Giving a voice to the smaller area schools of McPherson County and the Athletes they have….Our goal is to give them all some media love!!
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Volume 1, Issue 4
For Feb. 9 – 12
Issue 4 will highlight the Friday night battle when Elyria Christian traveled to Little River. Considering that in Class 1A Division I Girls, the Little River girls (15-1) are currently ranked #1 in Class 1A, Division I while the Elyria Christian Lady Eagles (14-2) are ranked #10 and on the boys side the Elyria Christian Eagles (14-2) are currently ranked #7 and the Little River boys (13-3) are unranked despite their record – it was an atmosphere of high quality high school basketball.
Other games we covered had Canton/Galva at Rural Vista, Inman at Sedgwick, Moundridge at Hutchinson Trinity, and Smoky Valley at Haven. Remember, the Moundridge Wildcat boys are ranked #5 and the Inman Teuton boys are ranked #7 in Class 2A.
Also found in this issue will be ta story covering the Smoky Valley wrestlers as the Viking boys finished fourth at the CKL League Meet and the Lady Viking grapplers participated at State Regionals.
Don’t forget our Middle School coverage of the Moundridge Middle School girls finishing their season unbeaten at 16-0, the McPherson Middle School 7th and 8th grade boys on the road at Newton. And we have the results of the McPherson Middle School girls wrestling team as they hosted a 6-team invitational on Thursday.
Enjoy the stories and stats of all the events!
ARTICLES IN ORDERING OF APPEARANCE:
The Matchup on Friday between Elyria Christian and Little River!!
Canton/Galva on the road at Rural Vista.
Inman at Sedgwick.
Moundridge playing at Hutchinson Trinity.
Moundridge Middle School girls basketball team finishes season 16-0!!
Smoky Valley traveling to Haven.
Smoky Valley Viking wrestling at the Central Kansas League Meet.
Smoky Valley Lady Viking wrestlers participating at the Class 4-3-2-1A State Regionals.
McPherson Middle School 7th & 8th grade boys basketball teams playing at Newton Chisholm Middle School.
McPherson Middle School Junior Lady Pups wrestlers hosting a six-team home Invitational.
(All Content is Copyrighted@2023 by CrossDove Writers) (Published August through May on Mondays & Thursdays)
HOSTING
LADY REDSKINS PULL AWAY
FROM LADY EAGLES
FOR 29-POINT WIN
By Staff
LITTLE RIVER – In a battle of top ten teams Friday, the Little River girls were playing at home and took advantage of quarters where Elyria Christian’s offense went cold to pull away and score a 29-point, 71-42 win.
The Lady Redskins, currently ranked number one in Class 1A Division I, moved their record to 16-1 on the season as they now prep for the final full week of regular season games when they host Spearville on Tuesday and then travel to Inman on Friday. The win also gave the Lady Redskins the league championship.
For the Elyria Christian Lady Eagles who came into the game ranked number ten in Class 1A Division I, they fall to 14-3 for the year as they look toward a busy final week of the regular season with home games on Monday and Tuesday with Central Christian and Berean Academy before finishing out the week on Friday with a road trip to Marion.
Little River held just a two-point, 13-11 lead at the end of the first quarter when Elyria’s offense went ice cold and scored just four points in the second quarter, giving the Lady Redskins the opportunity to put 19 points in the scorebook and take a commanding 32-15 advantage into the halftime break.
Coming out of the intermission, the Lady Eagles managed to put 20 on the board in the third quarter though the Lady Redskins scored another 16 to still hold a lead of 13 at 48-35 heading into the final quarter of play. In the fourth quarter, the Lady Eagle offensive again went icy cold while also losing two key starters to fouls as Little River outscored them 23-7 in the final minutes to gain the final 29-point victory.
“We beat a very good, well coached Elyria Christian team,” explained Little River head coach Brent Clark. “They pushed us and that is what we needed this time of the year.”
“We had a great challenge tonight against a very good Little River team,” noted Elyria Christian head coach Greg Fields. “They have so many weapons that it is hard to get stops on defense. Their athleticism also makes it difficult to score.”
While Elyria connected on nine three-pointers to just two for Little River, the Lady Redskins hit 27-of-47 on two-pointers while the Lady Eagles only made 3-of-15. The work in the paint also proved costly for Elyria as Little River out rebounded the Lady Eagles 37-15.
Individually for Little River, ten players put points in the scorebook led by Alaina Eck with 22 and Aubrey Olander with 21 as she also recorded a double-double by pulling down a game high 12 rebounds. No other player had more than six. Both Eck and Havana Olander helped on the boards with five rebounds each while Ashley Stephenson led the offense with five assists. On defense, Adelynne Strecker led the Lady Redskins with five steals.
Little River coach Clark finished his thoughts of the game by adding, “Our girls responded very well. Alaina (Eck) and Aubrey (Olander) played very well again, but this team is loaded with talented girls, and they all pay a major role in why we are so successful. We have some tough games coming up and it’s going to take a team effort to get the results we want.”
For the Lady Eagles, Allie Stone connected on five three-pointers to lead the team in scoring with 15. Both Grace Prescott and Ryland Hawkinson joined her in double digits as each scored 10. Macy Reiff topped the team in rebounds with five and Prescott had the quick hands playing defense in recording five steals.
