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!!
Issue 5 highlights a Tuesday matchup between the Elyria Christian girls, ranked tenth in Class 1A Division I playing host to the second ranked team in Class 2A, Berean Academy followed by the Elyria Christian boys hosting the Warrior boys as well.
Beginning the week on Monday, the Elyria Christian girls and boys played host to Central Christian.
On Tuesday all area teams were playing at home with Canton/Galva playing host to Central Christian, Inman hosted Remington on Senior Night, Little River played Spearville, Moundridge was hosting Sedgwick and Smoky Valley had Pratt in town.
McPherson Middle School 7th and 8th grade boys were hosting Salina South on Monday while the Junior Lady Pup girls wrestling team traveled to Newton Chisholm Middle School on Tuesday.
Enjoy the stories and stats of all the events!!
ARTICLES IN ORDERING OF APPEARANCE:
The Highlight Games is the Tuesday Matchup between Elyria Christian and Berean Academy on the Eagles home court!!
Canton/Galva Eagles.
Elyria Christian Eagles Monday games.
Inman Teutons.
Little River Redskins.
Moundridge Wildcats.
Smoky Valley Vikings.
McPherson Middle School 7th & 8th Grade Junior Pups.
McPherson Middle School Junior Lady Pup Wrestlers.
(The Staff covering events for the MAC AREA SPORTS NEW can be reached by email at crossdovewriter@gmail.com)
(Mac Area Sports News is published August to May on Monday and Thursday)
(All content is Copyrighted@2023 by CrossDove Writers)
HOSTING
ELYRIA BOYS RALLY
BUT FALL SHORT IN
LOSS TO BEREAN
By Staff
ELYRIA – On Tuesday, the Elyria Christian boys trailed most of the game at home before getting a rally going in the fourth quarter only to fall short and lose by four points, 40-36 to visiting Berean Academy.
Coming into the game the Eagles were ranked seventh in Class 1A Division I and with the loss they drop their season mark to 15-3 as they ready for the final regular season game on Friday on the road at Marion.
“I knew we would be in for a challenge playing our third game in five days,” pointed out Eagle head coach Zach Goodrich. “Against an opponent like Berean Academy we would have an opportunity to be exposed defensively. Berean is well coached, and they were hungry for a win.”
Trailing by one, 11-10, at the end of the first quarter, Elyria fell behind by four, 24-20 at the halftime break. After finding their deficit at seven, 37-30, at the end of the third quarter, the Eagles tried their best rally in the fourth quarter but were only able to shave a few points off the Berean lead and lost by four.
Talking about the game itself, coach Goodrich added, “It was tough one all around as we were not able to find the bottom of the basket. Lots of missed opportunities on open looks and creating turnovers. We had some uncharacteristic missed defensive assignments and could not recover from those mistakes. Berean had 11 offensive rebounds that helped them keep separation and we just ran out of gas by the time we decided to make one more push.”
Johnny Unruh was the lone Eagle to score in double digits with 12 while Landon Schneider did not score, he did yeoman work for Elyria on the boards by pulling down nine rebounds.
Concluding his post-game thoughts, Goodrich said, “We can take a valuable lesson from this contest and use it moving forward. I know we will learn from it and get to practicing what we did not do well this evening.”
ELYRIA CHRISTIAN EAGLES hosting Berean Academy
SCORING: EAGLES > 10-10-10-6 = 36; Berean Academy > 11-13-13-3 = 40.
TEAM STATS: EAGLES > 2-FGs – 9/17; 3-PTs – 5/18; FTs – 3/7; AST – 9; REBs – 17; TO – 11; STLs – 9; BLKs – 0; FLs – 9. Berean Academy > 2-FGs – 14/22; 3-PTs – 3/15; FTs – 3/7; AST – 12; REBs – 28; TO – 15; STLs – 6; BLKs – 0; FLs – 11.
ELYRIA CHRISTIAN EAGLES INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Johnny Unruh – 12; James Schott – 8; Ty Romero – 7; Alex Robertson – 6; Andrew Huxman – 3. 3-Pointers Made > A. Robertson – 2; Unruh, Romero, Huxman – 1. Assists > Landon Schneider – 3; Unruh, Schott – 2; Romero – 1. Rebounds > Schneider – 9; Schott – 3; A. Robertson – 2; Unruh, Romero – 1. Steals > Unruh – 3; Romero, Schneider – 2; A . Robertson, Huxman – 1.
ELYRIA GIRLS
BOUNCED BY BEREAN
By Staff
ELYRIA – There is a reason why Berean Academy girls are ranked second in Class 2A and it showed on Tuesday when they came to Elyria and bounced the Elyria Christian girls to the tune of an 18-point, 46-18 win.
With the loss, the Elyria Lady Eagles drop to 15-4 as they prep to finish off their 2022-23 regular season schedule on Friday with a road trip to Marion.
“Tonight’s game was quite a challenge for the Lady Eagles,” noted Elyria assistant coach Sarah Swenson who is filling in for head coach Greg Fields while he is out of town. “We came out strong, finishing the first quarter tied with Berean until the second quarter when Berean’s significant height advantage helped them to quickly take over the game.”
