By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
A barnburner befitting the War on 24 went the way of host Silver Lake Tuesday 71-68, with Dayne Johnson – a fixture in the rivalry – bouncing back from a miserable first half to lead all scorers with 21 points.
Senior Dayne Johnson (2) led Silver Lake with 21 points in Tuesday's 71-68 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Johnson hit just one of seven attempts in the first half and was visibly frustrated by his inability to get untracked. His teammates picked up the slack, giving the Eagles a 19-12 lead after one period.
Junior Camden Kruger (0) gave Silver Lake scored 18 points in Tuesday's 71-68 War on 25 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“Dayne’s a great player, but I feel like we have so many players who can make plays, many players who can do the right play at the right time,” said junior Camden Kruger, who chipped in 10 points in the first half to lead Silver Lake. “I think that a big thing that we focus on in our program is adversity. We had to know that we were going to respond as a team and how we’re going to do it together.”
With Johnson struggling, Rossville roared back to close the half trailing just 33-31. Seniors Cameron Miller and Jack Donovan tossed in 11 points apiece in the first half.
Silver Lake came out on fire after the half with Johnson leading the way. The senior attacked the rim onnearly every possession, and scored 12 of the Eagles’ 24 points to build a 57-50 lead.
But Rossville just wouldn’t back down. With their backs to the wall, Rossville hit three three-pointers in the final couple of minutes of the game to cut the lead to 71-68 before time ran out.
“No surprise,” Silver Lake coach Shannon Kruger said of Rossville. “They’re really good. They’ve got really good players, they’re well coached and they’ve got the combination of skill with just super competitive.”
The Eagles got 21 points – 18 in the second half – from Johnson and 18 from Camden Kruger. Hunter Rooks and Joel Miller added 10 apiece. Silver Lake hit an efficient 24-45 from the field and 15-21 from the line.
“I thought a lot of guys played well,” Shannon Kruger said. “A lot of these guys contributed last year with, you know, a couple of minutes here or there. We have to have these guys who were JV guys last year, quote-unquote, step up. And man, a lot of them did tonight.”
“I’ll be honest, it was probably the worst half of my life,” Johnson said. “I was a little down on myself, but my teammates made plays, kept us in it, and then second half I got back in my rhythm and made some plays.
“This rivalry, I think it’s the best in Kansas. Both communities show out every game. The stands were packed, the fans were loud, and it was just a great game.”
Silver Lake has some more tests ahead, thanks to a berth in the Flurry on Flush tournament at Rock Creek High School Thursday through Saturday. The test begins with a game against Hesston, winners of four of the last five Class 3A state titles.
“Hesston has been doing it for a long time at a high level and it’s going to be a fun challenge,” Shannon Kruger said. “I know these guys will compete. They get to play instead of practice, right? Which I love too, but the coaches kind of enjoy the practice. The guys love to play. So, it’ll be fun.”
Things don’t get much easier at Rock Creek after the opening contest. If the Eagles defeat Hesston, they will face 5A Hays. If they lose to Hesston, the Eagles will draw 4A Hayden. Other teams in the field are Manhattan CHIEF, Buhler, Eudora, Goodland and the host Rock Creek.
SILVER LAKE BOYS 71, ROSSVILLE 68
Rossville 12 19 19 18 -- 68
Silver Lake 19 14 24 14 -- 71
Rossville (2-2 0-1) – McDonnell 7-18 1-4 17, Donovan 6-11 5-7 19, Horgan 4-8 0-0 8, Miller 8-17 0-0 17, Johnson 0-0 0-2 0, Bush 2-3 0-0 5, Lewis 1-1 0-0 2, Dick 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-28 6-13 68.
Silver Lake (4-0, 1-0) – Kruger 6-11 3-4 18, Johnson 7-15 7-9 21, Rooks 3-5 2-3 10, Bergmann 1-1 0-0 2, Miller 4-4 1-3 10, Kraus 2-6 2-2 7, Womack 0-2 0-0 0, Renfroe 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 24-45 15-21 71.
3-point goals – Rossville 6 (McDonnel 2, Donovan 2, Miller 1, Bush 1) Silver Lake 8 (Kruger 3, Rooks 2, Miller 1, Kraus 1, Renfroe 1). Total fouls – Rossville 20, Silver Lake 18. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
