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Hoisington junior Brandon Ball wrestles Norton's Alec Hager in the state finals on Saturday. (Mike Courson / February 24, 2013) |
Hoisington junior Brandon Ball completed a perfect wrestling season with a state title at 126 pounds on Saturday. The Cardinal basketball teams also won at least a share of the MCAA title.
Hoisington
Even a seventh-place finish at state for the Cardinal wrestling team was a little disappointing. Hoisington entered the Class 3-2-1A tournament as the No. 3 team. The Cardinals finished with 50 points, nine points out of the top five. Norton won with 123.5 points.
Junior Brandon Ball was able to complete a perfect season at 126 pounds. He blanked his first opponent 9-0, then pinned his second opponent. He used a 2-0 decision to get to the finals where he beat Norton 10-2 for his second title. He finishes the year at 46-0. At 145 pounds, senior Chance Demel finished the year at 44-1 with a third-place finish.
The Lady Cardinal basketball team also clinched a share of the MCAA title with a 50-23 win against Larned on Tuesday. Both Hoisington teams earned home games for sub-state. The girls (10-10) host Phillipsburg (9-10) on Monday. The boys (16-4), dominated the MCAA with a 5-1 record and play host to Norton (7-13) on Tuesday.
Ellinwood
The Lady Eagles had already put together a winning season. Tuesday, they nearly closed out the regular-season with a second-straight win against a ranked opponent. Ellinwood led No. 6 Moundridge 40-30 heading into the fourth quarter where they were outscored 14-2 in a 44-42 loss. Sophie Hayes scored 17 points in the loss, followed by 12 points from Kelsea Ward. Ellinwood (12-8) enters a tough sub-state on the road at Skyline (13-7) on Tuesday. Ranked teams from Central Plains and Sterling loom.
The Eagles boys hit the post-season with a seven-game losing streak following a 66-35 loss to No. 9 Moundridge on Tuesday. The Eagles trailed 36-17 by the half in that loss. Kyle Blakeslee led the way with 20 points. Derek Ward added eight points and Kaleb Schartz seven points. Patrick Ringering filled the stat sheet with six points, six rebounds, and four assists. The boys fall to 5-15 and head to Inman (15-5) to face a very hot Teuton team, winners of 12-straight, for sub-state.
Larned
The Indian boys can take some momentum into the post-season. Larned posted a 4-2 record since February 1, including a big 66-47 win against No. 9 Hoisington on Tuesday. In that win, the Indians were able to take advantage of six-foot-nine senior Cody Stetler’s absence in the middle, out-rebounding the Cardinals 41-31. Hoisington hung tight at 15-12 after one quarter, but Larned pulled away 30-18 by the half and 46-28 after three quarters. Brayden Smith scored 14 points, followed by 10 points from Easton Palmer. Michael Reece finished with nine points and 16 rebounds, and Cameryn Bryant and Nolan Allison each grabbed eight boards. Larned (6-14) heads to Pratt (6-14) for the sub-state opener on Monday. No. 1 Andale (17-2) likely awaits the winner.
The Lady Indians could have played spoiler on Tuesday. A win at Hoisington would have given Ellinwood sole possession of the league title. Instead, the girls fell 50-23. Rachael Herter led the team with six points. Roxy Foster grabbed eight rebounds. The girls (4-16) will make a long trip to Colby (15-5) for sub-state action on Tuesday.
TMP
The Monarch boys trailed most of the night Tuesday at Colby but scored when it mattered to pick up a 51-47 win. Junior Jordan Gottschalk hit two free throws with 14 seconds to play to put TMP ahead 49-47. Shane Zimmerman stole the ball on the next Colby possession and Ryan Mayorga’s lay-up provided two insurance points. The Monarchs outscored the Eagles 22-11 in the final eight minutes. Kameron Schmidt paced the team with 11 points, and Gottschalk added nine points. The boys (8-11) earn a No. 4 seed and will host Minneapolis (8-12) to open sub-state on Tuesday. No. 1 Phillipsburg (17-1) likely awaits the winner.
The TMP girls fell to the Lady Eagles 57-45. The Monarchs trailed 34-19 by the half in that loss. Senior Jenna Schuckman paced the team with 15 points. Heather Ruder added 11 points and Allison Pfeifer 10 points. The Lady Monarchs (6-13) enter sub-state as the No. 8 seed at Russell (15-5) on Monday.
