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Ellinwood junior Tanner Swank tries to split Larned defenders Michael Reece (25) and Nolan Allison (32) during Friday's Homecoming game. (Mike Courson / February 3, 2013) |
Winners of 18 games each of the past two seasons, Hoisington could not beat Great Bend. Tuesday, the Cardinals jumped that hurdle with a win against the Class 5A Panthers.
Hoisington
The Cardinal boys have struggled against Class 5A Great Bend in the past despite two 18-win seasons. Tuesday night, Hoisington finally got that win in a dominating 50-44 performance. Great Bend outscored the Cardinals (12-3) 29-21 in the second half to make things interesting, but Hoisington’s 29-15 halftime lead proved to be enough. Senior Cody Stetler scored seven of his 14 points in the first quarter, also leading the floor with 15 rebounds. Anthony Broeder added 10 points on the night and grabbed five of his eight rebounds in the first quarter. Ryan Becker scored six points.
The Lady Cardinals (6-9) were not as fortunate, falling to the Panthers 55-41. Hoisington was able to stay with Great Bend most of the way, cutting the lead to 28-24 late in the third quarter. The Panthers used 25 points in the final frame to pull back away. The Cardinals had a balanced scoring night, led by freshman Rylie Koester’s 16 points and eight rebounds. Jordin Greer added eight points and eight boards, and Mykela Riedl finished with seven points and four rebounds.
TMP
The Lady Monarchs picked up another league win at the expense of Ellinwood on Tuesday. TMP won just its third game of the year against the MCAA-leading Lady Eagles, withstanding a 10-2 final quarter to hold on for a 54-46 victory. The Lady Monarchs (3-11) controlled things early, leading 37-26 by halftime, and 52-36 heading into the final quarter. Jenna Schuckman and Heather Ruder each paced the team with 17 points. Schuckman and Allison Pfeifer each grabbed six rebounds.
The Monarch boys also got a win, holding off a late barrage of Ellinwood three-pointers for a 65-61 decision. TMP (5-9 overall, 2-2 MCAA) never trailed in the game, leading 16-15 after one quarter, then taking control to build a 51-39 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play. Kameron Schmidt led the Monarchs with 15 points. Shane Zimmerman and Jordan Gottschalk each scored 14 points.
Ellinwood
The Lady Eagles are back in command of the MCAA following a 76-42 win against Larned in front of a Homecoming crowd on Friday. Tuesday, Ellinwood (10-5, 3-1) suffered a temporary setback in a 54-46 loss to the reigning two-time league champions from TMP. Friday, Ellinwood used nine first quarter steals to build a 19-7 lead. The gap was bumped to 41-20 by the half, and the Eagles surpassed the 30-point mark with five straight points from Oma Thomas with 1:15 to play in the game. Sophie Hayes scored 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the floor. Thomas finished with a career-high 14 points, and Kelsea Ward finished with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Ellinwood boys had a rough week, dropping a 65-61 game against TMP (5-10, 1-3) on Tuesday. Friday, Larned came to town and spoiled Homecoming with a 69-37 route against a shortened Eagle squad, playing without its top scorer and rebounder in Kyle Blakeslee, who broke his nose at TMP. Friday, the Indians led 19-10 after one quarter and 56-28 after three quarters, finally getting the running clock with four minutes to play. Junior Tanner Swank scored 11 of his game-high 17 points in the third quarter, adding five rebounds on the night. Patrick Ringering led the team with eight rebounds go to along with two points.
Larned
The Indian boys (3-11, 1-2) used a week of hard practice to find themselves. The new Larned squad came out with a flurry of points Friday at Ellinwood, taking a 19-10 lead after one quarter. A team that usually scores in the 40s and 50s, the Indians ultimately earned a running clock in the fourth quarter en route to a 69-37 win. Brayden Smith swished four three-pointers to lead the team with 16 points. Camryn Bryant added 14 points, and Michael Reece was active with 12 points and seven rebounds. Nolan Allison only scored two points but grabbed 10 boards in the win.
The Lady Indians came out on the other end of a running clock. Larned (3-12, 1-2) fell behind early at 19-7 after one quarter. Trailing 41-20 at the half, the girls got as close as 45-30 in the third quarter, but Ellinwood eventually got the 30-point lead for a running clock with 1:15 to play in the game. Tiara Diaz hit three triples to lead the Indians with 11 points. Shaylene Shepherd added 10 points.
