GIVING A VOICE TO THE SMALLER SCHOOLS OF THE MAC COUNTY AREA!!
(PLEASE NOTE > This is a glimpse as the possible future of our covering Mac County Area Sports with the goal of giving the smaller schools some media love!! Please look this concept over and let us know what you think, thanx.)
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
JANUARY 30-FEBRUARY 2
Canton/Galva Eagles > pages 2-3
Elyria Christian Eagles > pages 3-5
Inman Teutons > pages 5-6
Little River Redskins > pages 6-7
Moundridge Wildcats > pages 8-9
Smoky Valley Vikings > pages 9-10
McPherson Middle School > pages 10-14
CANTON/GALVA GIRLS RALLY LATE
FOR WIN #10
By Staff
HERINGTON – On Tuesday the Canton/Galva girls went on the road and fought back late in the game to pull out a four-point, 46-42 win over Herington.
With the win the Lady Eagles continue moving into unchartered but welcomed waters as being 10-6 gives the program their first double digits wins since 2018-19 when they finished with 12. It is also just the second time to reach double digit wins since the program won 14 in 2006-07. Canton/Galva now preps to play host to Peabody/Burns on Friday.
After both teams scored just five points each in the first quarter, Herington took a five-point 17-12 advantage on the scoreboard heading to the halftime break. Still down by two at 31-29 at the end of the third quarter, the Lady Eagles outscored Herington 17-11 in the fourth quarter to gain the come from behind, four-point victory.
“The first half was not a very good half at all,” noted Lady Eagle head coach Brad Willems. “We came out very stagnant and we did not execute very well. No excitement on defense at all. We did respond in the second half and played better offensively, but our defense was not what it had been the last few weeks as Herington was able to hit some shots and we never really took momentum away from them.”
While Herington dominated the boards by out rebounding Canton/Galva 35-20, the Lady Eagles were able to make up for it by forcing Herington into making 38 turnovers and committing 20 fouls. On offense, the Lady Eagles dished out a total of 12 assists on just 17 made shots from the field.
Trinity Espinoza led the Lady Eagles in scoring with 17 while Mimi Craig finished with 12. Eight players shared in rebound totals led by Craig with five and the Espinoza sisters, Lili and Trinity, both grabbing four. Lili Espinoza had the quick hands-on defense by nabbing seven steals.
Coach Willems concluded his reflections on the win by adding, “Sometimes though you have to win ugly games and that is what we did, we got a win and yet did not play our best. I have got to do a better job as the coach in getting them ready to play, this game is all on me. But we will do better, and we will continue to get better!”
CANTON/GALVA LADY EAGLES at Herington
SCORING: LADY EAGLES > 5-7-17-17 = 46; Herington > 5-12-14-11 = 42.
TEAM STATS: LADY EAGLES > 2-FGs – 13/35; 3-PTs – 4/14; FTs – 8/18; AST – 12; REBs – 20; TO – 16; STLs – 17; BLKs – 5. Herington > 2-FGs – 11/29; 3-PTs – 5/16; FTs – 5/8; AST – 9; REBs – 35; TO – 38; STLs – 5; BLKs – 0; FLs – 20.
CANTON/GALVA LADY EAGLE INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Trinity Espinoza – 17; Mimi Craig – 12; Brecken Pearson – 5; Lili Espinoza – 5; Adi Alcala – 4; Sage Toews – 3. 3-Pointers Made > T. Espinoza – 2; Alcala, Toews – 1. Assists > L. Espinoza – 4; Pearson – 3; Alcala – 2; T. Espinoza, M. Craig, Toews – 1. Rebounds > M. Craig – 5; T. Espinoza, L. Espinoza – 4; Pearson – 3; Alcala, Toews, Emerson Hoppes, Makinlee Hoppes – 1. Steals > L. Espinoza – 7; Alcala – 5; M. Craig – 3; T. Espinoza, Pearson – 1. Blocked Shots > T. Espinoza, L. Espinoza – 2; M. Craig – 1.
ROMERO LEADS ELYRIA BOYS TO 63-POINT WIN
By Staff
WAKEFIELD – Thanks to a career game by Ty Romero, the Elyria Christian boys literally buried Wakefield on the road Tuesday with a 63-point, 77-14 win.
Now 11-2 for the season and ranked number 10 in Class 1A Division I, the Eagles will play host to Herington on Friday.
