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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
HUTCHINSON -- A much-anticipated meeting between Silver Lake and Hayden finally happened Friday in a Class 3A state semifinal in Hutchinson.
A tight battle gradually shifted in favor of Silver Lake, with the Eagles winning 64-49 to advance Saturday's state title game.
Silver Lake senior Makenzie McDaniel scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Eagles advanced to the Class 3A title game with a 64-49 win over Hayden. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Silver Lake preserved their undefeated record at 25-0 and will face Hesston on Saturday at 6:15 p.m. The Eagle seniors will be taking their fourth crack at a title. They finished third two years ago and fourth last year.
Hayden and Silver Lake traded leads back and forth throughout the first half, the biggest lead coming when Hayden pulled out to a five-point advantage late in the second period. But Silver Lake responded with a 10-3 run to close out the period with a 29-27 lead.
Amelia Ramsey was Hayden’s top weapon in the first two periods, battling to 11 first-half points. Silver Lake was led in the first half by Kaibryn Kruger with nine.
“Hayden played extremely well,” said Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter. “They have some extremely skilled bigs who can not only kill you inside but also stretch you outside. You saw that with Ramsey tonight. I thought she was phenomenal.
“First half, I thought we gave up some easy second-chance points. From then on, we did limit their second-chance opportunities. That was big.”
Silver Lake stretched its lead to 46-38 in the third period and the Eagles owned the early part of the fourth period, starting with a 12-0 run and finishing with a 64-49 win.
Silver Lake recorded 19 assists on their 23 baskets.
“The second half belonged to (us playing) team basketball,” Porter said. “With our team, you can’t just stop one player. When teams over-compensate and put two on one, we’ve got to be able to find the open man and finish. And they’ve been able to do that for four years.”
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- An outstanding third quarter, coupled with late-game poise and clutch free throw shooting added up to a Class 5A title shot for Seaman girls.
Seaman's bench celebrates the Vikings' 49-45 Class 5A state semifinal win over Andover Friday in Emporia. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Seaman's players exchange hugs after Friday's 49-45 Class 5A semifinal win over Andover. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Seaman, which improved to 22-2 on the season, used a 23-7 third quarter to take a double-digit lead and survived a furious rally from top seed and previously-unbeaten Andover to take a 49-45 semifinal victory Friday at White Auditorium.
"We're a veteran group, we're a composed group,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "It's kind of like the game got tighter and, 'Hey, we'll step up and hit our free throws,' and that's what we did.''
The Vikings will face Maize South at 6:15 p.m. Saturday, with Seaman looking for its first girls state championship since 1991. Maize South (23-1) advanced with a 55-47 win over Emporia.
"My quote in the locker room before the game was, 'We didn't come this far just to come this far.' '' Tinsley said. "We know we're going to have a tough team to play tomorrow, but hey, this is great. This is the ultimate high school experience and we're just enjoying every minute of it.''
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- A year ago, Highland Park felt like it made some uncharacterisic mistakes down the stretch that opened the door for Andover to take a last-second, one-point semifinal win on the way to the the Class 5A state championship.
Highland Park junior Ja'Corey Robinson had 20 points and 12 rebounds in Friday's 67-64 overtme loss to Kapaun Mt. Carmel. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
HIghland Park junior Mikey Williams scored 20 points, including an 8 of 9 performance at the free throw line, in the Scots' 67-64 overtime loss to Kapaun Mt. Carmel. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Conversely, Mike Williams' Scots played well enough to win Friday's semifinal but Kapaun Mt. Carmel came through with just enough big plays down the stretch to advance to its second straight 5A title game with a 67-74 overtime win at White Auditorium.
"When you get to this time of the year that's what you ask for,'' Williams said of Friday's nailbiter. "You ask for the kids to compete hard, the moment is going to be big and there's going to be a lot at stake and all you can ask is that your kids leave it out there and give it their all and we did that.
"A couple of bounces didn't go our way, a couple of bounces went their way and that's the beautiful thing about the game and that's what you put in the time for. That's a good team in that other locker room. They're coached really, really well. They don't give up and they did all that was necessary to win this game.''
