Several CPL teams had successful tournaments last week, either claiming tournament titles or finishing in the top three.
St. John
The Tiger basketball teams were the new kids at the Gene Keady Classic in Larned last week. Not to mention one of the smaller schools. That mattered little as both squads reached the finals. The boys beat Macksville 69-53 for their title. The girls played Spearville for the title.
The Tiger boys have cruised to a 4-0 record. At the tournament, no one came close as St. John opened with a 55-26 win against Ellinwood. They then knocked off Class 3A’s Hoisington 63-43 to reach the finals. Even in the finals, the team continued to throw up points early and often, leading Macksville 20-7 after one quarter and 40-23 at the half. Spencer Nusser finished with 17 points, followed by 14 points from Zuriel Reyes, and 13 points from Dean Wade. Kade Kinnamon led the Tigers with seven rebounds and five steals to go along with seven points.
The Lady Tigers also dominated early opponents, beating Ellinwood 40-23, then taking down Hoisington 51-21. In the Ellinwood win, the tough Lady Tiger defense held the Eagles to just two first quarter points en route to a 23-13 halftime lead and 32-18 lead after three quarters. Jamie Waters scored 13 points in the win and Teresa Christie finished with nine points.
Ness City
The Eagle basketball teams had a successful outing at the Purple and Gold tournament in Wakeeney last week. The boys beat the field, opening with a 54-48 win against Hodgeman County. They then knocked-off Victoria 56-38 to reach the finals where they beat Smith Center 68-60. The Lady Eagles finished third, beating Hodgeman County 37-15, then falling to Victoria 44-20 in the semifinals. In the third-place game, Ness City defeated the host Golden Eagles 46-34.
The boys got a tough game out of Hodgeman County early in the week. The Eagles managed only a 29-28 halftime lead and trailed 42-20 after three quarters. In the final frame, the boys turned it on to outscore Hodgeman 14-6 and steal the win. Colin Foos led all scorers with 15 points. Dalton Gantz added 10 points. The Lady Eagles had an easier time on Monday, holding Hodgeman to six points or less in each quarter, including a one-point fourth quarter. Jessie Rubottom scored 23 of the team’s 37 points.
Central Plains
The Oiler basketball teams are off to a hot start. The girls are 4-0 after a 3-0 performance at the Morris-Stephens Classic in Russell. The boys finished third. The Lady Oilers played their closest game in round one with a 59-50 win over Ell-Saline. From there, it was a 57-44 win against Ellsworth on Friday, and a 55-32 win against Plainville in Saturday’s championship. Central Plains won the third quarter 20-7 to pull away in Saturday’s win. Senior Janae Hekele scored 10 of her game-high 18 points in that quarter. Jennifer Hitschmann finished with 12 points.
The Oiler boys defeated Ell-Saline 47-38 in round one, then fell to a tough Phillipsburg team 61-53 in round two. The Panthers went on to easily beat Plainville 62-42, and Central Plains settled for third by beating Lincoln 54-20. Layne Bieberle scored 18 points in the consolation match, followed by 11 points from Braeden Crites.
Macksville
The Mustang basketball teams went in opposite directions at the Gene Keady Classic in Larned last week. The boys won their first two games before falling to St. John in the finals. The Lady Mustangs posted an 0-3 record at the tournament.
The boys started the week off with a 56-40 win against Spearville, then downed Kiowa County 45-38. High-flying St. John shut down the Mustangs 69-53 in the title game on Saturday. Macksville is now 2-2 on the year.
The Lady ‘Stangs fell to 0-4 with three losses in Larned. They opened with a 51-30 loss to Spearville, followed by a 53-22 loss to Kiowa County, and a 40-28 loss to Kinsley. In the Spearville loss on Monday, the first and third quarters did Macksville in as the Lancers outscored the Stangs 34-14. Tara Bunker had 13 points in the loss, and Karissa Langlois added nine points.
LaCrosse
The Leopards traveled north to the Purple and Gold Tournament in Wakeeney last week. The boys showed promise with a first round win, but both squads eventually posted a 1-2 record on the week. The boys defeated host Trego 72-52 in round one, then fell to Smith Center 66-60, and lost to Victoria 40-32 in Saturday’s consolation game. The Lady Leopards fell to Trego 43-17, rebounded to beat Western Plains 29-24, then fell to Hodgeman County 41-31.
In Tuesday’s win against Trego, the boys won each quarter, building a 34-24 halftime lead and 52-36 lead after three quarters. Senior Kip Keeley scored at will with 35 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. William Storie also had a nice night with 14 points. The girls did not need much offense to get past Western Plains on Friday, scoring just nine points in the first two quarters. Freshman Morgan West pulled off a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Alyssa Oborny also finished with 12 points.
Kinsley
The Coyote basketball teams were in action last week at the Keady Classic in Larned. The girls dropped their first two games, falling to Hoisington 47-33 and Ellinwood 56-55, before improving to 2-2 on the season with a 40-28 win against Macksville on Saturday. In that win for seventh place, the Lady Coyotes held Macksville scoreless in the first quarter, leaping out to an 11-0 lead. Kinsley led 19-9 at the half and played close with the Lady Stangs the rest of the way. Alex Hermann paced the team with 11 points, followed by Amber Espinosa’s 10 points, and Brittany Gleason’s nine points.
The boys lost their first game to Hoisington 61-41, then rebounded to beat Ellinwood 54-53 on Thursday. In that game, the teams were tied 14-14 after one quarter before Kinsley built a 40-34 lead after the next two quarters. The Coyotes held off an Eagle comeback bid to hold on for the win. Nathan Frame scored 15 points in the win. Weston Cross scored all nine of his points from behind the arc.
Otis-Bison
The Cougar basketball squads headed to Fairfield for the Falcon Classic last week, going a combined 2-4 at the tournament. The Lady Cougars defeated Chase 45-28 on Saturday for the win. In that win, Otis-Bison was able to take advantage of a Chase team that has struggled on offense, leading 14-6 after one quarter and 28-10 by halftime. Hannah Bannister knocked down a pair of threes to lead the Cougars with 12 points. Annie Kraisinger added 11 points.
The Cougar boys fell to Cunningham 50-37 in the opener, then lost to Fairfield 64-35 on Friday. Otis-Bison was able to get past Chase 42-37 on Saturday.
Victoria
The Knight basketball teams stayed north last week to participate in the Purple and Gold tournament in Wakeeney. Both sides picked up two wins. The girls rolled past Northern Valley 45-16, and Ness City 44-20 before falling to Smith Center in the finals 68-45. The boys finished third, downing Northern Valley 37-22 in round one, then fall to eventual champion Ness City 56-38 in the semis. The Knights rebounded to beat LaCrosse 40-32 in the consolation match.
The Lady Knights kicked off the tournament with a dominating win, leading Northern Valley 13-2 after one quarter. Northern Valley managed just seven second half points. Kristen Huser was the lone Victoria player to reach double-figures with 15 points. Brooke Schmidt added nine points. In Saturday’s consolation game, the boys outscored LaCrosse in three of the four quarters, taking a 29-23 lead into the final frame. Dalton Dreiling hit the lone Knight three to lead the way with 11 points. Lane Braun and Phillip Nowak each added nine points. Sam Ottley led the team with nine rebounds.
