Andale routs Southeast, stays perfect

Kendall Shaw

It was another walk in the park for the higher-seeded team in the third game of the Mid America Classic on Thursday.

Undefeated Andale made it three blowouts in as many games with a 66-30 squashing of Wichita Southeast.

The 10-0 Indians blazed to leads of 18-7 after a quarter and 37-10 at halftime, sinking 14 of 29 floor shots.

"It was hard to get a rhythm going, but we stayed aggressive and got some easy baskets," Andale coach Mark Kerschen said. "We were ready to play, but were a little rusty."

Four-year starting point guard Brittany Meyer set the tone with 13 first-half points and went on to finish with 15. Also in double figures were Lauren Rowland, Rachel Friedrichs and Kadey Dreiling, all with 10.

Meyer has been one of the tourney's best players for four years and seems to light up when she steps into the Roundhouse.

"It's McPherson. It's the basketball capital of Kansas isn't it?" Kerschen said, noting that she plays hard all the time, but especially here.

Southeast couldn’t handle Andale’s defensive pressure, turning it over 13 times in the first half and finished with 20. Alex Arline led the Buffs with eight points.

Andale (66) — Reichenberger 2-3, 0-0, 4; Easter 1-1, 0-0, 2; Meyer 5-10, 3-3, 15; Dreiling 4-5, 2-3, 10; Maxwell 0-2, 1-2 1; Rowland 3-9, 4-6, 10; Chavez 0-1, 0-0, 0; Leep 2-6, 0-1, 4; Bergkamp 2-6, 0-2, 4; Friedrichs 4-7, 2-2, 10; Venjohn 2-6, 1-2, 6. Totals — 25-56, 13-21, 66. 3-pointers — Meyer 2, Venjohn 1.

Southeast (30) — Sader 0-2, 0-0, 0; Joseph 3-7, 0-0, 6; McCoy 2-6, 2-4, 6; Arline 3-17, 2-2, 8; Christor 0-5, 1-2, 1; Jennings 1-4, 0-2, 2; Rentas 0-3, 1-2, 1; Williams 2-9, 0-0, 6. Totals — 11-53, 6-12, 30. 3-pointers — Williams 2.

Manhattan cruises by Valley Center in Game 2 of Classic

Kendall Shaw

The rematch is now set.

Manhattan did its part Thursday in the second game of the Mid America Classic to earn a semifinal game on Friday against first-game winner Olathe South.

The two ranked Class 6A heavyweights met last year in the third-place game of the Class 6A State Tournament, with South taking a 56-53 decision.

Manhattan advanced to Friday’s evening session by virtue of its 57-37 triumph over Valley Center. Both the Indians and Olathe South take 9-2 records into the 6 p.m. semi.

“They’re so much different, last year (All-Stater Kylee) Kopatich was the dominant player. Now they’re so evenly balanced,” Manhattan coach Scott Mall said. “For years we never saw them and now we’ve played them three times in the last three years. They’re a very good team, very balanced. They get scoring from a lot of different people.”

Manhattan grabbed command early, jumping out to a 17-7 lead and moved it to 28-15 by half as Valley Center struggled from the field throughout the night.

The Indians had nice balance, as 11 of their 12 players scored and none were in double figures. Amara Ehie led the way with nine points. Valley’s Bethany Reeves took game honors with 12.

“We were a little more inconsistent than we’d like,” Mall said. “Offensively we had a lot of turnovers (22) and we let them drive to the basket a little too much. But we had some good spurts and good contributions from some people off the bench.”

Manhattan (57)  — McAtee 4-6, 0-0, 8; Ehie 2-3, 5-7, 9; Bammes 1-3, 0-0, 2; Fiser 1-2, 0-1, 3; Mittie 2-3, 3-4, 8; Roberts 2-5, 1-2, 5; Thaemert 1-2, 0-0, 2; Henry 0-0, 2-2, 2; Wilson 3-7, 0-0, 6; Ballard 3-11, 0-0, 7; Hilgers 0-1, 0-0, 0; James 2-2, 1-2, 5. Totals — 21-46, 12-18, 57. 3-pointers — Fiser 1, Mittie 1, Ballard 1.