The game was tied at 7-7 when Berean poured 20 points on the board to Elyria’s seven to give the Lady Warriors a commanding 27-9 advantage at the halftime break. After outscoring Elyria 15-5 in the third, the visitors held a 28-point lead at the end of the third quarter.
Only four Lady Eagles scored in the game, led by Allie Stone with eight and Ryland Hawkinson with six. Stone and Hawkinson combined for five of Elyria’s eight rebounds as they were hurt in the paint with Berean pulling down 28 rebounds on the night. Berean also won big at the free throw line where they connected on 19-of-23 while the Lady Eagles only had four total free throw attempts in the entire game.
Coach Swenson finished her thoughts on the game by saying, “It was a hard fought effort that our girls put forth, and I felt like after coming off a challenging game last night that it was difficult for us to have the energy we needed in the second half. Berean Academy played some very tough defense and made it hard for us to have very many open looks.”
ELYRIA CHRISTIAN LADY EAGLES hosting Berean Academy
SCORING: LADY EAGLES > 7-2-5-4 = 18; Berean Academy > 7-20-15-4 = 46.
TEAM STATS: LADY EAGLES > 2-FGs – 6/15; 3-PTs – 1/13; FTs – 3/4; AST – 3; REBs – 8; TO – 14; STLs – 7; BLKs – 4; FLs – 14. Berean Academy > 2-FGs – 12/31; 3-PTs – 1/9; FTs – 19/23; AST – n/a; REBs – 28; TO – 10; STLs – 9; BLKs – 0; FLs – 5.
LADY EAGLE INDIVIDUAL STATS: Scoring > Allie Stone – 8; Ryland Hawkinson – 6; Raegan Hawkinson – 2; Macy Reiff – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Stone – 1; Assists > Ra. Hawkinson, M. Reiff, Julia Allen – 1. Rebounds > Stone – 3; Ry. Hawkinson – 2; 3 Lady Eagles – 1. Steals > Ry. Hawkinson – 3; Stone – 2; 2 Lady Eagles – 1. Blocked Shots > Ry. Hawkinson – 4.
C/G LADY EAGLES BURY
CENTRAL CHRISTIAN BY 46
By Staff
CANTON – The Canton/Galva girls owned the home court from the opening tip on Tuesday as they buried a young Central Christian team with a 46-point, 63-17 win.
With the win the Lady Eagles are now 12-7, matching the most wins in four seasons, as they prep for Senior Night on Thursday in their regular season finale hosting Central Plains who is currently fourth in Class 1A Division I.
“Central Christian Academy is a very young but well coached team,” noted Lady Eagle head coach Brad Willems. “They play very hard but we came out of the gate and just overwhelmed them with our defensive pressure. I was very proud that we never looked back.”
Flying out to a 20-point, 24-4 lead by the end of the first quarter, the Lady Eagles were up by 29 at 38-9 when the teams broke for the halftime break. Canton/Galva then cruised in the second half, outscoring Central Christian 25-8 to earn the final 46-point victory.
As a team the Lady Eagles shot a cool 50% on two-point field goals and connected on 6-of-14 from beyond the three point line while cleaning up in the paint with 29 rebounds and using their pressure defense to gain 15 steals.
Individually, Canton/Galva had 10 girls put a minimum of two points in the scorebook led by Trinity Espinoza with 21. Brecken Pearson led the team in assists with four and rebounds with eight while Trinity Espinoza swiped seven steals. The Espinoza sisters, Trinity and Lili, combined for 29 points, five assists, 10 rebounds and 10 steals.
Coach Willems finished off his reflections of the game by saying, “We need to continue to improve on our rebounding, but this was a good game for us. Everyone got in the scorebook as we continue to improve offensively. We get a really good challenge on Thursday with Central Plains coming to town on Senior Night.”
CANTON/GALVA LADY EAGLES hosting Central Christian
SCORING: LADY EAGLES > 24-14-18-7 = 63; Central Christian > 4-5-5-3 = 17.
LADY EAGLE TEAM STATS: 2-FGs – 21/42; 3-PTs – 6/14; FTs – 3/4; AST – 12; REBs – 29; TO – 11; STLs – 15; BLKs – 3; FLs – n/a.
LADY EAGLES INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Trinity Espinoza – 21; Lili Espinoza – 8; Mimi Craig – 6; Sage Toews – 6; Emerson Hoppes – 5; Brecken Pearson – 5; Adi Alcala – 5; Jayden Orth – 3; Makinlee Hoppes – 2; Red Craig – 2. 3-Pointers Made > T. Espinoza – 2; E. Hoppes, Pearson, Alcala, Orth – 1. Assists > Pearson – 4; T. Espinoza – 3; L. Espinoza, Toews – 2; M. Craig – 1. Rebounds > Pearson – 8; T. Espinoza, L. Espinoza – 5; M. Craig, Toews – 3; M. Hoppes, R. Craig – 2; Orth – 1. Steals > T. Espinoza – 7; L. Espinoza – 3; Alcala – 2; M. Craig, Toews, E. Hoppes – 1. Blocked Shots > M. Craig, Pearson, Alcala – 1.