“We are building good habits right now, and learning how to play each possession,” explained Eagle head coach Zach Goodrich. “There are plenty of opportunities to learn throughout the game, and I feel we are starting to understand how to play.”
The Eagles jumped out to a 21-point, 23-2 lead by the end of the first quarter and the rout was on as they build their advantage to 43 points at 51-8 by the halftime break before cruising in for the final 63-point victory by outscoring Wakefield 26-13 in the final two quarters.
It was an outstanding job on offense as a team for Elyria as they recorded 22 assists on 33 field goals made as the team seemed to always find the open player with Johnny Unruh and Caleb Laney leading the offense by dishing out nine and eight assists, respectively.
Ty Romero led the Eagles scoring as he connected on eight three-pointers while scoring a career high 40 points. All nine Eagles that played scored at least two points with Alex Robertson getting nine and both James Schott and Blake Robertson hitting for eight.
Coach Goodrich continued his post-game reflections by noting, “Ty (Romero) had himself a night. He is a special talent and is learning every game how to be efficient. He was able to score around the basket and still catch fire going deep. He had a stretch where he hit six or seven three-pointers in a row. The team was excited to watch him find great rhythm.”
On defense the Eagles forced Wakefield into making 32 turnovers while recording a whopping 23 steals led by Romero and Johnny Unruh with five each.
Concluding his reflections on the rout, coach Goodrich said, “We did a fantastic job finding the open man as Johnny (Unruh) was solid dishing out nine assists and Caleb (Laney) finished with eight while doing a great job getting into the paint. We had several boys just miss on double figures scoring as Alex (Robertson) got us going early by connecting on two threes in the first quarter and finishing with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting. James (Schott) and Blake (Robertson) provided strong interior play for us. It was great to see everyone get, in and get into the scoring column. Overall, I am very pleased with where we are at and looking forward to our next few games as we continue to build momentum.”
ELYRIA CHRISTIAN EAGLES at Wakefield
SCORING: EAGLES > 23-28-20-6 = 77; Wakefield > 2-6-4-2 = 14.
TEAM STATS: EAGLES > 2-FGs – 22/30; 3-PTs – 11/19; FTs – 0/0; AST – 22; REBs – 16; TO – 6; STLs – 23; BLKs – 1; FLs – 13. Wakefield > 2-FGs – 6/16; 3-PTs – 05; FTs – 2/7; AST – 0; REBs – 16; TO – 32; STLs – 4; BLKs – 1; FLs – 4.
ELYRIA CHRISTIAN EAGLES INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Ty Romero – 40; Alex Robertson – 9; James Schott – 8; Blake Robertson – 8; Dominick Lundberg – 4; Caleb Laney – 2; Johnny Unruh – 2; Gavin Robertson – 2; Aston Fields – 2.
ELYRIA GIRLS HANDLE WAKEFIELD WITH 31-13 WIN
By Staff
WAKEFIELD – Going north to Wakefield to shake any rust off of a 11 day break, the Elyria Christian girls proved they were ready to be back on the court as they used strong first and third quarters to rout Wakefield by 18 at 31-13.
Now 11-2 for the season, the Lady Eagles will be back home on Friday hosting Herington, which also be Elyria Christian’s homecoming.
“It was good to see our girls back on the court again after what seemed like a very long break,” explained Lady Eagle head coach Greg Fields. “Wakefield is always a tough place for us to play because of the long drive, but I felt we came out with a lot of energy on defense. Wakefield does a great job of pressuring the ball and making it difficult to score. We had not played against a man defense since the beginning of the season, so it was great to work on a lot of those different plays again. We talked about having a frustrating offensive game tonight, but if we can play solid defense consistently it takes a lot of pressure off the necessity to score on every possession.”
Elyria jumped all over Wakefield in the first quarter, taking an 11-1 lead before Wakefield’s offense woke up just a bit and chipped a point off the lead, giving the Lady Eagles a 17-8 advantage at the halftime break. The Lady Eagle defense literally shutout Wakefield in the third quarter while scoring 11 to take a commanding 28-8 lead into the final quarter of play.
Lady Eagle senior, Ryland Hawkinson, had another huge game as she led the team in scoring with 16, just missed a double-double with the team high eight rebounds and was working on a triple-triple as she recorded seven steals to go with three blocked shots.
Coach Fields concluded his post-game reflections by saying, “Ryland (Hawkinson) had a great all-around game. She was extremely active on defense and didn’t allow much in the paint. Alexus (Swenson) had a very efficient night shooting the ball well and not having any turnovers. Macy (Reiff) also had one of her best games by taking care of the ball and being very disruptive on defense.”
