By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Shawnee Heights boys survived a knock-down-drag-out Class 5A sub-state battle with St. Thomas Aquinas 49-42 Saturday night to earn a return trip to the Class 5A state tournament.
Shawnee Heights senior standout Jaret Sanchez cuts down the nets after Saturday's 49-42 Class 5A sub-state win over St. Thomas Aquinas. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Shawnee Heights poses for a team picture after Saturday's 49-42 Class 5A sub-state win over St. Thomas Aquinas. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
The T-Birds utilized a new defense to stymie the Saints in the first half. In a low scoring struggle, Shawnee Heights held the visitors scoreless for all but 2.7 seconds of the second period to build a 16-10 halftime lead.
The T-Birds led by as many as nine points in the third period, and as many as 10 midway through the fourth period. But the Saints wouldn’t fold. They closed to within three points with just under two minutes remaining. But Shawnee Heights held on to punch their ticket for the state tournament, which tips off next Wednesday at Emporia’s White Auditorium.
“We’re feeling great. We know that hard work pays off,” said Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez. “But now it starts over here. The new season has begun.”
Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting prepared his team for just such a moment as this.
“This is the first time we played zone all year,” Darting said. “It might be about the fifth time in the history of my 50 years, but we’ve been practicing it all year for this game and for the state.”
“Coach (Darting) said back at Christmas break that the 3-2 and 2-3 zone is going to win us the state,” said Sanchez. “We saw that in the first round, (Aquinas) struggled against zone. So, we just knew that we were going to come out here and play it to the best of our ability.”
Aquinas was limited to eight first quarter points, and two in the second quarter. They scored 14 and 18 in the next two periods, but Darting pointed out that 15 of the Saints’ 42 points came from the free throw line. The Saints took just 37 field goal attempts in the contest.
“Everyone of their guys takes it to the rim.,” Darting said of Aquinas. “And we don’t have five on-ball defenders. We have two and maybe some days three. So, we we're going to be hurt somewhere. We had to keep them out of the paint. Our zone was terrific.”
Leading the T-Birds in scoring was junior Ontarius Emmot with 15. Sanchez followed with 14.
Shawnee Heights enters the state tournament with the benefit of experience, having qualified for the event a year ago. But that wasn’t a positive experience. In the first round of last year’s tournament, Piper mounted a 14-1 run to finish the game against the T-Birds with a 72-71 victory.
“Last year sucked, man, just knowing we were so close to making it happen,” Sanchez said. “Now this year, we just have to learn from our mistakes. We’ve got experience. Now we’re just going to go down there and just play our hardest.”
Darting said there is no clear 5A frontrunner this year.
“I would say that five or six of the eight going could win state. It’s wide open,” Darting said. “So, it’s just a matter of going down and playing good and finding out.
“I know this. I’ve been in a lot of state tournaments, and it’s always easier when you’ve been there. You know what’s going to happen, from eating to sleeping, who the players are, and what that feeling is that you’re going to have. So, it’s going to be a positive the second time around, just from having been there. But that ain’t going to win any games for you.”
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS BOYS 49, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 42
Aquinas 8 2 14 18 -- 42
Shawnee Heights 7 9 17 16 -- 49
St. Thomas Aquinas (14-8) – Smith 3-7 6-6- 13, Burton 3-13 1-2 7, Yankovich 1-6 2-2 4, Bernart 3-4 5-7 12, Sabers 1-4 1-2 3, Gillett 0-1 0-0 0, Renze 1-2 0-0 3. Totals: 12-37 15-19 42.
Shawnee Heights (19-3) – Pomeroy 2-7 1-2 7, Sanchez 6-12 1-4 14, Ross 2-4 1-2 5, Alston 1-3 0-0 2, Emmot 4-9 6-6 15, Lee 1-8 0-2 2, Cook 1-3 2-2 4. Totals: 17-46 11-17 49.
3-point goals – Aquinas 3 (Smith 1, Bernart 1, Renze 1), Shawnee Heights 4 (Pomeroy 2, Sanchez 1, Emmot 1). Total fouls – Aquinas 19, Shawnee Heights 1. Fouled out – Ross. Technical fouls – None.