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Despite being the lower seed, the Hayden girls showed on Thursday they belong amongst the best in Class 3A, totally shutting down Olathe-Heritage Christian Academy.
The 48-33 win Thursday propelled the Wildcats into a much-anticipated match with Silver Lake on Friday.
Junior Amelia Ramsey scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in Hayden's 48-33 Class 3A state tournament win over Heritage Christian. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden's bench celebrates during Thursday's 48-33 Class 3A state tournament win over Heritage Christian. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
The Wildcat defense completely overwhelmed the fourth-seeded Chargers for three periods, including shutting them out in the first quarter to grab an 11-0 lead.
After three periods, Hayden led 38-13 and only a late rally by the Chargers made the game appear at all competitive.
“I loved our intensity coming out,” said Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson. “I would like to have seen a little better execution on the offensive end. We were so hyped up I don’t think we took the time on offense to be as good as we can be.”
Hayden hit 41 percent from the field and turned the ball over 20 times, leaving some feelings of frustration despite the lopsided win, particularly after Heritage Christian cut into Hayden’s wide margin.
“The letdown came from us getting a little sloppy. But they’ll be OK,” Reynoldson said. “We’ve been through a lot of tough challenges this year and been fine. We’ll do better.”
Hayden senior Lauren Sandstrom, who averaged 13 points on the season but frequently scores 20 or more, was held to six points – just two in the first half.
“We need Lauren to play a good offensive game,” Reynoldson said. “Recently a game like that is really rare for her. So I expect her to come back tomorrow and have a great game.”
With the Chargers bottling up their leading scorer, the Wildcats looked to others to step up. Junior Amelia Ramsey, a mid-season transfer, came to the rescue.
Ramsey has had to make a quick adjustment to her new team. As her level of comfort grows, so does her production.
“It feels great to be able to help my team, especially coming in and being new,” Ramsey said. “I know that when I came, I was a little bit nervous. But everybody was super nice and welcoming to me and surrounded me with love. I didn’t feel like the outsider. I already knew a couple of (Hayden players) so it was just a matter of learning the offenses. They made it really easy and were patient.”
Ramsey converted 7-10 shots and 5-5 free throws to lead all scorers with 20 points. She also hauled in 14 rebounds, including four offensive boards.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Silver Lake steamrolled Haven in the opening round of the Class 3A girls state tournament, 75-38, setting up a semifinal meeting on Friday with Hayden.
Senior McKinley Kruger scored 18 points on six 3-pointers, helping Silver Lake advance to the Class 3A semifinals with a 75-38 first-round win over Haven. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Senior Makenzie McDaniel scored 18 points to tie for team-high honors in Thursday's 75-28 Class 3A state win over Haven. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
The Silver Lake seniors were playing their eighth state tournament game, having qualified for the tournament every year of their careers.
They certainly appeared comfortable in the Hutchinson Sports Arena, with the Eagles hitting 10 of their 18 shots in the first quarter.
Senior McKinley Kruger set the tone by knocking down three 3-pointers in the period and all five starters scored in the opening period as Silver Lake jumped out to a 24-5 lead.
The second period was just like the first, with Silver Lake outscoring Haven 17-8 to build a 41-13 halftime lead.
“I think our girls were loose but also locked in and focused,” said Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter. “The first half went about as well as we could have expected. That’s a testament to our experience and our level of our focus with our senior group.”
Porter said he wasn’t surprised to see Kruger come up big early, noting Haven’s defensive strategy left them vulnerable to the outside shot. He said Kruger has been hitting better than 50 percent from beyond the arc for the past several weeks.
“Coming into the game, we weren’t quite sure what they were going to do defensively,” Porter said. “They started off playing man. We wanted to attack the scoring area and then take what the defense gave us.
“McKinley is a knock-down shooter and when she’s locked in, she’s really tough.”
“I’m glad I got those off at the start because once I get started and get hot, it’s usually going to be a good game,” Kruger said. “I’ve been practicing hard with my team, and we all know our roles and do our best to fill those.”