Coach Fields concluded his brief reflections on the game by saying, “I was really happy with the confidence that Allie (Stone) came out with tonight as she shot the ball very well from deep and played tough defense all night. Grace (Prescott) also was a spark for us off the bench which saw get some great steals and knock down some big shots against a very good defense. This game definitely helped prepare us for a tough week ahead and then going to sub-state the following week.”
LITTLE RIVER LADY REDSKINS hosting ELYRIA CHRISTIAN LADY EAGLES
SCORING: LITTLE RIVER > 13-19-16-23 = 71; ELYRIA CHRISITAN > 11-4-20-7 = 42.
TEAM STATS: LITTLE RIVER > 2-FGs – 27/47; 3-PTs – 2/6; FTs – 11/21; AST – 18; REBs – 37; TO – 17; STLs – 18; BLKs – 6; FLs – 11. ELYRIA CHRISTIAN > 2-FGs – 3/15; 3-PTs – 9/18; FTs – 9/16; AST – 6; REBs – 15; TO – 21; STLs – 10; BLKs – 3; FLs – 16.
LITTLE RIVER INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Alaina Eck – 22; Aubrey Olander – 21; Ashley Stephenson – 6; Lucy Wright – 4; Arika Feldman – 4; Elsie Boughfman – 4; Adelynne Strecker – 4; Evie Look – 3; Kate Ellwood – 2; Havana Olander – 1. 3-Pointers Made > Eck, Look – 1. Assists > Stephenson – 5; H. Olander – 4; Strecker – 3; Eck, Boughfman – 2; A. Olander, Look – 1. Rebounds > A. Olander – 12; Eck, H. Olander – 5; Ellwood – 4; Feldman – 3; Wright, Boughfman, Strecker – 2; Stephenson, Look – 1. Steals > Strecker – 5; Eck, Stephenson, H. Olander – 3; A. Olander – 2; Feldman, Boughfman – 1. Blocked Shots > A. Olander, Look, H. Olander – 1.
ELYRIA CHRISTIAN LADY EAGLES INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Allie Stone – 15; Grace Prescott – 10; Ryland Hawkinson – 10; Laney Reiff – 3; Addison Swenson – 3; Macy Reiff – 1. 3-Pointers Made > Stone – 5; Prescott, Ry. Hawkinson, L. Reiff, Ad. Swenson – 1. Assists > Prescott – 2; Stone, Ry. Hawkinson, L. Reiff, Ad. Swenson – 1. Rebounds > M. Reiff – 5; Ry. Hawkinson – 3; Stone, Prescott, Julia Allen – 2; Ad. Swenson – 1. Steals > Prescott – 5; Ry. Hawkinson – 3; Allen – 2. Blocked Shots > R. Hawkinson – 2; Mina Aroum – 1.
ELYRIA CLIPS LITTLE RIVER
BY 11, LEAGUE CHAMPS
By Staff
LITTLE RIVER – On Friday, the Elyria Christian boys traveled to Little River and returned home with not only an 11-point, 63-52 win, but also the outright Wheat State League Championship.
“In my time at Elyria this is our first outright league championship that has not been a co-championship,” exclaimed Elyria Christian head coach Zach Goodrich. “It is special and I am so happy for this group of boys who have bought in to what we are trying to do and are a tight knit group on and off the court.”
Coming into the game the Eagles were also ranked number seven in Class 1A Division I and with the win are now 14-2 for the year as they head into the final full week of the regular season schedule with home games on Monday and Tuesday with Central Christian and Berean Academy before closing out the week on Friday at Marion.
For Little River, the loss drops them to 13-4 on the year as they ready to host Spearville on Tuesday before going to Inman on Friday.
Elyria held a four-point, 10-6 lead at the end of the first quarter before outscoring Little River 16-5 in the second to take into the halftime break a solid 15-point, 26-11 lead. Coming out of the intermission, the Eagles extended their advantage to 18 at 47-29 by the end of the third quarter before the Redskins tried to rally only to fall well short, giving the Eagles the final 11-point victory.
“Anytime you shoot just 25% from the field in any half it is going to be hard to overcome,” noted Little River head coach Erik Base. “Especially when you are playing a good team like Elyria. Of those shots, 96% of them were at point blank range, we have to capitalize and focus in and finish.”
When the opponent, Elyria, shoots 80% from two-point range and a hot 57% form beyond the three-point arc, trying to win is near impossible. While Little River did shoot just 25% in the first half, they did bounce back and connected on 52% of their shots in the second half.
The Eagles also dominated inside the paint as they out rebounded the Redskins 25-17.
Coach Goodrich complemented his players by saying, “I can say we left everything on the court tonight. I do not think the boys had an ounce of energy left. It took toughness and execution to get the offensive looks we wanted and to get stops on the defensive end. I am very happy and proud of the boys and the effort they gave, we have been looking forward to this game and they have been the top team in the league the past three years.”
For Elyria, they were led by Johnny Unruh and Ty Romero. Unruh connected on 7-of-8 three-pointers that included going 3-of-3 in the third quarter, in leading the team in scoring with 25 points while also grabbing six rebounds and making three steals. Romero hit three three-pointers and scored 15 while recording a double-double as he had a game high 10 rebounds to go with a team high five assists.
Handing out individual praises, coach Goodrich concluded his post-game thoughts by adding, “Johnny (Unruh) is a tremendous shooter, and he found a great rhythm early for us. Ty (Romero) played a complete game. While all of our starters played significant roles, we had great bench play from Landon Schneider, Silas Redenbaugh, and Andrew Huxman. A highlight for our night came when Huxman, who has been out injured since August, scored a basket.”
