By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After starting the 2021-2022 season 3-12, Hayden's boys basketball team ended its season Saturday with a fourth-place finish in the Class 4A state tournament.
The Wildcats, who upset top seed Eudora in the first round of the state tourney, dropped a 37-33 decision to McPherson in Saturday's third-place game at Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina.
Hayden, which finished with a 10-15 record, trailed McPherson (15-10) by just two points at the end of the first quarter but the Bullpups used a 13-5 second quarter to take a 20-10 halftime advantage.
The Wildcats cut their deficit to five points (27-22) by the start of the fourth quarter but were unable to get over the hump down the stretch.
Senior Trent Duffey led Hayden with 11 points while junior Jake Muller added 10 points and junior Joe Otting seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Seth Madron led McPherson with a game-high 12 points.
McPHERSON 37, HAYDEN 33
McPherson 7 13 7 10 -- 37
Hayden 5 5 12 11 -- 33
McPherson (15-10) -- O. Pyle 0-1 1-2 1, Muehler 1-7 1-2 4, Madron 3-9 6-11 12, Kanitz 1-3 5-6 8, Miller 3-7 1-2 7, Feil 1-1 0-0 3, G. Pyle 0-1 0-0 0, Myers 0-0 0-0 0, Becker 0-1 0-0 0, Thompson 0-0 0-1 0, Wedel 0-0 0-0 0, Ediger 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 10-32 14-24 37.
Hayden (10-15) - Bartlett 0-3 0-0 0, Muller 2-9 5-6 10, Scott 0-0 0-0 0, Duffey 2-7 6-7 11, Otting 2-5 3-6 7, Foster 1-4 0-0 2, Ridley 0-0 0-0 0, Ham 0-0 0-0 0, Alfonsi 0-2 0-0 0, Gorman 1-2 0-0 3, Rice 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 8-33 14-19 33.
3-point goals -- McPherson 3-(Muehler, Kanitz, Feil); Hayden 3 (Muller, Duffey, Gorman). Total fouls -- McPherson 17, Hayden 20. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.