ELYRIA CHRISTIAN LADY EAGLES at Wakefield
SCORING: LADY EAGLES > 11-6-11-3 = 31; Wakefield > 1-7-0-5 = 13.
TEAM STATS: LADY EAGLES > 2-FGs – 10/25; 3-PTs – 3/13; FTs – 2/2; AST – 7; REBs – 21; TO – 12; STLs – 14; BLKs – 5; FLs – 10. Wakefield > 2-FGs – 3/16; 3-PTs – 1/10; FTs – 4/6; AST – 0; REBs – 17; T0 – 18; STLs – 5; BLKs – 3; FLs – 3.
ELYRIA CHRISTIAN LADY EAGLES INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Ryland Hawkinson – 16; Alexus Swenson – 6; Macy Reiff – 4; Grace Prescott – 3; Raegan Hawkinson – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Al. Swenson – 2; Prescott – 1. Assists > M. Reiff – 2; Prescott, Julia Allen, Lacey Reiff, Addison Swenson – 1. Rebounds > Ry. Hawkinson – 8; Ra. Hawkinson – 5; Allie Stone – 3; M. Reiff, Al. Swenson, Prescott, Allen, L. Reiff – 1. Steals > Ry. Hawkinson – 7; M. Reiff – 4; Al. Swenson, Allen, Stone – 1. Blocked Shots > Ry. Hawkinson – 3; Allen, L. Reiff – 1.
TEUTONS SPLIT PAIR WITH
BEREAN ACADEMY
By Staff
INMAN – When the Inman basketball teams played host to Berean Academy on Tuesday, they knew it would take a couple of great games to get a pair of wins and they got one great game as the Teuton boys scored a 54-32 win while the Lady Teutons lost 37-18 to the second ranked team in Class 2A.
With the win the Teuton boys are now 12-2 and ranked number five in Class 2A while the Lady Teutons drop to 7-7 as they both prep for a cross-county rivalry battle on Friday at Moundridge.
For the Inman boys, they jumped out to a 17-8 first quarter lead before pulling ahead by 11 at 31-20 at the halftime break. Pushing their lead to 19 at 45-26 by the end of the third quarter the Teutons then cruised in for the final 22-point victory.
“I thought we played well tonight,” noted Teuton head coach Brett Froese. We moved the ball good. They mixed it up and played some zone and some man defense but I thought we moved it pretty good for the most part.”
Eli Brunk had a huge game for the Teutons as he dropped the ball through the net five times from beyond the three-point line to finish the game with a team high 24 points. Tanner Heckel also reached double digits with 17.
Coach Froese finished off his game reflections by saying, “Eli (Brunk) had a big game for us tonight and he was really aggressive which was nice to see. Tanner (Heckel) played well on both ends of the court again. Big game at Moundridge on Friday, should be a fun environment for the kids to play in.
INMAN TEUTONS hosting Berean Academy
SCORING: INMAN TEUTONS > 17-14-14-9 = 54; Berean Academy > 8-12-6-6 = 32.
INMAN TEUTON SCORING > Eli Brunk – 24; Tanner Heckel – 17; Zach Martisko – 4; Josiah Buller – 4; Harrison Brunk – 3; Brody Froese – 2. 3-Pointers Made > E. Brunk – 5; Heckel, Buller, H. Brunk – 1.
In the Lady Teutons game, they fell behind by six, 15-9, by the end of the first quarter and while they held Berean Academy to just four points in the second quarter, the Berean defense shutout Inman so Berean had a 10-point, 19-9 advantage going into the halftime break. Another poor offensive showing in the third quarter hurt the Lady Teutons as they ended up with the final 19-point loss.
No single Lady Teuton came close to double digits in scoring as Maci Neufeld led the team with five points.
INMAN LADY TEUTONS hosting Berean Academy
SCORING: INMAN LADY TEUTONS > 9-0-3-6 = 18; Berean Academy > 15-4-10-8 = 37.
INMAN LADY TEUTON SCORING > Maci Neufeld – 5; Kenna Woods – 4; Suttyn Harris – 3; Taelyn Friesen – 2; Kami Woods – 2; Morgan Froese – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Neufeld – 1.