Braxton Lafferty was the go to guy for Little River as led the team in scoring with 21 points, in rebounding with five and in steals with three. Rylan Konen also reached double digits in scoring 16. Some of the Little River issue was fouls as both Lafferty and Dalton Mantz fouled out and Konen played much of the final quarter with four fouls.
Coach Base finished his reflections on the game and loss by saying, “I am proud of our guys for settling down and giving great effort in the second half while working for better shots. As you would see on the stat sheet there was a huge difference in our field goal percentage between the two halves. We have to learn from this, we can not spot a team of this talent 15 points and expect to overcome that kind of a deficit. We will regroup and iron things out and be ready for Senior Night on Tuesday.”
LITTLE RIVER REDSKINS hosting ELYRIA CHRISTIAN EAGLES
SCORING: LITTLE RIVER > 6-5-18-23 = 52; ELYRIA CHRISTIAN > 10-16-21-16 = 63.
TEAM STATS: LITTLE RIVER > 2-FGs – 15/32; 3-PTs – 3/11; FTs – 13/21; AST – 7; REBs – 17; TO – 8; STLs – 6; BLKs – 1; FLs – 18. ELYRIA CHRISTIAN > 2-FGs – 8/10; 3-PTs – 12/21; FTs – 11/17; AST – 13; REBs – 25; TO – 12; STLs – 6; BLKs – 3; FLs – 21.
LITTLE RIVER REDSKIN INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Braxton Lafferty – 21; Rylan Konen – 16; Dalton Mantz – 8; Logan Renken – 3; Kayston Cox – 2; Andrew Smith – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Konen – 2; Renken – 1. Assists > Mantz – 3; Lafferty – 2; Konen, Smith – 1. Rebounds > Lafferty – 5; Konen, Treyton Olander – 3; Mantz, Smith – 2; Renken, Cox – 1. Steals > Lafferty – 3; Mantz – 2; Smith – 1. Blocked Shots > Lafferty – 1.
ELYRIA CHRISTIAN EAGLES INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Johnny Unruh – 25; Ty Romero – 15; James Schott – 8; Silas Redenbaugh – 6; Alex Robertson – 6; Landon Schneider – 3; Andrew Huxman – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Unruh – 7; Romero – 3; A. Robertson – 2. Assists > Romero – 5; A. Robertson, Schneider – 2; Unruh, Schott, Redenbaugh, Huxman – 1. Rebounds > Romero – 10; Unruh – 6; A. Robertson, Schneider – 2; Schott – 1. Steals > Unruh – 3; Schneider – 2; Romero – 1. Blocked Shots > Romero, Redenbaugh, A. Robertson – 1.
C/G LADY EAGLES RALLY,
BEAT RURAL VISTA BY 3
By Staff
HOPE – After fighting for a lead for three-plus quarters, the Canton/Galva girls finally rallied to take the lead in the final quarter on the road at Rural Vista to score a three-point, 49-46 win.
The win gives the Lady Eagles a season mark of 11-7 as they ready for the final week of the regular season with home games against Central Christian on Tuesday and on Friday when Central Plains comes to town.
“Rural Vista is a very long, lanky, and tall team,” noted Lady Eagle head coach Brad Willems. “They are well coached and stick to the game plan well. They beat us in the first game of the season and have improved, but so have we. I really loved our energy tonight as we battled all night long.”
Rural Vista had the upper hand on the scoreboard by five points at 17-12 at the end of the first quarter when Canton/Galva powered back to tie the game at 25-25 heading to the halftime break. By the time the two teams hit the end of the third quarter, Rural Vista had retaken the lead by one point at 33-32. In the final quarter, the Lady Eagles took and lead and finished the game out with the final three-point victory.
Coach Willems continued by saying, “We did a pretty good job all night defensively, because they are big and tall. Offensively, we went in spurts, and we had a really good one at the end of the game. Our defense really did a great job in the last minute of the game, plus we hit some timely free throws which is something that shows our growth as well.”
The Lady Eagles dynamic duo freshman, Trinity Espinoza and Adi Alcala led the team in scoring with 21 and 11 points, respectively as they combined for five of the teams six three-pointers.
Brecken Pearson topped the Lady Eagles working the boards by pulling down seven rebounds.
Finished out his post-game reflections, coach Willems added, “I challenge the girls regularly and they just keep working and getting better! Really love how hard we play, as a coach what more could you ask for. Two more regular season games and then we go into sub-state play and I really like the direction we are going.”
CANTON/GALVA LADY EAGLES at Rural Vista
SCORING: CANTON/GALVA LADY EAGLES > 12-13-7-17 = 49; Rural Vista > 17-8-8-13 = 46.
LADY EAGLES TEAM STATS > 2-FGs – 10/26; 3-PTs – 6/20; FTs – 11/15; AST – 11; REBs – 18; TO – 12; STLs – 9; BLKs – 2; FLs – n/a.
