JANUARY 8 SCORES
League Games
Hutchinson 59, Newton 45 | @Hutchinson
Hutchinson 59, Newton 45 | @Hutchinson
Salina South 68, Campus 66 | @Campus
Salina Central 54, Maize 46 | @Maize
Non-League Games
Andover Central 48, Derby 45 | @Derby
Salina Central 54, Maize 46 | @Maize
Non-League Games
Andover Central 48, Derby 45 | @Derby
DERBY SUFFERS 1ST LOSS OF THE SEASON WITHOUT SCHIEBER
RECAP: This game delivered on the hype, as Andover Central senior Zach Winter came up big late in the game to force overtime and then in the extra period to help the Jaguars knock off Derby for the first time with a 48-45 win. Neither team could establish much of an offensive rhythm to start the game, as the teams went into halftime tied at 16 apiece. The game remained close throughout the second half as both teams always had a response to the other. Andover Central had a shot to win in regulation, but Winter missed to bring on overtime. Winter led off overtime with a 3-pointer for the early lead and Central forced a turnover on Derby's final possession when it had the ball down by 1 point. It was Derby's first loss of the season after nine games, although it should be noted it came without leading scorer Taylor Schieber, who has missed the last three games with a torn meniscus.
NOTABLES: Andover Central freshman sensation Darraja Parnel re-emerged with a game-high 23 points and senior teammate Zach Winter came through with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Derby was led by Josiah Ray, who finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR DERBY (8-1): A challenge. Yes, Derby was undefeated. But it is not nearly the same team without Taylor Schieber, who really makes that offense go. With him in the lineup, Derby averaged 81.3 points. Without him, Derby has played 3 of its 4 closest games and is averaging 54.7 points. So losing to a quality program like Andover Central is not a huge loss. Derby hadn't played a close game like that all season, so now it has that experience. If Derby continues to develop its team without its leading scorer, then its only going to get better when Schieber returns in February. A telling quote from coach Brett Flory was included in the Kyle McCaskey's CatchItKansas article: "We played better tonight than some of the games we won by 30." That statement could very well be true and a game like this will do more for Derby than any 30-point romp could.
COVERAGE: (Kyle McCaskey of CatchItKansas)
SALINA CENTRAL'S WINNING STREAK UP TO 5 AFTER MAIZE WIN
RECAP: Salina Central took control from the start, jumping out to a 13-6 lead after the first quarter and maintaining a 28-20 lead at halftime. Maize would rally in the third quarter, scoring the final six points of the quarter to close to within 3 points of Central. The closest Maize would come was when it could the lead to 42-41 with 4 minutes left, but Central's Max Kuhn drilled a 3-pointer to push the lead back out and Central never faltered down the stretch to run its winning streak to 5 games now with a 54-46 win.
NOTABLES: Salina Central won despite having its leading scorer Mark Vaughn leave the game with an illness in the first quarter without scoring. The Mustangs were led by 21 points from Treyton Hines and he was joined in double figures by teammates Max Kuhn (11) and Justin Bengston (10). Maize was led by seniors Tavon Morrow (15 points) and Connor Eleeson (13).
WHAT IT MEANS FOR SALINA CENTRAL (5-3, 4-1 AVCTL D1): A league title is suddenly in sight. That's hard to believe after Central opened league play with a loss to Newton to cap off a 0-3 start. But something has changed and Central has won the last 5 games by an average margin of 25.5 points. Now with Derby vulnerable without its best player, Central has a legit shot to contend for a league title when it takes on the Panthers on the road this Friday. After such a dismal start, Central has turned around its season in a hurry and has a huge shot of electrifying it on Friday.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR MAIZE (2-6, 2-3 AVCTL D1): Another close call. Maize now has lost 3 games this season by 8 points or less, which shows how close the Eagles are. Right now offense is just a struggle and Maize will have to score more than 50 points if it wants to win in this league. It's a jumbled mess in the middle of this division so Maize still has a shot to make some noise in the second half of the schedule.
COVERAGE: (Scott Paske of the Salina Journal)
HUTCHINSON ENDS 4-GAME SLIDE WITH BIG WIN OVER NEWTON
RECAP: The game opened as an offensive showcase, as Hutchinson came out on top with a 21-18 lead after the first quarter. Then the Salthawks slowed the game down and grinded out the victory in typical Hutchinson fashion, holding Newton to only four 2nd quarter points to open up a 9-point halftime lead. Newton rallied to tighten the game up in the third quarter with a barrage of 3-pointers, but then Hutchinson clamped down and held them scoreless for the first 6 minutes of the 4th quarter. That allowed Hutchinson to run away with a close game late and end a 4-game losing streak. Newton committed 20 turnovers and was out-rebounded by a smaller Hutchinson team 34-26.
NOTABLES: Hutchinson senior Trevor Turner led all scorers with 13 points, while Newton's leading scorer was Grant Walker with 12.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR HUTCHINSON (3-5, 3-2 AVCTL D1): The 4-game losing streak is over. Hutchinson ends the slide with perhaps its best defensive effort of the season, holding Newton to a season-low in points. The win also pushes the Salthawks above .500 in the division and keeps them alive in the division title race with one more shot against Derby and Central. But to give itself a chance, Hutch must win Friday at home against Salina South.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR NEWTON (3-5, 2-3 AVCTL D1): A promising start is fading. Now the Railroaders have lost 3 of 4, including two swing games against Salina South and Hutchinson. Losing those never helps positioning in the league race, but there is still plenty of games left for Newton to make some noise in the division.
COVERAGE: (Brad Hallier of The Hutch News) & (Mark Schnabel of The Newton Kansan)
LATE RALLY GIVES SALINA SOUTH ROAD WIN OVER CAMPUS
RECAP: Campus came out with a strong start and led 34-26 at halftime. Then Salina South rallied, although it entered the 4th quarter trailing 54-45. The Cougars would shoot 50% in the 2nd half, including a 16-2 spurt to begin the 4th quarter that gave South a 61-56 lead. After that South made 7 of 10 free throws to ice the game, as Campus never had the ball with a chance to tie or win at the end of the game. The 68-66 victory snaps a 4-game losing streak for Salina South and the 68 points was a season-high in points, as Campus continues to struggle to defend (71.8 points allowed a game).
NOTABLES: Justin Stonebraker led the charge for Salina South, finishing with 21 points with teammate Conner Ryan adding 18. Campus had 3 in double-figures with Marcus Saucedo and Colten Flax scoring 19 apiece and Austin Vaden chipping in with 11.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR SALINA SOUTH (2-6, 2-3 AVCTL D1): Possibly the spark it needs to turn around the season. South entered the season with hopes of finishing with a winning record. It can still do that, but its an uphill battle. If South can draw from the momentum gained from a huge comeback like this and scoring a season-high 68 points, then it could make some noise in the 2nd half of the schedule. A win at Hutch on Friday would go a long way in establishing that.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR CAMPUS (1-7, 0-6 CL): A feeling that this one got away. This was the best Campus has played all season and it had a 12-point lead in the 2nd half and a comfortable margin entering the 4th quarter. Giving that up has to hurt, especially since that would have been coach Russell Herman's 1st win in league play. This one hurts, but Campus must draw from its improved play and carry that on in the future.
COVERAGE: (Arne Green of The Salina Journal)
COVERAGE: (Arne Green of The Salina Journal)
No comments:
Post a Comment