LITTLE RIVER BOYS ROUT
SOLOMON BY 39
By Staff
LITTLE RIVER – On Tuesday, the Little River boys pummeled visiting Solomon to the tune of a 39-point, 62-23 win.
The Redskins will be on the road Friday at Centre.
Little River powered out to a 22-point, 24-2 lead by the end of the first quarter and held a commanding 39-point, 43-4 advantage at the halftime break before cruising in for the final 39-point victory.
Rylan Konen and Dalton Mantz led the Redskins in scoring with 19 points each while Braxton Lafferty chipped in with 10.
LITTLE RIVER REDSKINS hosting Solomon
SCORING: LITTLE RIVER > 24-19-13-6 = 62; Solomon > 2-2-11-8 = 23.
LITTLE RIVER TEAM STATS > 2-FGs – 22/36; 3-PTs – 4/12; FTs – 6/12; AST – 12; REBs – 23; TO – 8; STLs – 13; BLKs – 6; FLs – 11.
LITTLE RIVER INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Rylan Konen – 19; Dalton Mantz – 19; Braxton Lafferty – 10; Logan Renken – 6; Kayston Cox – 6; Andrew Smith – 2. 3-Pointers Made > L. Renken – 2; R. Konen, Mantz – 1. Assists > Cox, Mantz – 3; Lafferty, L. Renken, Smith – 2. Rebounds > Lafferty – 6; R. Konen, Treyton Olander – 4; Cox – 3; Ty Janette – 2. Steals > Olander, Cox, Mantz – 3; Lafferty – 2. Blocked Shots > Lafferty, Smith, Olander – 2.
LITTLE RIVER GIRLS POUND
SOLOMON 82-22
By Staff
LITTLE RIVER – The Little River girls showed visiting Solomon why they are ranked number one in Class 1A Division I by pounding the Lady Gorillas for a 60-point, 82-22 win.
Now 13-1 for the season, the Lady Redskins will be on the road Friday at Centre.
Racing out to a 14-point, 18-4 first quarter lead, the Lady Redskins were up by 34 at 44-10 at the halftime break before outscoring the Lady Gorillas 38-12 in the final two quarter in gaining the final 60-point victory.
Little River shot a blistering 65% from the field that included hitting on 53% of their three-point attempts.
All 12 Lady Redskins that entered the game scored at least three points with Alaina Eck and Aubrey Olander leading the way with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Lucy Wright and Kami Grasser both just missed double digits with nine points each while Arika Feldman chipped in with eight. Grasser made three three-pointers and Jailyn Miller hit for a pair.
Ten Lady Redskins recorded a steal in the game as the team swiped 17 total with Eck getting five and Havana Olander recording four. Aubrey Olander led the team in the paint with six rebounds while also recording four blocks in the game as well.
LITTLE RIVER LADY REDSKINS hosting Solomon
SCORING: LITTLE RIVER > 18-26-23-15 = 82; Solomon > 4-6-1-11 = 22.
LITTLE RIVER TEAM STATS > 2-FGs – 23/33; 3-PTs – 8/15; FTs – 9/15; AST – 21; REBs – 15; TO – 3; STLs – 19; BLKs – 6; FLs = 8.
LITTLE RIVER LADY REDSKIN INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Alaina Eck – 11; Aubrey Olander – 10; Lucy Wright – 9; Kami Grasser – 9; Arika Feldman – 8; Ashley Stephenson – 7; Jailyn Miller – 6; Adelynn Strecker – 5; Evie Look – 4; Havana Olander – 4; Kate Ellwood – 3; Victoria Norez – 3. 3-Pointers Made > Grasser – 3; Miller – 2; Look, Ellwood, Norez – 1. Assists > Eck, Grasser, Stephenson, Strecker, Norez – 3; H. Olander, Ellwood – 2. Rebounds > A. Olander – 6; Feldman – 3; Stephenson, Ellwood – 2. Steals > Eck – 5; H. Olander – 4; Look, Strecker – 2. Blocked Shots > A. Olander – 4; Look, Ellwood – 1.
WILDCATS BOUNCE ELL-SALINE 62-48
By Staff
MOUNDRIDGE – On Tuesday the Moundridge boys took care of business by bouncing visiting Ell-Saline to the tune of a 14-point, 62-48 win.
Ranked sixth in Class 2A, the Wildcats are now 12-3 for the season as they ready to play host to cross county rival Inman on Friday for what will be the third battle with the Teutons this season. Moundridge has won both the previous games.