Valley Center (37) — Boese 1-2, 0-0, 2; Weavers 3-9, 2-2, 8; Richter 0-1, 0-0, 0; Reeves 4-17, 3-4, 12; Petrakis 0-2, 0-0, 0 Lawrence 0-2, 0-0, 0; Webber 2-10, 1-2, 7; Latimer 3-7, 2-6, 8. Totals — 13-50, 8-14, 37. 3-pointers — Webber 2, Reeves 1.

Olathe South overwhelms Hays in Classic opener

Kendall Shaw

No Kylee Kopatich, no problem for the Olathe South girls Thursday in the first round of the Mid America Classic.

Even without their potential Kansas Player of the Year candidate, out for the season with a knee injury, the Falcons looked every bit as strong as their three previous Classic championship teams with a 76-27 rout of Hays in the first game of the day.

The Falcons set the tone by making 10 of 14 shots in the first quarter to blow out to a 24-9 lead and didn’t pump the brakes in the second quarter, extending it to 44-16 at half. If that wasn't bad enough for Hays, South scored the first 20 points of the second half.

If form holds true, the Falcons will play Manhattan in what could be a sensational semifinal game Friday. The teams met last year in the Class 6A State Tournament third-place game with South winning 56-53.

For South coach Steve Ingram, there were few complaints about the opener.

"If you want to get picky, we didn't play as well defensively as I'd like to start the game," Ingram said. "But other than that, we did a lot of good things offensively. We share the ball really well and they look for each other and play hard for each other."

South, which is now 9-2 with both its losses to out-of-state teams, was led by Kala Holder with 21 points, 16 of those coming in the first half. The Falcons blistered it for 17 of 28 from the field.

Dejanae Roebuck added 12 points and Makayla Gooch chipped in with 11. South made 29 of 53 shots — a staggering 10 of 22 from 3-point — and committed just eight turnovers. 

Hays was led by Audra Schmeidler with nine points.

Olathe South (76) — Rehagen 3-7, 0-1, 7; Butaud 3-7, 0-0, 9; Gooch 4-7, 0-0, 11; Holder 9-13, 1-2, 21; Matje 0-2, 0-0, 0; Kennett 1-1, 2-2, 5; Duncan 2-4, 0-0, 4; Roebuck 5-6, 2-3, 12; Bartels 2-4, 2-2, 6; Morton 0-2, 1-2, 1. Totals — 29-53, 8-13, 76. 3-pointers — Butaud 3, Gooch 3, Holder 2, Rehagen 1, Kennett 1.

Hays (27) — Kleweno 1-6, 0-0, 2; Smith 1-6, 0-0, 2; Schlaefli 2-6, 2-2, 7; Russell 0-3, 0-0, 0; Taylor 0-1, 0-0, 0; Dinkel 1-2, 0-0, 2; Keller 1-3, 0-0, 2; Peckham 1-3, 1-4, 3; Schmeidler 4-8, 0-0, 9. Totals — 11-38, 3-6, 27. 3-pointers — Schklaefli 1, Schmeidler 1.

Follow the Mid America Classic on our website

Midkansasonline.com  will be posting stories after each of the games in this week’s Mid America Classic at the Roundhouse.

Make sure to check the website for updates. Kendall Shaw will be providing a game photo with the story.

CCC cagers on the road this weekend

Central Christian College’s basketball teams go back out on the road this weekend.

The Tiger teams load up to play at Central Baptist in Arkansas on Friday, then go to College of the Ozarks in Missouri on Saturday afternoon.

After opening MCAC play with three straight road losses, the Tiger men got well at home last weekend by sweeping games with Oklahoma Wesleyan and Haskell.