LADY EAGLES INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Trinity Espinoza – 21; Adi Alcala – 11; Mimi Craig – 5; Brecken Pearson – 5; Lili Espinoza – 4; Red Craig – 2; Sage Toews – 1. 3-Pointers Made > Alcala – 3; T. Espinoza – 2; Pearson – 1. Assists > L. Espinoza – 4; Alcala – 3; Pearson – 2; T. Espinoza, Makinlee Hoppes – 1. Rebounds > Pearson – 7; L. Espinoza – 5; T. Espinoza – 3; M. Craig – 2; Toews – 1. Steals > T. Espinoza, Alcala – 3; L. Espinoza – 2; Pearson – 1. Blocked Shots > T. Espinoza, Hoppes – 1.
No Information or Score was made available by press time for the Canton/Galva Eagle boys. Game information will be included in Thursday’s issue if received.
TEUTONS SQUEEZE OUT
4-POINT WIN OVER SEDGWICK
By Staff
SEDGWICK – In a low scoring game Friday where both teams had struggles, the Inman boys managed do enough to squeeze out a final four-point, 31-27 win at Sedgwick.
Ranked number seven in Class 2A, the Teutons are now 14-3 for the year as they prep for their final full week of regular season basketball with a pair of home games. On Tuesday they will celebrate senior night as they host Remington before taking on Little River on Friday.
“We grinded this one out tonight,” noted Teuton head coach Brett Froese. “We did not play well on the offensive end at all as we never really got into a rhythm to be honest. I was proud of the guys battling through. We played well on the defensive end all night and that kept us in it.”
Inman held a two-point, 15-13 edge at the end of the first quarter and still held on to a one-point, 21-20 advantage at the halftime break. In the final two quarters neither team was able to get much offense rolling as the Teutons scored just 10 points while holding Sedgwick to just seven, giving them the final four-point victory.
Only three Teutons scored in the game as Tanner Heckel mad four three-pointers in the first quarter and ended up with 23 points on the night.
Concluding his reflections on the game, coach Froese explained, “We were without Eli Brunk tonight due to a leg injury he got during practice on Wednesday. Not sure how long he will be out. Obviously, that is tough because he is a dynamic player for us. Tanner (Heckel) was really good again on both ends of the floor, and like I said, the rest of the guys really stepped up and played really well defensively.”
INMAN TEUTONS at Sedgwick
SCORING: TEUTONS > 15-6-5-5 = 31; Sedgwick > 13-7-2-5 = 27.
INMAN TEUTONS SCORING: Tanner Heckel – 23; Zach Martisko – 6; Brody Froese – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Heckel – 4.
LADY TEUTONS SCORE
7-POINT WIN OVER SEDGWICK
By Staff
SEDGWICK – On the road Friday, the Inman girls put together four consistent quarters of basketball to gain a final seven-point, 45-38 win over Sedgwick.
Now 9-8 for the year, the Lady Teutons will close out their final full week of regular season games by hosting Remington for Senior Night on Tuesday and then play host to the number one team in Class 1A Division I, Little River on Friday.
After taking a four-point, 15-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Inman girls put together three straight 10-point quarters which helped give them a six-point, 25-19, advantage at the halftime break followed by an eight-point, 35-27 lead after three before closing out the fourth for the final seven-point win.
Suttyn Harris led the Lady Teutons in both scoring with 16 points and rebounds having pulled down eight. Kenna Woods also reached double digits in the scorebook with 13 points while grabbing five rebounds. Maci Neufeld just missed double figures with nine points while hauling in seven rebounds herself.
INMAN LADY TEUTONS at Sedgwick
SCORING: LADY TEUTONS > 15-10-10-10 = 45; Sedgwick > 11-8-8-11 = 38.
LADY TEUTONS INDIVIDUAL SCORING > Suttyn Harris – 16; Kenna Woods – 13; Maci Neufeld – 9; Taelyn Friesen – 3; Madelyn Brunk – 2; Morgan Froese – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Harris, Ke. Woods, Neufeld, Friesen – 1. Rebounds > Harris – 8; Neufeld – 7; Ke. Woods – 5.
WILDCATS PUMMEL
TRINITY BY 25
By Staff
HUTCHINSON – On the road Friday in Hutchinson, the Moundridge boys dominated the majority of their game with Hutchinson Trinity in earning a 25-point, 67-42 win.
Currently ranked number five in Class 2A, the Wildcats are now 14-3 on the season as they prep for final full week of their regular season schedule with a home game on Tuesday with Sedgwick followed by a road trip to Berean Academy on Friday.
Moundridge jumped out to an eight-point, 17-9 lead at the end of the first quarter before pushing their advantage to 16 at 32-16 when the two teams broke for halftime. After extending the lead to 23 points, 48-25, at the end of the third quarter, the Wildcats hung on in the fourth to gain the final 25-point victory.
“Winning on the road is something we will have to do and this was a nice road win,” pointed out Wildcat head coach Vance Unrau. “We continue to improve defensively, and we are utilizing multiple defensive looks. A credit to our guys to be able to give different looks and be effective.”
On the stat sheet, Moundridge connected on 54% of their shots from the field and went 10-of-13 at the free throw line. The Wildcats also dominated in the paint, grabbing 28 rebounds to just 13 for Trinity.
Individually, Barrett Moddelmog led Moundridge in scoring with 21 while also grabbing six rebounds. Henry Hecox and Logan Churchill also reached double digits in the scorebook with 16 and 12 points, respectively. While he did not reach double digits in scoring, Landon Kaufman supplemented his eight points well by directing the offense and dishing out a whopping 17 assists plus making a team high six steals. As a team the Wildcats recorded 25 total assists on 25 shots made from the field. Churchill led the team in rebounding with seven while also blocking six shots.
Concluding his post-game reflections, coach Unrau added, “We are treating every game like a playoff game here on out.”
MOUNDRIDGE WILDCATS at Hutchinson Trinity
SCORING: WILDCATS > 17-15-16-19 = 67; Hutchinson Trinity > 9-7-9-17 = 42.
TEAM STATS: WILDCATS > FGs – 25/46; 3-PTs – 7/20; FTs – 10/13; AST – 25; REBs – 28; TO – 11; STLs – 9; BLKs – 7; FLs – 10. Hutchinson Trinity > FGs – 14/36; 3-PTs – 6/18; FTs – 8/10; AST – 8; REBs – 13; TO – 14; STLs – 2; BLKs – 0; FLs – 15.
MOUNDRIDGE WILDCAT INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Barrett Moddelmog – 21; Henry Hecox – 16; Logan Churchill – 12; Landon Kaufman – 8; Alex Huddle – 4; Kepple Adolf – 4; Layton Schmidt – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Moddelmog – 3; Kaufman – 2; Hecox, Churchill – 1. Assists > Kaufman – 17; Hecox, Churchill – 3; Moddelmog – 2. Rebounds > Churchill – 7; Moddelmog – 6; Kaufman – 5; Schmidt – 4; Hecox – 3; Zach Dixon – 2; Huddle – 1. Steals > Kaufman – 6; Churchill – 2; Adolf – 1. Blocked Shots > Churchill – 6; Hecox – 1.
LADY WILDCATS FALL SHORT, LOSE BY 8
By Staff
HUTCHINSON – The Moundridge girls went on the road Friday to Hutchinson and came home on the short end of a battle with Hutchinson Trinity, losing by eight, 58-50.
The loss drops the Lady Wildcats to 8-9 for the year as they prep to host Sedgwick on Tuesday before traveling to Berean Academy on Friday in the final full week of the regular season.
Trinity was up by five, 12-7 at the end of the first quarter and held a seven-point, 29-22 edge over Moundridge at the halftime break.
Cammi Unruh and Addy Patrick led the Lady Wildcats offense as they scored 19 and 13 points, respectively. Patrick hit on three three-pointers in the game. Emily Durst just missed a double figure game with eight.
MOUNDRIDGE LADY WILDCATS at Hutchinson Trinity
SCORING: LADY WILDCATS > 7-15-7-21 = 50; Hutchinson Trinity > 12-17-7-22 = 58.
MOUNDRIDGE LADY WILDCATS SCORING > Cammi Unruh – 19; Addy Patrick – 13; Emily Durst – 8; Kindall Elmore – 6; Aubree Durst – 3; Macy Kaminkow – 1. 3-Pointers Made > Patrick – 3; E. Durst – 2; Unruh, A. Durst – 1.
JUNIOR LADY WILDCATS
FINISH SEASON 16-0
By Staff
MOUNDRIDGE – The Moundridge Middle School girls basketball team finished their 2022-23 season with an unbeaten, 16-0 record.
Capping off the season with a win over Hutchinson Trinity in the Heart of America League Tournament Championship game, the Junior Lady Wildcats closed out back-to-back undefeated league championships as well as they finished the regular season 9-0 in league play.
Only three times all season, once against Little River and twice with Hutchinson Trinity, did their opponents stay within 10 points or less. The game which they won by less than five points was the season finale against Trinity.
Averaging 41.8 points per game on offense while limiting their opponents to just 14.7 points per game, the Junior Lady Wildcats won games by an average of 27.0 points per game.
Pictured above in the front row from left to right is Baylee Schriner, Isabelle Durst, Halle Hecox, Lennon Graber, and manager Aspen Blaylock. In the back row from left to right is Assistant Coach Rachel Burge, Ashley Schrag, Aspyn Stos, Harper Rierson, Ashtyn Patrick, Keira Stucky, Brie Moddelmog, Hattie Hecox, and Head Coach Andrew Scheef.
Not only did the varsity team go unbeaten, the Junior Lady Wildcats ‘B’ team also finished undefeated at 9-0, giving the entire Moundridge Middle School girls basketball program an overall season mark of 29-0!
VIKINGS STRUGGLE
IN LOSS AT HAVEN
By Staff
HAVEN – Struggling with a nigh of poor shooting on Friday, the Smoky Valley boys could not keep up with Haven on the road and lost by 30, 65-35.
Now 10-7 for the season, the Vikings enter the final full week of the regular season with a pair of home games against Pratt on Tuesday and Hesston on Friday.
The Vikings offense only connected on 34% of all shots from the field while Haven was making a blistering 68% of their attempts, making the game hard to play catch up.
Trailing 24-12 at the end of the first quarter, Smoky Valley fell behind by 18 at 40-22 heading into the halftime break. Going totally ice cold in the third quarter and scoring just eight points, the Vikings could not keep up with Haven who put another 22 points on the board in the third quarter giving them a 32-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Despite having eight players put points in the scorebook, none reached double digits as Kade Blanchat led the Vikings with eight while Vincent Pickering, Gus Griffith, and Karson Pihl each scored six.
Kade Blanchat joined Mason Holcom in topping the team in rebounds with four each.
SMOKY VALLEY VIKINGS at Haven
SCORING: VIKINGS > 12-10-8-5 =35; Haven > 24-16-22-3 = 65.
TEAM STATS: VIKINGS > 2-FGs – 9/23; 3-PTs – 5/18; FTs – 2/5; AST – 9; REBs – 20; TO – 11; STLs – 6; BLKs – 2; FLs – 6. Haven > 2-FGs – 22/30; 3-PTs – 6/11; FTs – 3/5; AST – 20; REBs – 24; TO – 8; STLs – 8; BLKs – 2; FLs – 12.
SMOKY VALLEY VIKING INDIVIDUAL STATS: Scoring > Kade Blanchat – 8; Vincent Pickering – 6; Gus Griffith – 6; Karson Pihl – 6; Jerome Autry – 5; Ki Blanchat – 2; Mason Holcom – 1; Ethan Able – 1. 3-Pointers Made > Pickering, Pihl – 2; Je. Autry – 1. Assists > Ki Blanchat – 3; Pickering, Pihl – 2; Ka. Blanchat, Ju. Autry – 1. Rebounds > Ka. Blanchat, Holcom – 4; Griffith – 3; Pihl, Ki Blanchat, Ju. Autry, Peterson – 2; Je. Autry – 1. Steals > Pihl – 3; Pickering, Ki Blanchat, Ju. Autry – 1. Blocked Shots > Ka. Blanchat – 2.
SHOOTING COSTS
LADY VIKINGS AT HAVEN
By Staff
HAVEN – Like their boys counterparts, the Smoky Valley girls suffered from ice cold shooting on Friday on the road at Haven which in turn cost them a win as they lost to Haven by 19, 53-34.
With the loss, the Lady Vikings are now 10-7 for the season as they prep for the final full week of the regular season with home games against Pratt on Tuesday and Hesston on Friday.
The Lady Vikings shot just 29% from the field while Haven connected on 43% of their shots. Haven also dominated the paint by out rebounding, 36-16, and out scoring, 26-10, Smoky Valley as well.
Smoky Valley fell behind by five at 12-7 in the first quarter and trailed by 11, 33-22, going into the halftime break. After staying even with Haven in the third, the Lady Vikings went ice cold in the fourth quarter as Haven pulled away for the final 19-point victory.
Adrian Hazelwood was the lone Lady Viking to reach double digits in the scorebook with 10 while Eva Malm led the girls in rebounds with five.
SMOKY VALLEY LADY VIKINGS at Haven
SCORING: LADY VIKINGS > 7-15-9-3 = 34; Haven > 12-21-9-11 = 53.
TEAM STATS: LADY VIKINGS > 2-FGs – 7/25; 3-PTs – 5/16; FTs – 5/10; AST – 3; REBs – 16; TO – 13; STLs – 8; BLKs – 2; FLs – 16. Haven > 2-FGs – 15/32; 3-PTs – 4/12; FTs – 11/14; AST – 6; REBs – 36; TO – 14; STLs – 7; BLKs – 4; FLs – 9.
LADY VIKINGS INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Adrian Hazelwood – 10; Breanne Peters – 6; Eva Malm – 6; Sophia Fruits – 5; Katja Blanchat – 5; Tinley Scott – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Hazelwood, Malm – 2; Fruits – 1. Assists > Clara McElroy – 2. Rebounds > Malm – 5; Hazelwood, Blanchat – 2. Steals > Hazelwood, Fruits, Scott – 2. Blocked Shots > Hazelwood, Blanchat – 1.
VIKING WRESTLERS
PLACE 4TH AT CKL MEET,
EARN 3 GOLDS
By Staff
HALSTEAD – On Thursday the Smoky Valley boys wrestling team participated in the Central Kansas League Wrestling Meet and placed fourth as a team while bringing home three first-place gold medals.
As a team, the Viking grapplers scored 110.5 points which placed them fourth out of ten teams behind meet champion Pratt (134.5), Haven (115.5), and Hoisington (113.5).
Individually Smoky Valley brought home three first place medals as Connor Barnes won at 126 by going 5-0 on the day, Parker Gardner took first at 175 as he finished the day 4-0 and Justin Holt also went 5-0 to win the 215 division.
Additionally, Richard Zeller at 190 placed second and both Geo Luis at 165 and Deonte Crain at 106 both finished third.
Next up for the Viking wrestlers will be their Class 4A state regionals which will be held at McPherson on Saturday, February 18.
SMOKY VALLEY VIKING WRESTLING at Halstead for Central Kansas League Meet
TEAM FINISH > 4th with 110.5 points
Meet Standings: 1 > Pratt – 134.5; 2 > Haven – 115.5; 3 > Hoisington – 113.5; 4 > VIKINGS – 110.5; 5 > Halstead – 90.5; 6 > Larned – 55.0; 7 > Hesston – 53.0; 8 > Lyons – 47.0; 9 > Hillsboro – 30.0; 10 > Nickerson – 28.5.
VIKING INDIVIDUAL RESULTS:
106 > Deonte Crain – finished 3rd, went 1-2.
126 > Connor Barnes – finished 1st, went 5-0.
132 > Takoda Hauck – finished 4th, went 1-3.
138 > Hayden Gehrke – finished 7th, went 1-4.
144 > Andrew Young – finished 6th, went 2-3.
150 > Michael Hawk – finished 6th, went 1-4.
157 > Gavin Stambaugh – finished 5th, went 3-2.
165 > Geo Luis – finished 3rd, went 3-2.
175 > Parker Gardner – finished 1st, went 4-0.