“We knew that Ell-Saline would come in with confidence having played us close about 10 days ago at the Canton/Galva Tournament,” said Wildcat head coach Vance Unrau. “They have athletes who can play basketball unlike in the past and they are well coached. This is good for us to have to play good competition as we enter the home stretch of the regular season.”
Moundridge took an early five-point, 15-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and still held a five-point, 27-22, advantage heading into the halftime break. Putting another 35 points on the scoreboard in the final two quarters while holding Ell-Saline to just 26 gave the Wildcats their vinal 14-point victory.
Only five Wildcats scored in the game and four of them reached double digits with Logan Churchill leading the way with 19 while Landon Kaufman hit for 17, Henry Hecox scored 14 and Barrett Moddelmog chipped in with 10. Hecox had an overall outstanding game as he led the team in both rebounds by pulling down eight and in steals where he swiped four while also dishing out seven assists. Kaufman topped the team in assists with eight and both he and Alec Huddle gathered in six rebounds.
Coach Unrau finished his thoughts on the game by noting, “We have a gauntlet of a sub-state and we will need to put together several good games in a row to make it out. Can not think of a better group of guys who have a chance to make that happen. In the meantime, it is about getting better and executing what we want and need to do.”
MOUNDRIDGE WILDCATS hosting Ell-Saline
SCORING: WILDCATS > 15-12-18-17 = 62; Ell-Saline > 10-12-11-15 = 48.
TEAM STATS: WILDCATS > FGs – 23/51; 3-PTs – 9/20; FTs – 7/10; AST – 21; REBs – 27; TO – 9; STLs – 10; BLKs – 4; FLs – 7. Ell-Saline > FGs – 17/37; 3-PTs – 9/21; FTs – 5/5; AST – 16; REBs – 16; TO – 11; STLs – 5; BLKs – 3; FLs – 14.
MOUNDRIDGE WILDCAT INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Logan Churchill – 19; Landon Kaufman – 17; Henry Hecox – 14; Barrett Moddelmog – 10; Alec Huddle – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Churchill, Kaufman – 3; Moddelmog – 2; Hecox – 1. Assists > Kaufman – 8; Hecox – 7; Churchill – 3; Moddelmog, Huddle, Layton Schmidt – 1. Rebounds > Hecox – 8; Huddle, Kaufman – 6; Moddelmog – 5; Churchill, Schmidt – 1. Steals > Hecox – 4; Moddelmog – 3; Huddle – 2; Churchill – 1. Blocked Shots > Churchill – 4.
LADY WILDCATS EARNS 13-POINT WIN OVER ELL-SALINE
By Staff
MOUNDRIDGE – Tuesday, the Moundridge girls used a stiff defense to help shutdown Ell-Saline and record a 13-point, 57-44 win.
The win puts the season mark for the Lady Wildcats at 8-7 as they prepare for a huge cross county rivalry battle with Inman on Friday.
It was all offense in the first quarter as the Lady Wildcats jumped out to a 24-16 lead before holding Ell-Saline to just five points in the second quarter while scoring a dozen to give Moundridge a commanding 15-point, 36-21 advantage heading to the halftime break. After the Lady Wildcats extended their lead to 19 at 47-28 by the end of the third quarter, Ell-Saline was able to chip a few points off their deficit though it was not enough to keep Moundridge from earning the final 13-point victory.
Addy Patrick connected on a pair of three-pointers on her way to leading the Lady Wildcats offense with 18 points while Kindall Elmore scored 14 and Macy Kaminkow chipped in with 11. Cammi Unruh just missed double digits with nine.
MOUNDRIDGE LADY WILDCATS hosting Ell-Saline
SCORING: LADY WILDCATS > 24-12-11-10 = 57; Ell-Saline > 16-5-7-16 = 44.
LADY WILDCATS INDIVIDUAL SCORING > Addy Patrick – 18; Kindall Elmore – 14; Macy Kaminkow – 11; Cammi Unruh – 9; Emily Durst – 3; Haylee Jantz – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Patrick – 2; Elmore, Unruh, Durst – 1.
VIKINGS GET 26-POINT WIN
OVER LYONS
By Staff
LINDSBORG – On Tuesday the Smoky Valley boys took an early lead and never let up on their way to a 26-point, 58-32 home court win over Lyons.
The win raised the season mark for the Vikings to 9-5 as they ready for a Friday road trip to Nickerson.
