Porter. Technical fouls – Dalian, Keller.