190 > Richard Zeller – finished 2nd, went 4-1.
215 > Justin Holt – finished 1st, went 5-0.
LADY VIKING WRESTLERS –
2ND AT REGIONALS,
QUALIFY 6 FOR STATE
By Staff
WELLINGTON – It was a highly successful Saturday for the Smoky Valley girls wrestling team as they participated in their Class 4-3-2-1A State Regionals in Wellington and came home with a second-place team finish while qualifying six Lady Vikings for next weeks state tournament in Salina on Wednesday and Thursday, February 22-23.
As a team the Lady Vikings rolled up 114.0 points which placed them second behind regional team champion Pratt who had 168.0. Rounding out the top 10 of 31 teams participating were Mulvane (3rd), Anthony/Harper/Chaparral & McPherson (t-4th), Augusta & Buhler (t-6th), El Dorado (8th), Wellington (9th), and Chapman (10th).
Individually, Smoky Valley qualified for state six of seven Lady Vikings that wrestled though none came home with a first-place gold medal.
Earning four second-place medals were Noelle Peters at 110, Kenzie Crain at 115, Keira Mullen at 135 and Shaylee Sheetz at 155. Gaining a third-place medal was Taytum Reed at 120 and Sara McCullock placed 4th at 105.
SMOKY VALLEY LADY VIKING WRESTLERS at Class 4-3-2-1A State Regionals in Wellington
TEAM SCORING: LADY VIKINGS finished 2nd out of 31 teams with 114.0 points.
Regional Standings (top 10): 1. Pratt – 168.0; 2. LADY VIKINGS – 114.0; 3. Mulvane – 103.0; T-4. Anthony/Harper/Chaparral & McPherson – 68.0; T-6. Augusta & Buhler – 67.0; 8. El Dorado – 64.5; 9. Wellington – 54.0; 10. Chapman – 53.0.
LADY VIKINGS INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (place/record): 105 > Sara McCullock – 4th, 3-2; 110 > Noelle Peters – 2nd, 3-1; 115 > Kenzie Crain – 2nd, 3-1; 120 > Taytum Reed – 3rd, 4-1; 130 > Campbell Gaskill – None, 3-2; 135 > Keira Mullen – 2nd, 3-1; 155 > Shaylee Sheetz – 2nd, 3-1.
VIKING JV GRAPPLERS
AT CHAPMAN
By Staff
CHAPMAN – On Saturday, the Smoky Valley boys wrestling team sent three Vikings to a junior varsity invitational in Chapman.
Jokorian Crain, wrestling at 144 placed 3rd after going 1-2 for the day while Sam Zeller finished 3rd at 165 after going 0-2. Connor Smith-Bolin went 0-3 for the day and finished 4th at 215 as well.
8TH GRADE JUNIOR PUPS
SWEEP PAIR
FROM NEWTON CHISHOLM
By Staff
NEWTON – The McPherson Middle School 8th grade boys took to the road on Thursday and scored a pair of solid wins over Newton Chisholm with the ‘A’ team winning by 18 while the ‘B’ team earned a tough, one-point victory.
After Newton played the 8th grade Junior Pups ‘A’ team close, 16-13, heading to the halftime break, McPherson’s offense lit up the scoreboard in the final two quarters by scoring 23 while holding Newton to just six points to gain the final 37-19 win.
With the win the ‘A’ team is now 7-1 for the season as they prep to play host to Salina South on Monday.
“We struggled to find our game right away and for whatever reason, we opened up with several turnovers and struggled to rebound,” noted 8th grade head coach Tyler Brown. “At the end of the first quarter it was 6-5 our favor and Newton stayed close at halftime. Coming out of the break we made some small adjustments with our defense and showed how we can truly play by holding Newton to just three points in both the third and fourth quarters.”
Ashton Malm and Carter Bengston led the Junior Pups in scoring with 11 points each.
Coach Brown concluded his ‘A’ game thoughts by saying, “With foul trouble and a few players out of sink at times, I thought Carter Bengston was another big reason we were able to finish Newton off. He may have had the most complete game for us tonight. We made a run early enough in the fourth quarter that everyone in the scorebook was able to get in the game which is always fun.”
8TH GRADE JUNIOR PUPS ‘A’ TEAM at Newton Chisholm
SEASON RECORD IS 7-1.
SCORE > JUNIOR PUPS 37, Newton Chisholm 19.
‘A’ TEAM SCORING > Ashton Malm – 11; Carter Bengston – 11; Jonas Emery – 6; Matt Burger – 5; Cole Cooper – 2; Nolan Pearcy – 2.
In an unusual move, the 8th grade Junior Pups played the first game and after blowing a seven to ten point advantage, were able to hold off a Newton rally late in the game to earn the final one-point, 24-23 win.
Nolan Pearcy led the Junior Pups, now 5-5 for the season, by scoring 10 points.
Coach Brown finished out his thoughts on the games against Newton Chisholm by noting, “Tonight we opened with the ‘B’ game and it was an exciting game from the start. “We came though when we needed to most but made it interesting after having a seven-to-ten point lead during the third quarter. We had production from seven guys in the scorebook which is fantastic.”
8th GRADE JUNIOR PUPS ‘B’ TEAM at Newton Chisholm
SCORE > JUNIOR PUPS 24, Newton Chisholm 23.
SEASON RECORD IS 5-5.