CANTON/GALVA BOYS HAMMER
CENTRAL CHRISTIAN BY 50
By Staff
CANTON – Once the game got past the first quarter it was all Canton/Galva boys as they played focused on Tuesday at home with Central Christian and recorded a 50-point, 82-32 win.
With the win, the Eagles are now 12-7 for the season as they prep for the final regular season game on Thursday at home hosting Central Plains for senior night.
“We came out very focused and aggressive on both ends of the court,” said Eagle head coach Larry O’Connor. “Our defensive pressure and break offense were both in high gear and having Lane McMannis back brings on defensive pressure at another level.”
Once the Eagles took an early 18-point, 34-16 lead at the end of the first quarter, Central Christian never had a chance as Canton/Galva extended their advantage out to 32 at 54-22 going into the halftime break. Putting another 28 points in the scorebook in the final two quarters helped the Eagles finish off their 50-point victory.
As a team the Eagles connected on 11 three pointers with Garrett Maltbie making six of them in leading the team in scoring with 21 points. Wyatt Collins recorded a double-double with 17 points to go with his 13 rebounds and Jett Vincent also reached double digits scoring with 14. Both Lane McMannis and Jaden Ediger chipped in with eight points each as 10 Eagles put at least a pair of points on the board.
Coach O’Connor concluded his post-game reflections by noting, “Garrett (Maltbie) got us rolling with five three-pointers in the first quarter and Wyatt (Collins) put together another solid night with 17 points and 13 rebounds. We are very deep as our bench played extremely well and the guys knowing their roles is the key. Very excited to see just how far we can take this team this season.”
CANTON/GALVA EAGLES hosting Central Christian
SCORING: EAGLES > 34-20-23-5 = 82; Central Christian > 16-6-5-5 = 32.
CANTON/GALVA EAGLE SCORING > Garrett Maltbie – 21; Wyatt Collins – 17; Jett Vincent – 14; Lane McMannis – 8; Jaden Ediger – 8; Leyton Witte – 5; Walker Nightengale – 4; Aydon Kauffold – 3; Camden Kruse – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Maltbie – 6; Vincent, Ediger – 2; Kauffold – 1.
ELYRIA BOYS HANG ON –
BEAT CENTRAL CHRISTIAN BY 7
By Staff
ELYRIA – Turning around just three days after an emotional victory over Little River Friday, the seventh ranked in Class 1A Division I Elyria Christian boys were able to put together three solid quarters of basketball to hang on for a seven-point, 45-38 win over Central Christian on Monday at home.
“We looked like we were running in mud tonight,” noted the description Eagles head coach Zach Goodrich gave the game. “The emotional win on Friday definitely took a big effort, but it should in our game tonight. I thought we were a step slow to the ball, and to Central Christian’s credit they played hard and capitalized on some loose balls and open threes by their better shooters. The coach had his team prepared to play.”
After leading by two, 11-9, at the end of the first quarter, the Eagles only held a one-point, 18-17 advantage at the halftime break. Pushing the lead back to two at 30-28 at the end of the third quarter, Elyria finally put some points between themselves and Central Christian to gain the final seven-point victory.
The highlight of the Elyria team stats found the Eagles dishing out 11 assists on just 17 made shots from the field on offense and forcing Central Christian into turning the ball over 16 times while playing defense.
Ty Romero led the Eagles in scoring with 14 points, in three-pointers with two and steals with six while also gathering in six rebounds. Landon Schneider recorded a double-double by scoring 10 points to go with a team high 10 rebounds.
Coach Goodrich concluded his post-game reflections by adding, “It was a good test for us as they have solid size and aggressive ball handlers. We got a much-needed boost performance from Landon (Schneider) as he finished 10 points and 10 rebounds. He was on the boards offensively providing four second chance looks for us. Ty (Romero) was able to spark us in the second half offensively with open three- pointers. It was a tough nigh finding the bottom of the net, but the team dug deep to grind this one out.”
SCORING: EAGLES > 11-7-12-15 = 45; Central Christian > 9-8-11-10 = 38.
TEAM STATS: EAGLES > 2-FGs – 13/25; 3-PTs – 4/21; FTs – 7/10; AST – 11; REBs – 24; TO – 7; STLs – 15; BLKs – 1; FLs – 8. Central Christian > 2-FGs – 13/21; 3-PTs – 3/20; FTs – 3/3; AST – 8; REBs – 30; TO – 16; STLs – 3; BLKs – 1; FLs – 15.
ELYRIA CHRISTIAN EAGLES INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Ty Romero – 14; Landon Schneider – 10; Johnny Unruh – 7; Andrew Huxman – 5; Silas Redenbaugh – 4; Caleb Laney – 3; James Schott – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Romero – 2; Unruh, Laney – 1. Assists > Schott – 4; Romero, Redenbaugh – 2; 3 Eagles – 1. Rebounds > Schneider – 10; Romero – 6; Unruh – 3; 2 Eagles – 1. Steals > Romero – 6; Unruh – 3; Redenbaugh – 2; 4 Eagles – 1. Blocked Shots > Huxman – 1.
ELYRIA LADY EAGLES
PULL OUT 4-POINT WIN
By Staff
ELYRIA – The Elyria Christian girls began a very busy week on Monday by hosting Central Christian and overcoming a small deficit to record a final four-point, 50-46 win to push their season mark to 15-3.
With Lady Eagle head coach Greg Fields out of town, assistant coach Sarah Swenson took the reins of the team and pushed the offense to a team effort game where they combined to dish out 17 assists on just 20 made shots from the field.
After the two teams played to a 13-13 tie in the first quarter, Central Christian took a three-point, 27-24 lead into the halftime break. Coming out of the intermission, the Lady Eagles rallied to take a two-point, 37-35 advantage into the fourth quarter where they held on to gain the final four-point victory.
“We knew from playing Central Christian last year that this was going to be a battle,” explained coach Swenson. “It ended up being just that as both teams came out ready to play. Kaylee Kaufman of Central Christian is an incredible shooter and we knew she would be a challenge to guard and she was.”
Ryland Hawkinson led Elyria on offense with 21 points while also pulling down a team high seven rebounds while making a pair of steals and getting a blocked shot on defense. Allie Stone used three three-pointers to reach double digits in the scorebook with 11. Julia Allen directed much of the offense as she handed out a team high five assists though Stone, and Macy Reiff each dished out four.
Coach Swenson finished off her post-game thoughts by saying, “It was fun to see our girls have to keep battling to the end in a game that was great preparation for sub-state.”
The Lady Eagles were scheduled to host the second ranked team in Class 2A on Tuesday with Berean Academy coming to town.
SCORING: LADY EAGLES > 13-11-13-13 = 50; Central Christian > 13-14-8-11 = 46.
TEAM STATS: LADY EAGLES > 2-FGs – 15/35; 3-PTs – 5/17; FTs – 5/8; AST – 17; REBs – 24; TO – 15; STLs – 8; BLKs – 1; FLs – 17. Central Christian > 2-FGs – 12/25; 3-PTs – 6/13; FTs – 4/13; AST – 0; REBs – 26; TO – 14; STLs – 3; BLKs – 0; FLs – 13.
ELYRIA CHRISTIAN LADY EAGLE INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Ryland Hawkinson – 21; Allie Stone – 11; Raegan Hawkinson – 5; Julia Allen – 4; Alexus Swenson – 3; Addison Swenson – 2; Macy Reiff – 2; Grace Prescott – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Stone – 3; Ry. Hawkinson, Al. Swenson – 1. Assists > Allen – 5; M. Reiff, Stone – 4; Ry. Hawkinson – 2; 2 Lady Eagles – 1. Rebounds > Ry. Hawkinson – 7; Stone, Ad. Swenson, M. Reiff – 4; Allen – 3; 3 Lady Eagles – 1. Steals > Ry. Hawkinson – 2; 5 Lady Eagles – 1. Blocked Shots > Ry. Hawkinson – 1.
TEUTONS RUN
PAST REMINGTON,
WIN BY 13
By Staff
INMAN – Solid defense led the Inman boys on Tuesday as they ran past visiting Remington in gaining a 13-point, 44-31, win.
Currently ranked seventh in Class 2A, the Teutons are now 15-3 for the season as they ready to play host to Little River on Friday before closing out the regular season schedule next Tuesday on the road at Bennington.
“We were really good tonight on the defensive end,” noted Teuton head coach Brett Froese. “We were very efficient on the offensive end and turned some turnovers into transition. I am very proud of our effort tonight against a very well coached Remington team.”
Inman went up by four, 14-10, at the end of the first quarter and then pushed the lead to seven at 23-16 heading into the halftime break. After outscoring Remington 13-6 in the third quarter, the Teutons cruised in for the final 13-point victory.
Tanner Heckel led the Teutons in scoring with 18 while Eli Brunk hit for 10 and Harrison Brunk chipped in with seven.
Coach Froese concluded his reflections on the game by saying, “I thought the boys were really in tune to the game plan. They run a lot of ball screen action that if you are not talking can hurt you. The guys were really locked in on the plan. We have a big game on Friday with Little River and then close it out next Tuesday against a really, really good Bennington team.”
INMAN TEUTONS hosting Remington
SCORING: TEUTONS > 14-9-13-9 = 44; Remington > 10-6-6-9 = 31.
INMAN TEUTON SCORING > Tanner Heckel – 18; Eli Brunk – 10; Harrison Brunk – 7; Brody Froese – 5; Zack Martisko – 2; Josiah Buller – 2. 3-Pointers Made > E. Brunk – 2; H. Brunk, Froese – 1.
LADY TEUTONS
FALL SHORT IN LOSS
By Staff
INMAN – The Inman girls gave it all they had but still fell short on Tuesday at home on Senior Night in a six-point, 46-40 loss to Remington.
The loss drops the Lady Teutons to 9-9 for the season as they prep to play host Friday to the top ranked team in Class 1A Division I in Little River.
Inman only trailed by two, 9-7, at the end of the first quarter and still trailed at the halftime break by five at 21-16. While the Lady Teutons played Remington close in the final two quarters, they could not rally enough to keep from losing by the final six-point mark.
“The girls played tough in a hard game,” said Lady Teuton head coach Megan Heckel. “They never gave up and fought hard, going on multiple good runs.”
Only four Lady Teutons put points in the scorebook with freshman Suttyn Harris scoring 65% of the team points by netting 26.
INMAN LADY TEUTONS hosting Remington
SCORING: LADY TEUTONS > 7-9-10-14 = 40; Remington > 9-12-11-14 = 46.
INMAN LADY TEUTONS SCORING > Suttyn Harris – 36; Morgan Froese – 5; Kami Woods – 5; Kenna Woods – 4. 3-Pointers Made > Harris – 1.
LADY REDSKINS
RALLY LATE,
GET 9-POINT WIN
By Staff
LITTLE RIVER – On Tuesday, the Little River girls had to fight hard to protect their number one ranking as Spearville gave them everything they had and nearly pulled the upset before the Lady Redskins rallied in the fourth quarter to score a nine-point, 55-46 win.
Still ranked first in Class 1A Division I, Little River is now 17-1 for the season as they get ready for their final two regular season games on the road at Inman on Friday and then a road trip to Central Plains next Tuesday. Central Plains is currently ranked fourth in Class 1A Division I.
Spearville jumped out to a five-point, 21-16 lead at the end of the first quarter and made the home fans nervous by pushing their advantage to 11 points at 29-18 at the halftime break.
The Lady Redskin offense came alive in the second half as they doubled their points in the third quarter while holding Spearville to just seven, putting the game into a dead even 36-36 tie. In the final quarter, Little River pulled away for the late game rally and nine-point victory.
As a team, Little River committed 16 turnovers but made up for it by making 14 steals on defense and pulling down 37 total rebounds.
Alaina Eck led the Lady Redskins in scoring with 20 points while Aubrey Olander scored a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Elsie Boughfman, playing in just her third game after returning from a long-term injury, chipped in with five points and nine rebounds while Adelynne Strecker grabbed seven rebounds as well.
Havanna Olander led the defense with six steals while her sister Aubrey made three blocks.
LITTLE RIVER LADY REDSKINS hosting Spearville
SCORING: LITTLE RIVER > 16-2-18-19 = 55; Spearville > 21-8-7-10 = 46.
LITTLE RIVER LADY REDSKIN TEAM STATS: 2-FGs – 20/52; 3-PTs – 1/6; FTs – 12/23; AST – 12; REBs – 37; TO – 16; STLs – 14; BLKs – 7; FLs – 7.
LITTLE RIVER LADY REDSKIN INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Alaina Eck – 20; Aubrey Olander – 12; Arika Feldman – 8; Havana Olander – 6; Elsie Boughfman – 5; Adelynne Strecker – 2; Ashley Stephenson – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Eck – 1. Assists > H. Olander – 3; Eck, A. Olander, Strecker, Stephenson – 2; Boughfman – 1. Rebounds > A. Olander – 12; Boughfman – 9; Strecker – 7; Feldman – 4; H. Olander, Kate Ellwood – 2; Eck – 1. Steals > H. Olander – 6; Eck – 4; A. Olander – 2; Feldman, Strecker – 1. Blocked Shots > A. Olander – 3; Stephenson – 2; Eck, Feldman – 1.
LITTLE RIVER BOYS
HAMMER SPEARVILLE,
WIN BY 23
By Staff
LITTLE RIVER – It was all Little River boys on Tuesday as they played host to Spearville and scored a final 23-point, 75-52 win.
The win ups the season mark for the Redskins to 14-4 as they ready for a road trip on Friday to Inman, currently ranked seventh in Class 2A.
After Little River jumped out to a 13-point, 23-10 lead by the end of the first quarter, Spearville rallied to pull back within nine at 37-28 heading to the halftime break. After the break, Little River doubled up Spearville on the scoreboard 20-10 to take a commanding 19-point, 57-38 advantage at the end of the third quarter before cruising in for the final 24-point victory.
Braxton Lafferty had a monster night for the Redskins as he recorded a double-double with 36 points and 11 rebounds to go with five steals. Lafferty also hit for three three-pointers. Dalton Mantz did much of directing the offense by dishing out nine assists and Rylan Konen also reached double digits in scoring with 10 points.
LITTLE RIVER REDSKINS hosting Spearville.
SCORING: LITTLE RIVER > 23-14-20-18 = 75; Spearville > 10-18-10-13 = 52.
LITTLE RIVER REDSKIN TEAM STATS: 2-FGs – 22/42; 3-PTs – 7/21; FTs – 10/14; AST – 15; REBs – 26; TO – 7; STLs – 13; BLKs – 0; FLs – 9.
LITTLE RIVER REDSKIN INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Braxton Lafferty – 36; Rylan Konen – 10; Logan Renken – 8; Dalton Mantz – 6; Andrew Smith – 5; Kayston Cox – 5; Treyton Olander – 5. 3-Pointers Made > Lafferty – 3; Renken – 2; Cox, Olander – 1. Assists > Mantz – 9; Konen – 3; Lafferty – 2; Olander – 1. Rebounds > Lafferty – 10; Konen, Mantz – 5; Renken, Olander – 2; Cox – 1. Steals > Lafferty – 5; Mantz – 4; Cox – 2; Konen, Renken – 1.
