By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
The semifinal round of the Class 5A sub-state playoffs began Tuesday night as the Seaman Vikings hosted the Valley Center Hornets.
Senior Griffin Zuniga tied for game-high scoring honors with 19 points in Seaman's 73-51 sub-state win over Valley Center. [File photo/TSN]
Senior KaeVon Bonner tied for game-high scoring honors with 19 points in Seaman's 73-51 sub-state win over Valley Center. [File photo/TSN]
Tuesday's game was a rematch from the semifinals of sub-state last season when the Hornets upset the Vikings 68-61 in overtime. Tuesday's first half may have been a reminder of last year’s contest, but Seaman dominated the second half and won the game, 73-51.
The game began with a personal 5-0 run by Seaman senior Matthew McConnaughey over the first two minutes before Valley Center finally scored with a 3-pointer by junior Evan Chavez. Seaman had a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 12-3.
The teams played even for the remainder of the quarter and senior KaeVon Bonner hit a buzzer beating layup to give the Vikings a 23-15 at the end of one quarter.
As the second quarter began, the Hornets responded with a 9-2 run of their own with three 3-pointers, cutting the Vikings' lead to 25-24. Seaman seniors Bonner and Griffin Zuniga scored baskets to extend the Viking lead to 29-24, but Valley Center battled back to trail by only two at the half, 35-33.
The Hornets stayed close in the first half by hitting 7-14 from the 3-point line.
“When a guy hits a three, you have to adjust. When he hits two threes, you have to make a big adjustment and we weren’t doing that,'' Cox said. "We were sitting back, daring them to shoot and they kept making them.”
Another aspect of the close game at the half was the outcome of last year’s game creeping into the minds of the Vikings.
“We came in with a chip on our shoulder and had to come out with a good mindset and energy,” Zuniga said.
Bonner also referenced last year’s outcome.
“We lost to them in the same exact spot and I had been zero for three in sub-state, but it was nice to get this first win,” Bonner said.
“We came into that game last year with a false sense of security after beating them in the mid-season tournament,'' Cox said. "They played a really good game and beat us, so I reminded our guys about their team this year, how pesky they were and how close they’ve played against tough 6A schools like Wichita Heights and Maize.”
The first four minutes of the third quarter removed all doubt of who would be victorious as Seaman scored the first 11 points with the last four coming on back-to-back steals and dunks by Bonner. Valley Center called a timeout, trailing 46-33.
The Vikings went on to extend their lead to a then game-high 15 points (54-39) on a 3-pointer by senior Cameron Brian.
The Hornets responded with their first and only 3-pointer of the third quarter to cut the lead to 54-42. Senior Landon Wiltz responded with a three-pointer of his own to end the quarter with Seaman leading 57-42.
The fourth quarter saw the Vikings extend their lead to over 20 points and they emptied their bench with just under two minutes remaining, advancing to Friday's sub-state final with the 22-point victory.
“I thought we played well all around,'' Bonner said. "A lot of people stepped up in the first quarter and even though I didn’t knock down my shots, I was able to find my teammates for baskets.”
“I think it was a great win,'' Zuniga said. "We played well as a team, made good passes and everything was fun for us.”
Bonner and Zuniga led the four Vikings who finished in double figures with 19 points each. Brian scored 12 and Wiltz dropped in 11. The other senior starter, McConnaughey, just missed double figures with nine.
Valley Center was led by three players in double figures -- sophomore Cage Newton and junior Evan Chavez with 16 points apiece and junior Ramone Logan with 11 points.
Seaman will host fifth-seeded Hays, which defeated Goddard-Eisenhower 66-51, on Friday night at 6 p.m. with a trip to the state quarterfinals on the line.
SEAMAN 73, VALLEY CENTER 51
Valley Center 15 18 9 9 — 51
Seaman 23 12 22 16 — 73
Valley Center (10-14) -- Jamolod 1-4 1-2 3, Bailey 0-4 0-0 0, Looney 1-4 1-2 3, Logan 3-9 4-4 11, Chavez 6-13 0-0 16, Nyimbo 0-0 0-0 0, Newton 6-11 0-0 16, Tucker 1-1 0-0 2, Duncan 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 18-48 5-6 51.
Seaman (20-4) -- Wiltz 4-8 0-0 11, McConnaughey 4-7 1-4 9, Zuniga 6-8 6-8 19, Brian 4-6 1-2 12, Bonner 8-12 3-4 19, Martin 0-0 0-0 0, Molden 0-0 0-0 0, Ralph 0-0 0-0 0, Scholes 1-1 1-2 3, Becker 0-1 0-2 0, Esser 0-0 0-0 0, LaRosh 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-43 17-22 73.
3-point goals -- Valley Center 10 (Chavez 4, Newton 4, Jamolod, Logan), Seaman 7 (Wiltz 3, Brian 3, Zuniga). Total Fouls -- Valley Center 15, Seaman 10. Fouled out - Logan. Technical fouls -- none.