After taking a 14-point, 17-3 lead in the first quarter, Smoky Valley put up another 23 points in the second quarter to give them a commanding 26-point, 40-14 advantage as the teams went to the halftime break. Both teams put another 18 points on the board in the final two quarters, giving the Vikings their final 26-point victory.
Karson Pihl connected on four three-pointers to lead the Vikings in scoring with 14 points while Ki Blanchat made three three-pointers to score 13. Justice Autry also reached double digits with 10 as nine Vikings put at least a pair of points in the scorebook.
SMOKY VALLEY VIKINGS hosting Lyons.
SCORING: VIKINGS > 17-23-12-6 = 58; Lyons > 3-11-4-14 = 32.
SMOKY VALLEY VIKINGS INDIVIDUAL SCORING > Karson Pihl – 14; Ki Blanchat – 13; Justice Autry – 10; Braxton House – 6; Kade Blanchat – 4; Vincent Pickering – 4; Ethan Able – 3; Jerome Autry – 2; Mason Holcom – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Pihl – 4; Ki Blanchat – 3; Ju. Autry, Able – 1.
LADY VIKINGS BEAT LYONS BY 16
By Staff
LINDSBORG – Tuesday, the Smoky Valley girls hosted Lyons and scored a 16-point, 57-41 win in a game they dominated for the majority of.
Now 9-5 for the season, the Lady Vikings are scheduled to be on the road Friday at Nickerson.
After taking a five-point, 15-10, lead in the first quarter, Smoky Valley extended the lead out to 16 at 30-14 when the teams went to the halftime break. Lyons chipped six points off that lead in the third quarter before the Lady Vikings responded by outscoring the visitors 18-12 in the final quarter to earn the final 16-point victory.
While Katja Blanchat led the Lady Vikings in scoring with 19 and pulled down five rebounds, it was Adrian Hazelwood who had the monster game as she recorded a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds while leading the team in assists as well with eight, nearly gaining a triple-double.
As a team, the Lady Vikings dominated the paint and boards as they both out rebounded Lyons 35-23 and outscored the visitors in the paint 28-18.
SMOKY VALLEY LADY VIKINGS hosting Lyons.
SCORING: LADY VIKINGS > 15-15-9-18 = 57; Lyons > 10-4-15-12 = 41.
TEAM STATS: LADY VIKINGS > 2-FGs – 18/41; 3-PTs – 3/16; FTs – 12/16; AST – 16; REBs – 35; TO – 17; STLs – 9; BLKs – 2; FLs – 13. Lyons > 2-FGs – 10/21; 3-PTs – 5/19; FTs – 6/12; AST – 11; REBs – 23; TO – 23; STLs – 10; BLKs – 1; FLs – 15.
SMOKY VALLEY LADY VIKINGS STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Katja Blanchat – 19; Adrian Hazelwood – 12; Tinley Scott > 7; Eva Malm – 6; Clara McElroy – 6; Breanne Peters – 5; Sophia Fruits – 2. 3-Pointers Made > McElroy – 2; Scott – 1. Assists > Hazelwood – 8; Blanchat, Scott – 3. Rebounds > Hazelwood – 14; Blanchat – 5; Malm, McElroy – 4; Fruits, Scott – 2. Steals > Hazelwood – 3; Blanchat – 2. Blocked Shots > Blanchat, Hazelwood – 1.
MCPHERSON 8TH GRADE JUNIOR PUPS SWEEP PAIR FROM HUTCHINSON
By Staff
MCPHERSON – On Monday the McPherson Middle School eighth-grade boys swept a pair of home games from Hutchinson with the ‘A’ team pulling out a one-point win while the ‘B’ team earned a 14-point victory.
Next up for the eight-grade Junior Pups will be a road test on Thursday at Salina South.
For the ‘A’ team, they pushed their season mark to 4-1 by hitting a last second shot to gain a heart stopping, one-point, 40-39 win over Hutchinson before the home fans.
“Tonight came down to the final seconds and we were able to pull out the win,” noted head coach Tyler Brown. “Ashton (Malm) and Carter (Bengtson) were our most consistent players this evening and again, when we needed a bucket, Ashton delivered it for us. If we needed a steal or a rebound, Carter delivered for us. I could probably go down the list and name what each guy does for the team, but those two guys stood out to me tonight. Most importantly, players are starting to learn their roles.”
Leading the team in scoring was Ashton Malm with 17 while Carter Bengtson chipped in with eight.