The Tigers are 12-7 overall, but have struggled on the road by going just 3-6.

Central Baptist is tied with Central Christian at 2-3 in the MCAC and is just 7-16 overall. Saturday’s opponent, College of the Ozarks, is ranked No. 15 in the country and in a four-way tie for second place at 3-2. Overall the Bobcats are 14-5.

The Lady Tigers are 1-4 in the MCAC, the win coming against Waldorf. Central Baptist occupies the MCAC cellar at 0-5, though it was 7-4 in nonconference play.

On Saturday, the Lady Tigers are matched against an Ozarks team that is ranked No. 19 nationally. The Lady Bobcats are 4-1 in the MCAC, 13-6 overall.

• STANDINGS •

Men

Bellevue, 4-1

College of the Ozarks, 3-2

York, 3-2

Waldorf, 3-2

Haskell, 3-2

Central Christian, 2-3

Central Baptist, 2-3

Oklahoma Wesleyan, 0-5

Women

Oklahoma Wesleyan, 5-0

College of St. Mary, 4-1

College of the Ozarks, 4-1

Haskell, 3-2

York, 2-3

Central Christian, 1-4

Waldorf, 1-4

Central Baptist, 0-5

Bethany men netters ranked No. 7

LINDSBORG — Bethany College’s high-powered men’s tennis team checks in at No. 7 in the NAIA preseason rankings announced Wednesday.

"The No. 7 ranking reflects as much about the current team as the hard work of the team the last few years in earning the respect of the rankers and the other teams in the nation. We appreciate the ranking but know we have to start over every year and have a lot of work ahead to hold the ranking or rise," Bethany coach Vic Bateman said.

A season ago, the Swedes finished with a 21-3 record and were perfect in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The team also made its first-ever appearance in the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championships. Bethany beat Marian University 8-1 in the first round before upsetting (7) Westmont College 5-3 in the second round of the NAIA National Championships. The Swedes held a 2-1 lead after the doubles portion of the quarterfinals, but Auburn University, Montgomery stormed back taking the next five points and the match before two competitions would finish.

Bethany will open its season on Feb. 27, at the Collin County Invitational College in Plano, Texas.

Mac College netters earn preseason honors

It appears a special season is ahead for the McPherson College tennis teams.

Both Bulldog teams made the NAIA Tennis Coaches preseason poll, the women at No. 24 and the men at No. 26.

"We are appreciative of the rankings that have been given to us by the raters," Mac coach Justin Stuckey said. "We know we have a lot of work ahead, but we're very excited about what we can do this season on both teams."

The women's team, which was No. 25 in the final poll of 2014, welcomes back five from the KCAC Championship team.  The returners are led by 2014 NAIA All-American Brooke Vorhees.  The senior is joined by her sister Nikki along with Brittany Gourlay, Claire Crossman, and Chandler Short.  Alexandra Moore is a non-starting returner.

Newcomers are Nadine Baquiran and Nikki Thornburg, transfers from Orange Coast College in California, and Deaih Curtis, who came to MC from Bethany College.

On the men's side, All-Americans Rafael Bulnes and Joan-Marc Fajula Rodriguez return as headliners. The duo qualified for the 2014 USTA/ITA National Small College Championships this past fall as Bulnes finished sixth individually and the tandem was fourth in doubles. 

Other returners include Allen Darmawan, Jaime Roman, Michael Irwin and Connor Schafer.

Stuckey has added depth as new to the team are Hector Carrillo, and mid-semester transfers Ahmed Lahlou, Pedro Ribes, Pablo Garcia, Puneet Dave, Jose Carillio, Hugo Ball-Greene and Gabriel Franca.

Mac opens Feb. 28 at Washburn.

Mac men sharp in rout of Bethel

McPherson College Sports Information

McPherson College men’s basketball coach Tim Swartzendruber told his team on Monday that this is “Revenge Week.”

And it started on Wednesday at the Sport Center when the Bulldogs avenged an earlier  loss to Bethel in rousing fashion, 80-61.

Mac outscored Bethel 27-17 over the final 10 minutes to seal the deal, after going through a stretch of games where it led late, only to somehow let it get away.

The Bulldogs snapped a four-game losing streak and are now 3-8 in the KCAC. They are in the eighth and final playoff spot at current time, with Bethel and Kansas Wesleyan a game back.

Mac plays Saturday at Kansas Wesleyan as it tries to complete its revenge week and open up some breathing room. The Bulldogs were stunned at home by the Coyotes last month.

Wednesday’s game was one of the best team efforts in a long time as it recorded 21 assists. While Darius Hill was an unstoppable monster with 30 points and 13 rebounds, it was performances by unheralded Louis Parker III, Kyle Lakin and Derek Bevan that were surprises.

Parker, undersized for an inside player at 6-2, scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds off the bench. Lakin may have had his best game in three years as a Bulldog as he didn’t miss a shot from the field or the line and scored 11 off the bench. Bevan, making a rare start, provided early energy and grabbed eight rebounds.

All in all, a good night in the eyes of Swartzendruber.

“We see some of that (good play) in practice every day,” he said. “I think the frustration has been that we just haven’t put a full game together. The most positive thing to me is that when Bethel made that run in the second half, we finally stepped up and made a few baskets in the second half.”

This was a wire-to-wire game as Mac never trailed. It was up 38-24 at the half, but scoring machine Adam Arciniega fueled a Thresher rally that pulled them as close as four. But back-to-back putbacks by Parker pushed it back out to eight and a later 8-0 run gave the Bulldogs their first non-stress finish in a long time.

TJ Grant had a big second half for the Bulldogs and finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. With Parker and Lakin chipping in, the Bulldogs had four players in double figures.

Arciniega scored 20 for the Threshers, but needed 19 shots to do it. Rodney Hill added 10.

Mac takes a 7-16 overall record to Salina on Saturday.

Mac (80) — Hill 30, Bevan 2, Henson 6, Grant 16, Crook 3, Lakin 11, Parker 12.

Bethel (61) — Alford 6, Kingsley 8, Goodwin 7, Arciniega 20, Hill 10, Long 2, Miller 8.

Mac women upset Bethel

McPherson College Sports Information

McPherson College’s women were 1-8 in their first go-around through the KCAC schedule.

On their second trip, they’re now 2-0.

The Bulldogs recorded back-to-back wins for the first time this season on Wednesday when they held off numerous rallies by Bethel for a 65-57 upset.

Mac is now 3-8 in the KCAC and tied with Saint Mary for the eighth and final spot. The two teams still have to meet at the Sport Center later in the season.

The Bulldogs nearly frittered away a 15-point second-half lead, but were saved late when Whitney Jefferson buried only her third 3-pointer of the year from the left corner that pushed a one-point lead out to four. Mac then closed it out by going 4 for 4 at the line in the final minute.

'That’s good to really put a full game together against a real quality opponent,” Mac coach Gordon Reimer said. “We’ve played halves and stretches where we’ve hung with good teams and tonight we showed some character.”

Mac led by as many as 12 points in the first half before settling for a 38-29 lead, then extended it out to 48-33 with 13 minutes to go. But the Bulldogs had one of their customary droughts and Bethel twice pulled within one, the last time at 58-57. It was at that point that Jefferson knocked down her clutch shot.

“She was due for one,” Reimer chuckled. “That was big, that was huge. I was happy for her.”

The Bulldogs rode Bailey Brown for 20 first-half points and she finished with 24. Lauren Ulrich scored 17 for Bethel, while April Harpe had 16, along with 12 rebounds.

A key, Reimer said, was that Mac basically was even on the boards and in turnovers, two areas that have plagued them this year.

