Piper junior Branden Martin threw Frontenac’s Dylan Ensch in the championship match of the 182-pound class at the Bobcat Class tournament in Basehor, Kansas. Martin won the match with a 5-2 decision. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
by Brian Turrel
Over two hundred wrestlers from Kansas and Iowa competed in the Bobcat Classic Wrestling Tournament on Friday and Saturday, including teams from Bonner Springs, Piper and Turner.
Piper’s Branden Martin won the championship in the 182-pound weight class, while classmates La’James White and Anthony Ferguson won second in the 160- and 170-pound classes. Martin remains undefeated this season with 17 wins and is the top-ranked wrestler in his class in the 4A division.
Cassius Vanderpool of Bonner Springs took third in the 126-pound class, and Trevor Andrew took fourth in the 106-pound class.
Bonner Springs took sixth in the team competition. Piper placed eighth and Turner 15th out of 23 teams.
Piper junior Anthony Ferguson was inches from pinning Bonner Springs senior Jackson McArthur in their 160-pound match. Ferguson won the match by fall in the first round and took second in the class. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Piper junior La’James White got leverage on Gardner-Edgerton’s Caden Rodriguez in their 170-pound match. White won the match on a 9-4 decision and took second in the class. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Bonner Springs senior Peyton Richardson wrestled Eudora’s Dayton Fraser. Richardson won a 12-2 major decision and took ninth in the class. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Bonner Springs sophomore Shane Daniels threw St. Thomas Aquinas senior Corbin Haskett in their 152-pound match. Daniels won the match by a 14-3 major decision and took ninth place in the class. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Bonner Springs senior Bryce Krone had the advantage over Turner freshman Gabe Cornett in their 220-pound match, but Cornett turned the tables and won by fall in the second round, taking sixth place in the class. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Bonner Springs senior Bryce Krone upended Fort Scott’s Isaac Hurst in their 220-pound match. Krone won by fall in the first round and took eighth place in the class. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Turner junior Cameron Robinson wrestled against St. James Academy senior Aidan Quinn in their 160-pound match. Robinson won by fall in the third round and took seventh in the class. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Anthony Ferguson wrestled against St. Thomas Aquinas junior Jared Simma in the championship match of the 160-pound class. Simma won the match by fall in the first round. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
The referee raised Martin’s hand in victory after his championship win. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Evelyn Vazquez weaved through Aquinas defenders to the goal. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
by Brian Turrel
The Piper Lady Pirates came within seconds of defeating the top-ranked team in the 5A division after staging a furious fourth quarter comeback.
They fell just short when the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints collected a foul and two points for a 35-34 win on Friday night in Piper.
Previously undefeated Piper wasn’t in its usual rhythm. The Saints’ size, speed, and accurate passing put Piper off its usual pressing and backcourt trapping defense and took away its transition offense.
The Saints took advantage on the boards as well, dominated by Beatrice Culliton and Charlotte O’Keefe. Piper gradually fell behind, racking up an 8-point deficit and going into the half down 29-21.
The third quarter was a defensive grind, with both teams struggling to score for minutes on end. Ayreona Carter scored all 7 of Piper’s points in the quarter to keep pace with the Saints.
In the fourth quarter, junior guard Evelyn Vazquez took control of the game. Her fast-paced defense shifted up to frenetic, and she started to drive the ball into the teeth of the Aquinas defense, earning baskets and trips to the line.
Vazquez scored 11 of Piper’s 13 points in the final quarter, and she put the Lady Pirates into the lead at 34-33 with 28 seconds remaining. The Piper defense nearly held out, forcing the Saints to inbound the ball four times and running down the clock.
With 2.8 seconds remaining, the Saints got the foul call they needed and converted both free throws. Piper’s last mad dash down the court ended with a shot off the rim.
The loss drops the Lady Pirates to 6-1, but they get no break. They play again on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. against the second-ranked team in the 5A division, McPherson High School. The Lady Bullpups are undefeated and coming off a Friday night victory over Dodge City.
Ayreona Carter tried to get a shot over Beatrice Culliton but was fouled. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Evelyn Vazquez put up a short jumper. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
The Piper cheerleaders performed stunts during a break in the action. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Piper head coach Shane Stout got his team prepared in a late game free throw situation. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Ayreona Carter was fouled on her shot falling away from the basket. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Dawnyale Bruce saw her shot blocked by Aquinas’s Beatrice Culliton. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Jennifer Guilbeaux looked to drive inside against the Aquinas defense. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Grace Banes looked for an outlet on the left side. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Riley Porter drove into the lane. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Emma Serrano looked for an opening along the baseline. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Dylin Taylor-Cantu made the basket and was fouled on a drive to the basket in Piper’s overtime win against St. Thomas Aquinas. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
by Brian Turrel
The Piper Pirates rallied for a thrilling 69-65 overtime win against the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints on Friday night in Piper.
The packed fieldhouse was hot and noisy with the energy of the contest between the two teams, ranked fifth and sixth in the KC metro area.
The undefeated Pirates looked overmatched in the early going. The Saints’ zone defense took away dribble penetration from Tamar Bates. Poor Piper shooting and Aquinas’s control of the boards gave Aquinas a 14-4 first quarter lead.
Piper made some headway in the second quarter, using Christian Arndt and Gabe Eskina near the free throw line to create some leverage in the middle of the zone.
Dylin Taylor-Cantu found some driving room and scored 7 in the quarter, getting Piper within 5 at the half.
Piper kept Aquinas within striking distance through the third and fourth quarters, but the Saints still led by 5 with two minutes remaining in regulation.
The intensity of the Piper defense picked up, led by Jaron Briggs. Briggs hit the floor twice to contest loose balls, and he gave the Saints’ ball-handlers not an inch of uncontested space.
With less than a minute remaining, Taylor-Cantu scored and converted the and-one free throw for a three-point play, and Eskina hit two free throws to tie the game. Both teams had late chances to win in regulation, but couldn’t make the shot.
In overtime, Taylor-Cantu created another three-point play on a drive to the basket, and Shelley and Briggs hit pairs of free throws to put the game away.
Taylor-Cantu led Piper with 17 points for the game, with Briggs scoring 14. Bates and Shelley added 13 each, including three 3-pointers from Shelley.
Piper is at the center of Kansas City high school hoops this weekend. The Piper-Aquinas showdown was broadcast on Midco Sports Network as their game of the week.
The action continues Saturday when Piper plays host to the 810 Varsity Sunflower Showcase, a day-long series of games from teams around the region. Piper concludes the showcase tonight when the Pirates play McPherson.
Junior Tamar Bates put up a contested jump shot in the lane. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)Taylor-Cantu was encouraged by his teammates as he headed to the line after being fouled on a late fourth-quarter drive. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)Sophomore Jaron Briggs looked to put a shot over the Aquinas defense. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)Senior Gabe Eskina calmly hit two free throws to tie the game in the fourth quarter. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)The Piper cheerleaders reacted to the comeback win. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)Jaron Briggs, lower right, wrestled for a loose ball on the court. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)The Piper dance team performed at halftime. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)Piper guidance counselor Polly Vader was congratulated after receiving a School Spirit award presented by Varsity Brands. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)Freshman Lance Bassett grabbed an offensive rebound. (Photo copyright 2020 by Brian Turrel)