Coach Brown concluded his post-game reflections by adding, “As a team we have to finish at the rim so much better. I think we opened up the game in the first quarter with multiple missed layups and that kind of stuff can not happen. We also have to do a better job of not letting a guy out of a trap or getting our foot on the sideline or baseline when we are trapping. I do not even want to watch the film and see how many times we let Hutchinson blow by our trap on the sideline or baseline. If we can correct those two things and we start to make teams work longer and harder on defense, we might be able to lose our nickname of ‘The Cardiac Kids’. We have yet to win a game by double digits.”
‘A’ Team won 40-39 over Hutchinson.
‘A’ Team Scoring: Ashton Malm – 17; Carter Bengtson – 8; Cole Cooper – 5; Jonas Emery – 4; Cru Buchman – 4; Dane Becker – 2.
With their 14-point, 30-16 victory, the eight-grade ‘B’ team Junior Pups now sit at 3-4 for the season.
Nolan Pearcy led the team in scoring with 11.
“The team finally got back on track with a win tonight,” explained ‘B’ team coach David Goerzen. “It was hit and miss for a while until the second half when the guys were able to get a comfortable lead. I liked seeing our guys step it up today and show what they can do when they are playing well. Of course, we still have some work to do but things are coming around. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going.”
MMS 8TH GRADE BOYS SWEEP
SALINA SOUTH
By Staff
SALINA – On Thursday on the road in Salina, the McPherson Middle School 8th-grade boys scored a pair of wins over Salina South Middle School with the ‘A’ team gaining a 55-23 victory while the ‘B’ team won by nine at 34-25.
In the Junior Pups 8th grade ‘A’ team game, it was a rout from the opening jump ball until the final buzzer as McPherson dominated the game to the tune of a 32-point, 55-23 win.
With the win the ‘A’ team is now sitting at 5-1 for the season as both 8th grade teams will be at home on Monday to battle with Goddard Eisenhower.
“The ‘A’ team was solid tonight right from the opening jump to the final horn,” said head coach Tyler Brown. “The team was aggressive with our press and aggressive with our half-court trapping which led to an offense I like watching. We had eight guys tonight get in the score box and it was due to how hard we played defense which turned into quick transitions for us.”
Ashton Malm led the Junior Pups ‘A’ team in scoring with 14 as Dane Becker also reached double figures with 13 and Cole Cooper just missed with nine.
Coach Brown concluded his post-game reflections by adding, “Dane (Becker) was a beast tonight. Not only did he play two quarters in the ‘B’ game and lead them in scoring, he dropped 13 points in the ‘A’ game as well. Dane is the type of player that will do whatever you ask and give maximum effort all the time. Ashton (Malm) also was terrific tonight with just relentless pressure. He sets the tone being on the top of our press. He also brings the energy to the team that just gets everyone up and going. Wow, I could probably talk about each person on this team, Carter (Bengtson), Matt (Berger), Cru (Buchman), Finn (Bauer), Will (Domingo), Nolan (Pearcy), and Ben (Bocox). Everyone of these guys that were in the ‘A’ book did a tremendous job tonight.”
8TH GRADE JUNIOR PUPS ‘A’ TEAM:
SCORE > JUNIOR PUPS – 55, Salina South – 23
JUNIOR PUPS INDIVIDUAL SCORING > Ashton Malm – 14; Dane Becker – 13; Cole Cooper – 9; Matt Berger – 6; Carter Bengtson – 6; Cru Buchman – 2; Ben Bocox – 2.
The 8th grade Junior Pups ‘B’ team also scored a win on the day, beating Salina South 34-25.
The win raised the season record for the ‘B’ team to 4-4.
“The ‘B’ team boys found themselves down 10-0 after the first quarter,” pointed out ‘B’ team coach David Goerzen. “Amazingly these guys were able to come together and fight their way back into the game. Eventually we took the lead in the second half and never let up. Overall, I was very proud of the boys and how they played. It was great to see them fight through a little adversity and come out with a win.”
Dane Becker led eight Junior Pups who scored by putting 10 points by his name on the stat sheet while Nolan Pearcy and Ben Bocox each chipped in with seven.
8th GRADE JUNIOR PUPS ‘B’ TEAM:
SCORE > JUNIOR PUPS 34, Salina South 25
JUNIOR PUPS INDIVIDUAL SCORING > Dane Becker – 10; Nolan Pearcy – 7; Ben Bocox – 7; Finn Bauer – 4; Takoda Linn – 2; Jayvonte Body – 2; Will Domingo – 1; Adrian Unruh – 1.
