By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The new-era Seaman girls recorded their first win Tuesday, blasting visitor Lansing 65-18 in a home United Kansas Conference contest.
Freshman Baylee Ayres led Seaman with 14 points in Tuesday's 65-18 UKC win over Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Vikings, who are replacing four starters and a ton of production from last year’s state runnerup, rebounded from a tough loss in the season opener against Piper last Tuesday.
“It’s good to get the smiles again,” Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. “I told the girls, ‘Show me that you learned from the first game. Show me that you learned from the practices we had after that.' And I thought the girls did that tonight. I saw a lot of growth just in those few practices we had and that game.”
The Vikings’ rebuilding effort took a step forward with a big second half. Shots started falling and newcomers got in the groove. Junior Brynn Spencer and freshman Kallie Zurmely combined to knock down five of six attempts from beyond the arc after halftime.
But it was another freshman, Baylee Ayres, who led the Vikings in scoring with 14 after not even playing in the first period. After recording four points in the loss to Piper, Ayers connected on five of seven field goal attempts and four of six free throws against Lansing.
“It’s not a surprise,” Tinsley said of Ayers. “We see her effort in practice. She gave us a nice lift. She brings a lot of energy, she’s athletic, and she plays that to her strengths. She’ll continue to get better with confidence.”
The Vikings were hoping to get right against an opponent who had been blown out in its first two outings. But the Lions hung around for more than 13 minutes before it got away. After Seaman ran out to a 13-2 lead, Lansing fought back. By scoring nine points early in the second quarter, Lansing cut the Seaman lead to 17-13. That point total eclipsed the Lions’ average of 10 points from their first two losses.
Seaman responded to the threat by running off 13 unanswered points to extend its halftime lead to 30-13.
Nine different Vikings scored, with four players tallying at least nine points. But it was the defense that produced the rout. Seaman swarmed the Lions, allowing the visitors just one field goal in the second half. In fact, Lansing was permitted just 20 field goal attempts in the contest, of which they hit just six.
Senior Maddie Gragg (32) scored 12 points for Seaman in Tuesday's 65-18 UKC win over Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
For senior Maddie Gragg, a key contributor to back-to-back tournament runs, getting the win helped ease the pain of the rocky start.
“It was rough from the beginning,” Gragg said of the ongoing transition. “I think the first game, everybody was just really nervous. But I think this game was definitely better for us because it’s a lower level (of competition) and everyone got to step up to the plate and score and contribute to it.”
Gragg said she thinks that if the Vikings can perfect their play on defense, the offense will come.
“We’re getting there,” Gragg said. “We’re working really hard in practice. (Coach) Tinsley’s standards are higher than last year.”
“The message has been, ‘No one is going to feel sorry for you,’ ” Tinsley said. “We got popped (in the first game). How are you going to respond back to it?’
“The girls did a good job. A lot of these girls, it’s the first time touching the varsity floor. So I know there’s going to be some growing pains. But when you have a good night, when you see it go in, you know, everything looks good, right?”
SEAMAN GIRLS 65, LANSING 18
Lansing 4 9 3 2 -- 18
Seaman 13 17 23 12 -- 65
Lansing (0-3, 0-1) – Frederick 1-2 0-0 2, Schneider 3-12 4-6 10, McLilly 0-1 1-2 1, Diaz 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Swinson 2-5 0-0 5, Tanner 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 6-20 5-8 18.
Seaman (1-1, 1-1) – Ketron 0-1 0-0 0, Dreher 1-3 0-2 2, Beaton 4-9 1-2 11, Puvogel 0-4 2-2 2, Gragg 5-15 1-1 12, Frickey 2-4 1-2 6, Spencer 3-5 0-0 9, Zurmely 2-8 0-0 6, Ayres 5-7 4-6 14, Bruns 1-2 0-0 3, Alfen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 23-58 9-15 65.
3-point goals – Lansing 1 (Swinson 1) Seaman 10 (Spencer 3, Beaton 2, Zurmely 2, Frickey 1, Gragg 1, Bruns 1). Total fouls – Lansing 12, Seaman 8. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.
