By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's boys basketball team had taken its lumps while playing 15 straight Class 6A and 5A opponents to open the 2021-2022 season.
But on Monday night the 4A Wildcats finally got the opportunity to play a school their own size, rolling to a 58-35 non-league win over 4A Tonganoxie at Hayden.
"That's a very good (Tonganoxie) team and we were clicking tonight,'' Hayden coach Dwayne Paul said. "It was a good measuring stick for us.''
Hayden, which improved to 4-12 on the season, is trying to nail down one of the 16 spots in the eastern half of the state for the 4A postseason playoffs and took a step in that direction with Monday's win.
"I've just told our guys, right now nothing else matters but getting in (the playoffs),'' Paul said. "We've got to be one of those 16.
"Once we're in then we'll worry about the opponent from there, but it's just about getting in.''
Senior Trent Duffey was one of three double-figure scorers for Hayden in Monday's 58-35 non-league win over Tonganoxie, scoring a game-high 19 points. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Trent Duffey led the Wildcats with a game-high 19 points while junior Jake Muller turned in a big second half to finish with 16 points and junior Joe Otting added 11.
Tonganoxie (10-7), which has been in and out of the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association 4A rankings, stayed with Hayden for most of the first half in a game that included seven lead changes and a pair of ties, but Peyton Bartlett and Patrick Gorman drained back-to-back 3-pointers and Duffey hit a pair of free throws to put the Wildcats up by eight points at the break, 25-17.
Tonganoxie got no closer than seven in the second half and Duffey ended the third quarter with a 3-pointer as Hayden started the fourth quarter with a 36-25 cushion.
The final eight minutes belonged to the Wildcats, who finished with a 22-10 scoring edge to turn the game into a rout.
Five Wildcats combined to connect on nine 3-pointers, with Muller and Duffey both finishing with three treys.
Senior Andrew Wilson led Tonganoxie with 13 points, the lone Chieftain in double figures.
Hayden will be back in action Tuesday night, facing No. 2-ranked Topeka West (15-1) at West. The varsity game will start at approximately 6:30 p.m.
HAYDEN BOYS 58, TONGANOXIE 35
Tonganoxie 8 9 8 10 -- 35
Hayden 12 13 11 22 -- 58
Tonganoxie (10-7) -- Kietzman 1-3 0-0 2, A. Wilson 3-12 6-7 13, Clark 1-3 1-2 3, Conroy 1-7 0-1 3, Novotney 3-4 1-1 8, Langord 1-2 1-2 3, Crowley 1-6 0-0 3, Holthaus 0-0 0-0 0, Glover 0-0 0-1 0, B. Wilson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 11-37 9-14 35.
Hayden (4-12) -- Bartlett 1-2 0-0 3, Muller 4-12 5-6 16, Duffey 6-15 4-6 19, Ham 0-1 0-0 0, Otting 5-8 1-3 11, Scott 0-0 0-0 0, Foster 1-2 0-0 3, Alfonsi 1-2 1-2 3, Gorman 1-1 0-0 3, Rice 0-1 0-0 0, Charvat 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-44 11-17 58.
3-point goals -- Tonganoxie 4 (Wilson, Conroy, Novotney, Crowley), Hayden 9 (Muller 3, Duffey 3, Bartlett, Foster, Gorman). Total fouls -- Tonganoxie 16, Hayden 17. Fouled out – Clark, Foster