MCPHERSON 7TH GRADE JUNIOR PUPS HUMBLE HUTCHINSON TWICE
By Staff
MCPHERSON – It was solid day for the McPherson Middle School seventh-grade boys on Monday as they scored a pair of decisive wins over rival Hutchinson.
Next up for the seventh-grade Junior Pups will be a trip to Salina South on Thursday.
The seventh grade ‘A’ team improved to 4-1 for the season with a convincing 13-point, 30-17 win over Hutchinson.
Tre Winburn led the Junior Pups offense with 13 points while Kaleb Postier just missed reaching double figures with nine.
“It took us awhile to get started,” pointed out head coach Jay Crawford. “We have not faced a zone defense all season and we did not handle it well and that was my fault. I need to prep us more on our zone defense and we will make sure our zone defense gets more reps in practice. Our defense played well but there are areas we need to fix, but we are very proud of their effort. We are getting better with still more room for improvement.”
‘A’ Team won 30-17 over Hutchinson.
‘A’ Team Scoring: Tre Winburn – 13; Kaleb Postier – 9; Jaxson Hoover – 6; Tripp Pelzel – 2.
For the seventh grade ‘B’ team, they also scored a decisive win in humbling Hutchinson by 14 with a 38-24 win.
The victory improves the record for the season to 3-4.
While nine Junior Pups scored in the ‘B’ game, only Brody Milleson reached double digits with 10 points while four players scored five.
“A great bounce back for our ‘B’ team from their tournament play over the weekend,” said coach Crawford. “We dressed out 11 players and to see nine of them score is pretty awesome. Byker (Bascue) got his first backet for the season and to see and hear the gym explode from all our players and our fans was pretty awesome too. To see the smile on his face was pretty special because he works hard just like all his teammates and for him to see, hear and feel their excitement is what being part of a team is all about.”
‘B’ Team won 38-24 over Hutchinson.
‘B’ Team Scoring: Brody Milleson – 10; Cooper Bohme – 5; Kepple Butcher -5; Colt Chapman – 5; Isaac Nelson – 5; Logan Starks – 3; Gavin Heider – 2; Ryker Bascue – 2; Lawson Ediger – 1.
7TH GRADE JUNIOR PUPS THRASH SALINA SOUTH
By Staff
SALINA – Not only did the McPherson Middle School seventh-grade boys get a pair of wins on the road over Salina South, they helped head coach Jay Crawford earn win number 175 of his McPherson Middle School coaching career.
Crawford now has a record of 175-31 which according to coach Crawford, shows how much talent has come through our school.
As for the games on Thursday at Salina South, the ‘A’ team hammered the home team with a 30-point, 45-15 win while the ‘B’ team scored a heart stopping one-point, 27-26 win to give the Junior Pups a sweep for the day.
Next up for the seventh-grade Junior Pups will be a home matchup with Goddard Eisenhower.
“The guys came out ready to play and they really got after it on the defensive end of the court,” noted coach Crawford. “They gave relentless effort over and over. Salina South was never really able to run their offense or feel comfortable against our pressure. We were then able to get out on the break and get some easy baskets.”
Jaxon Hoover led all scorers for the ‘A’ team with 13 points while Kaleb Postier just missed double digits with nine. Seven Junior Pups scored at least a pair of points in the game.
Coach Crawford concluded his comments by saying, “I liked the fact that we shared the ball well. This group has really shown improvement and understand they can play harder than they thought they could.”
‘A’ TEAM:
SCORE: McPherson 45 Salina South 15.
‘A’ Team Scoring: Jaxon Hoover – 13; Kaleb Postier – 9; Tre Winburn – 7; Drake Timson – 5; Carter Melton – 5; Jensen Razak – 4; Nico Monday – 2.
In the seventh-grade Junior Pup ‘B’ game, McPherson scored a late game one-point, 27-26 victory in a thriller of a game.
Coach Crawford pointed out, “To see the guys compete and be part of a tight game was really exciting for them. We talked all the time about giving our best effort and this group did just that.”
No individual scoring was available.
‘B’ Team” SCORE: McPherson 27-26. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A look at the stories & stats of the 2022 season of football for the Canton/Galva Eagles:
The Stories and Stats covering the Inman Teutons football teams run to the Class 2A state championship game:
All the stories and stats from the Little River Redskins football team running to the state championship game: