C-G boys blaze in opener

Canton-Galva boys basketball coach Shane Duncan quipped that his Eagles made as many 3-pointers Friday in their season opener against Elyria Christian School as they did all of last season.

The Eagles, coming off a one-victory campaign in Duncan’s first year, were on fire from beyond the arc, making 9 of 21 to propel them to a 70-33 success.

Nick Bray and A.J. Medley both made three 3-pointers. C-G erupted for 21 points in both the third and fourth quarters.

Bray led a balanced attack with 15 points. Medley and Tanner Klingensmith scored 11 apiece and Cody Savage added 10. Travis Unruh just missed double figures with nine.

Duncan was pleased with the board work of Austin Bullinger, who powered his way to 12 rebounds. Klingensmith garnered eight.

Jordan Unruh led Elyria with eight points and John Prieb hauled down seven rebounds.

“I was pleased with the overall effort from our team, but we must focus on eliminating our turnovers,” Elyria coach Ben Starburg said.

• Elyria Christian School girls 52, Canton-Galva 47 — In one of the best games of the night, Elyria Christian held off a C-G charge to win its opener.

Anna Adamyk had a big night by scoring 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting to lead Elyria and she also came up with six rebounds, second on the team to the eight grabbed by Micah Redenbaugh.

Elyria led 26-15 at the half, but C-G roared back behind Cassidy Enns, who overcame some early foul trouble to pour in 26 points, 22 of those coming in the second half. Erika Smith just missed double figures with nine.

“We had a great start to our season tonight against a very athletic and physical Canton-Galva team,” Elyria coach Greg Fields said.

• Moundridge boys 70, Little River 59 — There were no early season jitters for the Moundridge boys.

The Wildcats exploded for 43 first-half points, but still had to play to the end as Little River would not go away.

“Little River was very aggressive and a better 3-point shooting team than I thought they would be,” Moundridge coach Vance Unrau said. “We gave up 15 offensive boards.  But our young and inexperienced players passed their first test.”

Colton Frazer fired in 21 points to lead four MHS double-figure scorers. Garrett Higgins was right behind with 19, Anthony Otte added 12 and Hunter Enyart tallied 10. Frazer had eight rebounds, while Higgins and Kyle Huxman were tops in assists with three.

Tevin Renken was a handful for the MHS defense as he led Little River with 27 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Grant Harvey chipped in with 13. 

• Moundridge girls 48, Little River 31 — Three Wildcats scored in double figures as they opened the season successfully.

Brooke Holloway scored 15 points, while Michelle Schrag and Anna Stucky chipped in with 10 apiece. Ashley Holler just missed doubles with nine. Moundridge was efficient in its offense, making 22 of 44 shots.

Skylar Johnston’s 12 points led Little River. The third quarter was the decider as the Wildcats scored 16 points to just four for the Redskins.

• Inman boys 55, Goessel 45 — Playing without mainstay Tyler Cottam because of an injury, the Teutons survived a foul-fest to capture their season opener.

Balance was a key, as eight Teutons chipped in on the offensive end. Barkley Williams was the only Inman player in double figures with 11 pints, but six players scored at least six or more points.

• Inman girls 51, Goessel 41 — The Teutons made new coach Bill Maurer’s debut a successful one with a steady performance.

The Teutons outscored the Bluebirds 14-7 in the second quarter and were in command in the second half.

Kaitlynn Goalden topped the Teutons with 14 points and Naomi Williams chipped in with 10.

• Abilene girls 48, Smoky Valley 40 — The youthful Vikings trailed only 34-30 going into the final quarter, but the Cowgirls eventually pulled away.

Hannah McBride scored 20 points to lead the Vikings. Kelsie Anderson had a nice game off the glass with nine rebounds.

Coach Bill Nelson was pleased with the effort, especially since he has such a young team that he expects to make great strides as the season progresses.

• Abilene boys 60, Smoky Valley 33 — The Cowboys unfurled 22 points in the second quarter to break the game open.

The Vikings had a tough time offensively against the Cowboys, who are coming off a Final Four season in Class 4A and still have a few key players off that team.

Alec Schneider topped the Vikings with 11 points.

• Hesston does not open until Tuesday.

MHS boys pull out dramatic 61-58 victory

The McPherson High boys were in danger here Friday night in their basketball season opener.

Serious danger.

The Bullpups had turned a comfy 10-point halftime lead into a six-point deficit in the fourth quarter and Salina Central was showing no signs of letting it get away.

But it did.

The Bullpups charged down the stretch as they outscored the Mustangs 14-5 over the final five minutes for a hard-earned 61-58 victory that wasn't determined until Rashun Allen missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer, at which point the electric Roundhouse crowd exhaled.

The Bullpups made 7 of 8 free throws in the final three minutes, including a pair by Kyler Kinnamon with 6.4 seconds left that pushed the lead to three.

"We had a number of guys who did make plays at the end," MHS coach Kurt Kinnamon said. "We made free throws down the stretch, we did a good job with that. That was a pretty good high school game. Salina Central has got a very nice team."

The Bullpups literally blew the top off the Roundhouse at the start, race horsing their way to a 16-3 lead. The Mustangs, though, stroked three 3-pointers in a row and drew within 18-14 by the end of the quarter.

MHS was sharp in the second quarter, finishing on a 12-3 lick for a seemingly safe 37-27 lead at recess.

But the Bullpups were asleep at the switch in the third quarter, which Central dominated to catch, and then pass, MHS. It was 48-45 going into the final period.

When the Mustangs look back to see how it slipped away, it will be some ill-advised 3-point attempts that was their undoing. They scored just two baskets in the final 3:12.

MHS was up 59-58 when the Mustangs came up with a steal, only to turn it back over with 9 seconds left. Kyler Kinnamon then was fouled and calmly made both free throws, setting the stage for the wild ending.

Central stayed afloat behind the inside play of Jordan McNelly, who took advantage of the new officiating rules to make 16 of 21 free throws on his way to 24 points, as well as grabbing 14 rebounds.

"We had a lot of trouble handling Jordan McNelly, we just did," Kurt Kinnamon said. "If the offensive player is allowed to be that physical once he gets it, then it's almost impossible to guard. I don't know what you do in that situation."

It was mixed bag for Kyler Kinnamon, who led MHS with 19 points and eight assists, but also committed an uncharacteristic seven turnovers. Twins Ryan and Peter Horton furnished 11 points apiece. MHS, after making 13 of 23 shots in the first half, cooled to 7 of 21 after the break, but did make 15 of 20 free throws for the game, but was outrebounded, 32-28.

"Like I said, that's two good teams," Kurt Kinnamon said. "Like I told the guys at halftime, games like this make you better. Beating somebody by 40 doesn't make you better."

The MHS JVs got off to a rocky start as the Mustangs took a 50-33 decision. Marcus McDaniel led the Bullpups with 12 points.

The Bullpup freshmen were sharp with a 64-42 verdict behind 19 points by Casen Hoover and 10 by Chris Kirchner.

MHS will be idle Tuesday and its next action is Friday at Class 6A Washburn Rural.

MHS (61) — Pyle 2-9, 2-3, 7; Kinnamon 5-9, 8-9, 19; R. Horton 4-7, 3-4, 11; P. Horton 4-7, 1-2, 11; Nutter 2-6, 1-2, 6; Sewell 2-4, 0-0, 4; Gabel 1-2, 0-0, 3. 

Salina Central (58) — Kuhn 4-14, 0-0, 10; Neuschafer 3-4, 0-0, 9; Allen 3-7, 0-0, 6; Roble 1-1, 2-4, 4; Hines 2-8, 0-0, 5; Castelli 0-1, 0-0, 0; Gardner 0-2, 0-0, 0; McNelly 4-9, 16-21, 24. Totals — 17-46, 18-25, 58. 3-pointers — Neuschafer 3, Kuhn 2, Hines 1.

––––

MHS JV (33) — McDaniel 12, Smith 4, Malm 2, Hoover 3, Wine 6, Barrett 2, Spaich 4.

––––

MHS 9th (64) — Lackey 7, Kirchner 10, Leaf 5, Malm 9, Hoover 19, Arbuckle 2, Gerbrandt 4, Polosek 2, Spaich 6.

Slow start dooms McPHerson High girls

Maybe the best news for the McPherson High girls in their 61-43 loss to Salina Central here Friday in the season opener for both teams was that the Mustangs could very well be the best team they play all year.

The Bullpups’ painful lack of experience was magnified by the fact the Mustangs were chockfull of veterans, including four-year starters Shaelyn Martin and Emily Wood, both of whom will be playing at the NCAA Division I level next year at Kansas State and Nebraska, respectively.

Martin, who the Bullpups had controlled during most of her career, made up for those past performances by scoring 22 points, while Wood controlled the game from the point with 13 points and four assists.

"It was clear, obviously, who the experienced team was," MHS coach Chris Strathman said. "Their body language was outstanding and they were very confident and we were shaky. Both mentally and physically, you could just see it. They prayed on that. They pressured us and we didn't handle it very well."

Central closed out the first quarter on a 9-0 rush for an 18-4 lead, then completed the 17-0 run by scoring the first eight points of the second period. By half’s end it was 34-13, though the Bullpups were their own worst enemy as they missed 13 of 20 free throws, while the Mustangs were knocking down 13 of their 15 attempts.

MHS showed some third-quarter grit by outscoring the Mustangs 13-12, but the early deficit was too much to overcome. It was encouraging, though, that MHS outscored Central 30-27 after the halftime adjustments.

"We did a better job in the second half of competing," Strathman said. "We still had way too many turnovers, 29, that's the most we've had in a long, long time."

Abby Pedersen and reserve Ashtyn Schieferecke led the Bullpups with 11 points apiece. Schieferecke also yanked down five rebounds as she made an impressive debut, though she did roll her ankle in the JV game and her status is uncertain.

"She came off the bench and played very well," Strathman said. "Those are her first high school minutes, period. Eleven points and five boards in 13 minutes is very, very good."

The MHS JVs had the same trouble as the varsity as the Mustangs were a 45-28 winner. Cassidy Wedel's five points led the Bullpups.

The MHS C-team got off to a good start with a 35-25 victory behind 17 points by Kamryn Collins and 11 by Emma Yowell.

MHS will have a week to work on its game before going on the road Friday to play at Class 6A Washburn Rural.

MHS (43) — Schmidt 0-1, 2-6, 2; Wedel 2-3, 0-1, 5; Bate 1-3, 0-0, 2; Willems 2-3, 0-2, 4; Hoffman 0-0, 3-5, 3; Pedersen 3-6, 3-4, 11; Schieferecke 5-6, 1-4, 11; Ulsaker 0-0, 2-4, 2; Barnes 1-7, 0-0, 2; Cooks 0-3, 1-2, 1. Totals — 14-32, 12-28, 43. 3-pointers — Pedersen 2, Wedel 1.

Salina Central (61) — Wood 2-8, 8-9, 13; Morris 2-4, 4-4, 9; Bradshaw 0-0, 4-6, 4; Peters 3-6, 0-0, 6; Hamilton 0-1, 0-0, 0; Driver 0-1, 1-2, 1; Mayfield 3-3, 0-0, 6; Martin 6-16, 8-8, 22. Totals — 16-39, 25-29, 61. 3-pointers — Martin 2, Wood 1, Morris 1.

––––

MHS JV (28) — Schmidt 4, Wedel 5, Hoffman 4, Yowell 2, Schieferecke 4, Ulsaker 3, Collins 4, Ellet 2.

––––

MHS C (35) — Howard 3, Yowell 11, Bruner 2, Collins 17, Ellet 2.