The Bulldogs have a tough chore to make it three in a row when they travel Saturday to Salina to take on Reimer’s old team, Kansas Wesleyan. While at KW, Reimer had a three-year stretch where the Coyotes were 80-17, including a 31-3 record in 2010-11.

Mac (65) — G. Smart 9, Abra 4, Brown 24, S. Smart 7, Jefferson 9, Acklin 3, Atkins 3, Demaret 6.

Bethel (57) — Harpe 16, Durant 5, Ebenkamp 2, Ulrich 17, McKinney 2, Gerlach 7, Cahpple 2, Scott 3, Schunn 3.

Swedes sweep harrowing games with OU

LINDSBORG — It’s obvious that Bethany College’s men are a different basketball team with Gary Jones.

The springy 6-5 Jones, who had missed eight games because of an academic question that finally was resolved, scored the Swedes’ final eight points on Wednesday against Ottawa University, as they stunned the Braves with a late rally, 85-83. Jones had two traditional 3-point plays in his personal run.

OU led 83-77 with 2:46 left, but would never score again.

“This was a very hard-fought win at home. In the last 3 minutes we got some key stops and then came down, made plays and finished them," Bethany coach Clair Oleen said. “We battled foul trouble, we battled through guys not playing well, but these guys stuck together and trusted each other down the stretch. This team demonstrated a great will to win and showed a lot of resolve."

Jones, who was headed for first-team KCAC honors at the time of his issue, finished with 23 points and eight rebounds off the bench in 28 minutes.

The victory leaves the Swedes a game back of KCAC sole leader Tabor, which clipped Friends on Wednesday to assume possession of first at 9-2. Friends, Bethany and Saint Mary are all 8-3, while Southwestern is lurking at 7-4.

Nathan Coleman tallied 17 points for the Swedes, while Larry McLin had 13, Devin Smith 12 and Cody Harris 10. 

Adam Hasty was marvelous in defeat with 32 points to lead the Braves, including a six-pack of 3-pointers. Preston Oakes had 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Marshon Norfleet scored 11. Ottawa played without 6-9 starting center Alex Lundry, out with a concussion.

The Swedes, 16-6 overall, play Saturday at Bethel.

Bethany (85) — Huskey 8, McLin 13, Harris 10, Coleman 17, Smith 12, Gidson 2, Jones 23.

Ottawa (83) — Nichols 7, Oakes 18, O’Con 6, Ad. Hasty 32, Norfleet 11, Al. Hasty 4, Falk 2, Stackhouse 3.

• BETHANY WOMEN 70, OTTAWA 69 — It had to happen sooner or later.

The Bethany College women ended their 14-game losing streak when Royce Shields scored on an old-fashioned 3-point play with 6.8 seconds left.

It was the Swedes’ first KCAC win after 11 losses and they are 2-21 overall.

Shields scored 24 points for Bethany, while Tiffani Jackson had a career night with 16 points off the bench. Adriane Davis chipped in with 13.

“I thought we were very solid offensively for the first 10 to 12 minutes, but we just didn't seem to have the same aggressiveness and energy on defense that we have had the last three or four games,” Bethany coach Brett Morehouse said. “We seemed to be losing all the 50-50 balls and we were just getting pushed around under the basket. I challenged them to play with more heart and more intensity in the second half and they responded.”

Ashley Romig powered her way to 22 points and nine rebounds to lead the Braves. It was a crushing loss for Ottawa, as it’s now 7-4 in the KCAC and probably never saw this one coming.

Bethany plays Saturday at Bethel, which was upset Wednesday by McPherson College.

Bethany (70) — Ahaneku 2, Davis 13, Shields 24, Chanco 9, Cleveland 4, Stewart 2, Jackson 16.

Ottawa (69) — Romig 22, Grammer 1, Skidmore 17, Stewart 13, Hodison 10, Strader 2, Boden 4.