STRONG SECOND HALF
PROPELS WILDCATS
TO 15-POINT WIN
By Staff
MOUNDRIDGE – After trailing throughout the first half, the Moundridge boys came on strong in the second half at home Tuesday to record a 15-point, 47-32 win over Sedgwick.
With the win the Wildcats, now ranked third in Class 2A, upped their season mark to 15-3 as they ready to go on the road to finish out the regular season with a trip to Elbing on Friday to battle Berean Academy and then on the road at Sterling next Tuesday.
“I knew we were in for a battle tonight,” explained Wildcat head coach Vance Unrau. “Logan Churchill did not play after spraining an ankle last Friday so we had a different lineup than normal. It took us a half to settle in and then we decided to play some defense which allowed us to get more comfortable at the offensive end.”
Trailing by two, 12-10, to Sedgwick at the end of the first quarter, the Wildcats fell behind by four, 22-18 heading into the halftime break. The Moundridge offense came alive in the second half as they outscored Sedgwick 20-9 in the third quarter and 9-1 in the fourth to gain the final 15-point, 47-32 victory.
Without Churchill in the lineup, Barrett Moddelmog took charge and recorded a double-double by leading the Wildcats in scoring with 23 points while taking charge in the paint and on the boards by pulling down 10 rebounds.
Henry Hecox stepped up and had a solid all-around game by scoring eight, grabbing six rebounds, passing out four assists and blocking four shots. Landon Kaufman directed much of the offense and topped the team in assists with five while also making five steals on defense.
Coach Unrau concluded his post-game reflections by noting, “I hope these guys are finally realizing that our defense needs to be factor in games. Barrett (Moddelmog) gave us a serious boost at the offensive end and our reserves took advantage of their time on the floor.”
MOUNDRIDGE WILDCATS hosting Sedgwick
SCORING: WILDCATS > 10-8-20-9 = 47; Sedgwick > 12-10-9-1 = 32.
TEAM STATS: WILDCATS > 2-FGs – 17/43; 3-PTs – 2/17; FTs – 11/11; AST – 9; REBs – 24; TO – 7; STLs – 9; BLKs – 4; FLs – 11. Sedgwick > 2-FGs – 13/23; 3-PTs – 4/9; FTs – 2/7; AST – 7; REBs – 10; TO – 12; STLs – 3; BLKs – 1; FLs – 12.
MOUNDRIDGE WILDCAT INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Barrett Moddelmog – 23; Henry Hecox – 8; Landon Kaufman – 6; Alec Huddle – 4; Layton Schmidt – 4; Kepple Adolf – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Moddelmog – 2. Assist > Kaufman – 5; Hecox – 4. Rebounds > Moddelmog – 10; Hecox – 6; Kaufman – 3; Huddle, Schmidt – 2; Adolf – 1. Steals > Kaufman – 5; Moddelmog – 2; Hecox, Huddle – 1. Blocked Shots > Hecox – 4.
LADY WILDCATS RALLY LATE
FOR 2-POINT WIN
By Staff
MOUNDRIDGE – Fighting off a sluggish first half, the Moundridge girls put on a second-half rally at home on Tuesday in scoring a final two-point, 52-50 win over Sedgwick.
The win evens the season mark at 9-9 for the Lady Wildcats as they prep to go on the road Friday to battle Berean Academy, the second ranked team in Class 2A.
“I am really proud of the fight the girls showed in the second half,” noted Lady Wildcat head coach Kaleigh Huxman. “We stepped up our defensive effort which allowed us to get in rhythm on offense. We had a chance to honor our five seniors tonight who have given us so much to this program.”
Honored for there time with the Lady Wildcat program were seniors Kindall Elmore, Aubree Durst, Emily Durst, Hannah Schrag, and Reese Schmidt.
Sedgwick jumped on Moundridge and held an eight point, 20-12 lead at the end of the first quarter and extended their advantage to 11 at 31-20 when the teams headed to the halftime break.
After our scoring Sedgwick 11-4 in the third quarter to pull back within four at 35-31, the Lady Wildcats put 21 points on the board in the fourth while only giving up 15, giving them the come from behind two-point, 52-50 victory.
Lady Wildcat senior Reese Schmidt led the team in scoring with 12 while freshman Cammi Unruh and Addy Patrick chipped in and scored 10 and seven points, respectively.
MOUNDRIDGE LADY WILDCATS hosting Sedgwick
SCORING: LADY WILDCATS > 12-8-11-21 = 52; Sedgwick > 20-11-4-15 = 50.
LADY WILDCAT SCORING > Reese Schmidt – 12; Cammi Unruh – 10; Addy Patrick – 7; Emily Durst – 6; Kaelyn Wedel – 6; Macy Kaminkow – 6; Kindall Elmore – 5. 3-Points Made > E. Durst, Wedel – 2.
VIKINGS LOSE BY 10
By Staff
LINDSBORG – Despite getting an early lead the Smoky Valley boys could not hold off Pratt at home on Tuesday as the visiting Greenbacks defeated the Vikings by 10, 71-61.
The loss drops Smoky Valley to 10-8 for the season as the ready to play host to Hesston on Friday. Hesston is currently ranked fourth in Class 3A.
