The Andover Central High School girls blasted Maize South 86-50 on Tuesday, Feb. 12, when Maverick coach Mike Domnick said his team “ran into a buzz saw.”
Andover Central is ranked No. 9 in Class 5A, according to the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, and the Jaguars entered the game with a 12-5 record. Maize South was 10-6 heading into the matchup.
The Mavericks led early, 8-2, but Andover Central had seized a 20-14 advantage by the end of the first quarter. Junior Skyler Snodgrass was responsible for 10 of the Jaguars’ 20 points in the quarter, including a three-pointer at the buzzer.
Snodgrass continued the onslaught in the second quarter, opening with another trey and then scoring a bucket after an Andover Central steal. That left the visitors ahead 25-14.
Maize South called for timeout with 7:04 left in the first half. Junior Mariah Suchan’s basket and sophomore Alexa Brockel’s free throws narrowed the gap to seven, 25-18, but the Jaguars responded with four unanswered points of their own.
They led 43-26 at halftime. Andover Central achieved a 20-point margin when sophomore Masen Stamp drained a three-pointer at the beginning of the second half. The Jaguars upped that to 30 points, 65-35, with about a minute left in the third quarter.
“They shot lights-out,” said Domnick.
He added that defense had never been a significant problem for the Mavericks, but they tried three different defenses against Andover Central. Maize South had three scorers in double figures who helped the team reach 50 points.
“Most nights that’s good enough for us to get a victory,” Domnick remarked.
His primary complaint Tuesday was that the Mavericks sometimes failed to block out and close out.
“Very disappointed,” he continued, “but you know, that’s basketball.”
Andover Central beat Maize South 52-30 in December. Snodgrass led the Jaguars with 21 points Tuesday while senior Evan Stamp was close behind with 19. Sophomore Brooke Pedersen contributed 16 while senior Meg Huelskamp followed with 10.
Suchan anchored Maize South with 17 points and senior McKenna Poynter added 12. Brockel chipped in 10.
Domnick said he wasn’t worried about the Mavericks’ ability to overcome the 36-point loss.
“They’ll come back and they’ll play hard the next day,” he predicted.
ANDOVER CENTRAL BOYS TROUNCE MAIZE SOUTH
Maize South’s boys didn’t fare much better against their visitor Tuesday. The Mavericks fell to Andover Central 66-29.
The Jaguars, ranked No. 8 in Class 5A, topped Maize South just 51-42 in December. The Mavericks played Tuesday without senior Brett Barney, a 6-9 junior starter, due to pain in his legs. Barney has missed previous games this season because of a knee injury and then the flu.
Andover Central led 11-2 at the end of the first quarter Tuesday and took a 23-8 lead into halftime. The Jaguars opened the third quarter with a 10-0 run, including two free throws after Maize South freshman Korie Frausto was whistled for an intentional foul.
All four shots that Maize South hit in the fourth quarter were three-pointers, including a trio of three-balls from junior Kellen Filby. However, Andover Central outscored the home team 24-12 in the final stanza. The Jaguars’ last 10 points of the game were unanswered.
Filby scored a team-high nine points for Maize South. Senior Zach Winter exploded with 25 points for Andover Central, followed by freshman Darraja Parnell (14) and senior Jarrett Whitcomb (10).
