By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Veteran Shawnee Heights boys basketball coach Ken Darting saw a lot to like out of his T-Birds in Wednesday's 61-54 home United Kansas Conference win over Basehor-Linwood.
Senior Jaret Sanchez scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Wednesday's 61-54 Shawnee Heights home UKC win over Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Deacon Pomeroy (1) scored 18 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds in Wednesday's home 61-54 UKC win over Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But the way the sixth-ranked (Class 5A) T-Birds finished the game wasn't one of those things.
Shawnee Heights, which improved to 15-3 overall and 11-3 in the UKC, trailed just once on the night (8-7 midway through the first quarter) and led by 10 points (36-26) at the half, by nine (51-42) at the end of the third quarter and by as many as 14 points (61-47) with 2:16 remaining before the Bobcats (8-9, 6-7) scored the final seven points of the game.
"We played consistent, built the lead, built the lead and led by 14 and then we're going to shoot quick and we're going to miss free throws and we miss layups and you don't finish the deal,'' Darting said. "And that's how you win states or sub-states is finishing the deal.
"I liked most of it, but we just didn't finish.''
Senior Jaret Sanchez led Shawnee Heights with 19 points and also grabbed eight rebounds while senior Deacon Pomeroy added 18 points with a game-high nine boards and junior Da'Quan Lee had eight points off the bench.
Senior Micah Gibbs led three double-figure scorers for Basehor-Linwood with 14 points while senior Breckin McBride added 13 points (three 3-pointers) and senior Peyton Brown 12. The Bobcats scored 24 of their 54 points on eight 3-pointers.
And apart from the finish, Darting was happy with how the T-Birds played against what he considers a talented Basehor-Linwood team.
"They shoot it, they're big,'' Darting said of the Bobcats. "They're for real, I'm telling you. They can beat any team in the state. I'm going to say there's 10 and possibly 12 teams in the 5A this year that could win it all and Basehor could be one of them.''
Shawnee Heights will be back at home Friday for a UKC contest against Kansas City-Turner.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS BOYS 61, BASEHOR-LINWOOD 54
Basehor-Linwood 14 12 16 12 -- 54
Shawnee Heights 17 19 15 10 -- 61
Basehor-Linwood (8-9, 6-7) – Gibbs 4-4 6-7 14, Hofer 1-3 0-0 3, McBride 5-11 0-2 13, Morrison 1-6 0-0 3, P. Brown 4-8 4-5 12, E. Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Orton 2-3 0-0 6, Calvert 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 18-37 10-14 54.
Shawnee Heights (15-3, 11-3) – Cook 2-4 0-0 5, Pomeroy 4-9 8-9 18, Sanchez 6-15 6-10 19, Alston 2-4 1-2 5, Emmot 2-10 2-3 6, Ross 0-3 0-0 0, Lee 4-5 0-0 8. Totals 20-50 17-24 61.
3-point goals – Basehor-Linwood 8 (McBride 3, Orton 2, Hofer, Morrison, Calvert), Shawnee Heights 4 (Pomeroy 2, Sanchez, Cook). Total fouls – Basehor-Linwood 20, Shawnee Heights 11. Fouled out – P. Brown, Sanchez. Technical fouls – none.