Smoky Valley held a two-point, 10-8 lead at the end of the first quarter only to have Pratt bounce back to take a three-point, 27-24 lead heading into the halftime break. After the Vikings held their own in the third quarter and only trailed by four at 50-46, Pratt pulled away for the final 10-point defeat of Smoky Valley.
Vincent Pickering connected on four three-pointers to lead the Vikings in scoring with 24 while Karson Pihl also reached double digits with 12 and Kade Blanchat chipped in with nine.
SMOKY VALLEY VIKINGS hosting Pratt
SCORING: VIKINGS > 10-14-22-15 = 61; Pratt > 8-19-23-21 = 71.
SMOKY VALLEY VIKING SCORING: Vincent Pickering – 24; Karson Pihl – 12; Kade Blanchat – 9; Gus Griffith – 7; Ki Blanchat – 4; Jerome Autry – 3; Braxton House – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Pickering – 4.
LADY VIKINGS RALLY,
BEAT PRATT BY 4
By Staff
LINDSBORG – After trailing for most of the game, the Smoky Valley girls offense rallied in the fourth quarter to score a home court, four-point, 44-40 win over Pratt on Tuesday.
With the win the Lady Vikings are now 11-7 for the season as they ready to host Hesston on Friday.
Pratt held a two-point, 9-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and then had a slim three-point, 23-20 advantage when the teams hit the halftime break. After the Lady Vikings fell behind by five, 36-31, by the end of the third quarter their defense held Pratt to just four points in the fourth quarter while scoring 13 to gain the final four-point victory.
Only five Lady Vikings scored in the game as Adrian Hazelwood led the team with 24 points while also recording the team high in rebounds with six, steals with three and blocked shots with three.
SMOKY VALLEY LADY VIKIINGS hosting Pratt
SCORING: LADY VIKINGS > 7-13-11-13 = 44; Pratt > 9-14-13-4 = 40.
TEAM STATS: LADY VIKINGS > 2-FGs – 12/22; 3-PTs – 4/16; FTs – 8/16; AST – 8; REBs – 20; TO – 19; STLs – 8; BLKs – 6; FLs – 13. Pratt > 2-FGs – 14/28; 3-PTs – 2/11; FTs – 6/9; AST – 9; REBs – 25; TO – 21; STLs – 7; BLKs – 1; FLs – 17.
LADY VIKINGS INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Adrian Hazelwood – 24; Clara McElroy – 8; Tinley Scott – 6; Katja Blanchat – 4; Eva Malm – 2. 3-Pointers Made > Hazelwood, McElroy – 2. Assists > Scott – 3; Blanchat, Malm – 2; Breanne Peters – 1. Rebounds > Hazelwood – 6; Peters – 4; Scott, Blanchat – 3; McElroy, Malm – 1. Steals > Hazelwood – 3; McElroy, Scott, Blanchat, Peters, Trista Spitler – 1. Blocked Shots > Hazelwood – 3; Blanchat, Peters, Spitler – 1.
JUNIOR LADY PUP WRESLTERS
FINISH 14-10 AT NEWTON
By Staff
NEWTON – Traveling to Newton on Tuesday, the McPherson Middle School girls wrestling team finished 14-10 competing at a wrestling mixer that included Newton Chisholm Middle School, Abilene Middle School and Haysville West Middle School.
“Our staff is always so proud of these girls regardless of our results,” noted Junior Lady Pup head coach Matt McCasland. “We had some tough matchups, and we made some mistakes that cost us a few matches that could have gone either way.”
While the team won 14 and lost 10 in their matches, five Junior Lady Pup grapplers went 2-0 on the day with those being Amia Berrera, Amara Dossett, McKenna Paul, Riley Clemmons and Addie French.
Speaking of some individual performances, coach McCasland added, “Addie (French) and McKenna (Paul) were definitely standout performers tonight. They are really putting things together, and we are seeing a lot of the pieces that we cover in practice come out in their matches. They are extremely coachable, and they have come extremely far in just six weeks.”
Out of the 12 girls that wrestled for McPherson, not only did they get the five unbeaten Junior Lady Pups, they also had four others that split their two matches.
McCasland concluded his reflections on the days matches by saying, “Everyone is so new to the sport, that we expect some growing pains here and there. We have watched this group dominate several competitions throughout our season. We will talk through some things in practice tomorrow, and I fully expect them to come out ready to go on Thursday.”
The Junior Lady Pup wrestlers close out their 2023 season on Thursday with a 7th/8th grade girls tournament at home with middle school teams competing from Clearwater, Haysville, Haysville West, Marysville, and Newton Chisholm.
MCPHERSON MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS WRESTLING
Tuesday, February 14 – at Newton with Newton Chisholm Middle School, Abilene Middle School and Haysville West Middle School
Team for the day finished 14-10.
JUNIOR LADY PUP WRESTLERS INDIVIDUAL RESULTS:
Eliza Jex finished 0-2.
Tylee Wilson finished 1-1.
Amara Dossett finished 2-0.
Rylee Holt finished 0-2.
Amia Barrera finished 2-0.
Molly Owen finished 1-1.
Tempe Bruner finished 1-1.
Maddie Snook finished 0-2.
McKenna Paul finished 2-0.
Rhiana Dukes finished 1-1.
