By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- Highland Park was within a shot here or a missed free throw there to a perfect end to a perfect season Saturday in White Auditorium.
Highland Park senior Ja'Corey Robinson (23) scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Saturday's 58-55 OT loss to Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the Class 5A state final. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
But for the second straight season, Kapaun Mt. Carmel came up with just enough plays down the stretch to end the Scots' Class 5A championship hopes, with the Crusaders rallying from a nine-point halftime deficit to outlast Highland Park 58-55 in overtime to claim their second straight state title.
"We had some chances and heart was never a question for our guys,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said. "I think they showed that time and time again and I think they showed that again tonight. All you really ask for a chance to win that thing late and I think we had a chance at the end of regulation and had a really good chance at the end of the overtime and that's a testament to the kids.
"They fought, they scrapped. We got down eight late in the fourth and they did not give up. Obviously we would have liked that it came out a little bit differently, but I will not knock our guys' fight and how they approached the game and how they played buzzer to buzzer all night long.''
Kapaun, which finished off a 22-3 season with its 17th straight win, had topped Hi Park 67-64 in OT in a classic 2024 semifinal en route to the championship before another thriller in Saturday's title tilt.
"My teams have played Topeka Highland Park three times -- once at Wichita South and twice here -- and every game went to overtime,'' Kapaun coach Steve Eck said. "The guys don't give up. We're down by nine at halftime and they just didn't give up. We beat a really good team.
"Highland Park is really talented and if you told me we'd be down nine at halftime and come back and win it I would have thought you were crazy, but at one time (early in the season) we were 5-3.''
Highland Park (24-1) jumped out to a 9-4 lead on the way to a 15-10 first-quarter advantage and led by 10 early in the second before taking a 27-18 advantage to the locker room at halftime.
Kapaun still trailed by nine (31-22) at the 5:18 mark of the third quarter but the Crusaders closed the period with a 16-4 run, including the final eight points, to take a 38-35 lead into the fourth.
The Crusaders eventually went up 48-40 on a Blaise Dalian 3-pointer, but Highland Park scored the final eight points of regulation, tying the game at 48 on a Ja'Corey Robinson hoop with 37.9 seconds left.
Robinson missed a free throw for the potential 3-point play that would have put the Scots in front, but Kapaun's Corbin Johnson missed a point-blank layup out at the end of regulation to send the game to OT.
The Crusaders never trailed after a Rocco Keller bucket to open the extra session and led by six (55-49) with just 33.6 seconds remaining, but Highland Park fought back to give itself a chance.
Robinson hit a huge 3-pointer and was fouled with 5.3 seconds left, but missed the free throw, leaving Kapaun up 56-55.
Johnson hit two free throws for Kapaun with 4.2 seconds remaining before Robinson's potential game-tying 3 bounced away at the buzzer, ending the game.
Highland Park senior Mikey Williams scored 11 points in Saturday's 58-55 OT loss to Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the Class 5A state final. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Robinson led all scorers with 26 points and registered a double-double with 12 rebounds while Mikey Williams, who went over the 1,000-point mark for his career on Friday, added 11 points.
Highland Park had a tough shooting night from the field -- 33.3 overall (20 of 60) and 29.2 percent (7 of 24) from 3 -- and also struggled at the free throw line, missing 10 of 18 opportunities.
Keller and Johnson scored 16 points apiece for Kapaun while Corey Daniels and Dalian added 11 each.
KAPAUN MT. CARMEL BOYS 58, HIGHLAND PARK 55 (OT)
Kapaun Mt. Carmel 10 8 20 10 10 -- 58
Highland Park 15 12 8 13 7 -- 55
Kapaun Mt. Carmel (22-3) -- Keller 7-11 1-1 16, Daniels 3-3 5-6 11, Herlocker 0-1 0-0 0, Dalian 4-8 2-2 11, Johnson 5-14 5-7 16, Maingu 1-1 0-0 2, Porter 1-7 0-0 2, Rapp 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-45 13-16 58.
Highland Park (24-1) -- Wilson 2-7 0-0 5, Hales 2-9 0-0 6, Kelley 1-1 2-2 4, Williams 4-14 2-4 11, Robinson 10-22 3-8 26, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Jones 0-2 1-4 1, Kingcannon 1-5 0-0 2, Montgomery 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-60 8-18 55.
3-point shots -- Kapaun Mt. Carmel 3-17 (Keller 1-2, Dalian 1-4, Johnson 1-5, Porter 0-5, Herlocker 0-1), Highland Park 7-24 (Robinson 3-7, Hales 2-9, Wilson 1-1, Williams 1-4, Kingcannon 0-3). Total fouls -- Kapaun Mt. Carmel 15, Highland Park 21. Fouled out -- Wilson, Williams. Technical fouls -- none.
CLASS 5A BOYS STATE BASKETBALL
Saturday's results
Third place -- Piper 69, Andover 57
Championship -- Kapaun Mt. Carmel 58, Highland Park 55 (OT)