8TH GRADE JUNJOR PUPS ‘B’ TEAM SCORING > Nolan Pearcy – 10; Ashton Nuss – 4; Hunter Eilrich – 3; Dane Becker – 2; Ben Bocox – 2; AJ Nava – 2; Will Domingo – 1.
McPHERSON 7TH GRADE JUNIOR PUPS DROP 2 AT NEWTON
By Staff
NEWTON – The trip to Newton on Thursday for the McPherson Middle School 7th grade boys did not go as planned or hoped as they lost both games by a total of just four points.
In the 7th grade ‘A’ game, the Junior Pups lost by just three points, 35-32, as it was costly that a pair of McPherson starters fouled out late in the game.
“It was a very difficult loss for us,” explained head coach Jay Crawford. “We struggled in so many areas. We continue to be a work in progress. We need to rebound better, that was a lot of where the points for Newton came from.”
Tre Winburn and Drake Timson produced most of the Junior Pup offense as they scored 12 and 11 points each.
Coach Crawford continued his reflections by saying, “We gave up so many offensive rebounds and then we had two starters foul out and that really hurt us going down the stretch. On top of that, Tre Winburn hurt his knee and was taken to the hospital. Let’s hope he will be back with us soon. We watched them get to the free throw line 10 more times than us, that was tough to overcome.”
7TH GRADE JUNIOR PUPS ‘A’ TEAM at Newton Chisholm
SCORE: Newton 35, JUNIOR PUPS 32
JUNIOR PUPS ‘A’ TEAM SCORING > Tre Winburn – 12; Drake Timson – 11; Kaleb Postier – 4; Jensen Razak – 2; Jaxon Hoover – 2; Tripp Pelzel – 1.
Despite playing hard throughout the ‘B’ game, the Junior Pups somehow lost by just one point at 30-29.
While not Junior Pup reached double digits in the scorebook, Brody Milleson came close by leading the team with nine.
Concluding his reflections on the two games, coach Crawford added, “This group (the ‘B’ team) continued to not give up and give great effort. The fight that they show is what we talk about all the time. It was nice to see them get big stops when they needed to down the stretch, which allowed them to get back into the game. They played very hard.”
7th GRADE JUNIOR PUPS ‘B’ TEAM at Newton Chisholm
SCORE: Newton 30, JUNIOR PUPS 29.
JUNIOR PUPS ‘B’ TEAM SCORING > Brody Milleson – 9; Logan Starks – 5; Gavin Heider – 5; Isaac Nelson – 4; Lawson Ediger – 2; Ryker Bascue – 2; Holtyn Hamblin – 2.
MMS GIRLS WRESTLERS
HOST INVITATIONAL –
EARN 7 GOLDS
By Staff
MCPHERSON – The McPherson Middle School girls wrestling team hosted a six-team invitational on Thursday and closed out the meet with six first place finishes while finishing first as a team.
“The girls compete their tails off tonight,” explained Junior Lady Pups head coach Matt McCasland. “It is always fun to compete at home and we want to put on a great performance in front of our home fans. We felt like we hit a bit of a wall last week after having a very successful first half to our season. We took advantage of a few extra days of practice to really focus on some specific areas that need improvement.”
As a team the Junior Lady Pup grapplers finished first among the six teams with an overall match record of 26-11 or a winning percentage of 70%. Clay Center was second while Abilene, Chapman, Winfield and Haysville West rounded out the field.
Individually, McPherson had seven Junior Lady Pups earn first place medals including Tylee Wilson, Amara Dossett, Rylee Holt, McKenna Paul, Rhiana Dukes, Tempe Bruner and Riley Clemmons.
Coach McCasland continued his reflections on the meet by saying, “McKenna Paul and Tylee Wilson were standouts for us as they both had to face opponents who had beaten them last week, and they were both able to fix a few things, bounce right back, and come out on top tonight.”
Besides the seven golds earned, Pera Bauer, and Addie French both earned second-place medals as well.
Concluding his post meet reflections, McCasland added, “We were able to reset and put on a show at home. These girls really were a step above the competition tonight. There are a few schools with more wrestlers than we have, and the fac that we finished with the most first place finishers is fantastic.”
MCPHERSON MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS WRESTLING hosting 6-team Invitational.
TEAM STANDINGS: 1. JUNIOR LADY PUPS > 26-11, 70%; 2. Clay Center > 32-17, 65%; 3. Abilene > 21-25, 46%; 4. Chapman > 12-15, 44%; 5. Winfield > 19-24, 44%; 6. Haysville West > 7-20, 26%.
JUNIOR LADY PUPS INDIVIDUAL RESULTS:
99 > Eliza Jex – placed 3rd, went 0-2.
106 > Tylee Wilson – placed 1st, went 3-0
116A > Amara Dossett – placed 1st, went 3-0.
116B > Pera Bauer – placed 2nd, went 2-1.
126A > Molly Owen – placed 3rd, went 1-2.
126B > Rylee Holt – placed 1st, went 3-0.
126C > Amai Barrera-Prado – placed 4th, went 0-3.
136A > McKenna Paul – placed 1st, went 3-0.
136C > Rhiana Dukes – placed 1st, went 3-0.
141 > Tempe Bruner – placed 1st, went 3-0.
152A > Riley Clemmons – placed 1st, went 3-0.
152B > Maddie Snook – placed 3rd, went 1-2.
180 > Addie French – placed 2nd, went 1-1.