Riley Clemmons finished 2-0.
Addie French finished 2-0.
MCPHERSON 8TH GRADE BOYS
GET 2 WINS
OVER SALINA SOUTH
By Staff
MCPHERSON – On Monday, the McPherson Middle School 8th grade boys scored a pair of convincing wins at home over Salina South.
In the ‘A’ game, the Junior Pups won 51-28 while the ‘B’ team finished the day with a 46-22 victory.
It was all defense according to the coaches in the ‘A’ GAME as they scored a convincing 23-point win.
Nine players scored in the Junior Pups ‘A’ game with Cole Cooper leading the team with 15 while both Cru Buchman and Dane Becker each chipped in with seven.
“Tonight, was a great night for the team,” pointed out 8th-grade head coach Tyler Brown. “Everyone in the ‘A’ book was able to get in and contribute to a solid team win. Our defense was tremendous to start the game and that gave us a solid lead early and we never really looked back.”
Looking ahead to the final couple of outings, coach Brown concluded his post-game reflections by noting, “On Thursday, we will play Hutchinson for the second time and that will be a good one. They were one of our closest games this season so it will be a good test for us on the road before we go back to Hutchinson again on Saturday for our first game in the ‘A’ team tournament which marks the end of the season. If we win on Saturday, we will be in the finals which will be played on Monday.”
8th GRADE JUNIOR PUPS ‘A’ TEAM:
SCORE: JUNIOR PUPS 51, Salina South 28.
Season Record > 8-1
‘A’ TEAM INDIVIDUAL SCORING: Cole Cooper – 15; Cru Buchman – 7; Dane Becker – 7; Ashton Malm – 6; Matt Burger – 5; Nolan Pearcy – 4; Carter Bengston – 3; Jonas Emery – 2; Will Domingo – 2.
Twelve players scored for the Junior Pups in the ‘B’ game as they scored the first 20 points of the game in getting a decisive 24-point, 46-22 victory over Salina South Middle School.
While 12 Junior Pups scored, only Nolan Pearcy reached double digits with 13.
“The 8th grade boys ‘B’ team had a great win tonight,” said ‘B’ team coach David Goerzen. “The guys started off with a dominating 20-0 run. We were playing aggressively, getting to every loose ball, causing turnovers, and it seemed like everyone was scoring. It is always great to see your team play up to their potential. Hopefully we can keep it going into our final ‘B’ game of the season on Thursday at Hutchinson.”
8th GRADE JUNIOR PUPS ‘B’ TEAM:
SCORE: JUNIOR PUPS 46, Salina South Middle School 22.
Season record: 6-5
7th GRADE JUNIOR PUPS ‘B’ TEAM SCORING: Nolan Pearcy – 13; Hunter Eilrich – 6; Ashton Nuss – 4; Al Nava – 4; Finn Bauer – 4; Bryant Simmelink – 3; Takoda Linn – 3; Dane Becker – 2; Will Domingo – 2; Adrian Unruh – 2; Ben Bocox – 2; Jonas Emery – 1.
7TH GRADE JUNIOR PUPS
SWEEP 2 FROM SALINA SOUTH
By Staff
MCPHERSON – As they rush to the finish of their 2023 season, the McPherson Middle School 7th grade boys played host to Salina South Middle School on Monday and completed a clean sweep of two games.
The 7th grade Junior Pups won the ‘A’ game by 12, 31-19 while the ‘B’ team scored a three-point, 23-20 victory.
In the ‘A’ TEAM GAME, the Junior Pups scored the 31-19 win despite having 19 turnovers.
Leading the team’s offense was Drake Timson and Jaxon Hoover who both reached double digits by scoring 15 and 10 points, respectively.
“We did not play well as a team,” noted 7th grade head coach Jay Crawford. “We won with 19 turnovers and several missed layups on top of that. We will take the win and move on to play Hutchinson on Thursday which will be our last regular season game. We want to be ready for our season ending tournament as well. We will need to have a few good days of practice and put in our game plan for Hutchinson.”
7th GRADE JUNIOR PUP ‘A’ TEAM:
SCORE: JUNIOR PUPS 31, Salina South 19.
RECORD: 7-2
INDIVIDUAL SCORING: Drake Timson – 15; Jaxon Hoover – 10; Jensen Razak – 2; Kaleb Postier – 2; Carter Melton – 2.
As for the ‘B’ TEAM GAME, the Junior Pups scored a second win for the day though this time is was a heart stopping three point victory at 23-20.
No player hit double digits in scoring as the team was led by Logan Starks and Colt Chapman with each scoring six.
Coach Crawford concluded his reflections on the two games by saying, “Our ‘B’ team really competed well. Like always their effort was great. They played with a lot of toughness, passion, and effort. Which is really great to see. They have been in some close games and allowed them to play with confidence.”
7th GRADE JUNIOR PUP ‘B’ TEAM:
SCORE: JUNIOR PUPS 23, Salina South 20.
RECORD: 5-6
INDIVIDUAL SCORING: Logan Starks – 6; Colt Chapman – 6; Cooper Bohme – 3; Dylan Fetsch – 3; Gavin Heider – 3; Isaac Nelson – 2.
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