Author: Brian Turrel

by Brian Turrel

The Piper boys basketball team held off two late runs by the St. Joseph Lafayette Fighting Irish to win the championship of the Huhtamaki Hardwood Classic on Saturday evening at De Soto High School.

The final score was 70 to 63. Piper never trailed, but the result was less comfortable than the score indicates. Lafayette had a chance to tie or take the lead twice in the final quarter.

In the first half, the Pirates looked like they would win it easily, building a 21-8 lead in the games opening minutes. Piper used its transition game to get easy scores, and hit 4 of 9 three-point shots in the half, going to the break with a 41-25 advantage.

In the second half, Lafayette slowed down Piper’s offense, applying pressure in the backcourt. The Pirates’ shooting touch also left them, hitting just 1 of 7 three-pointers. Through the third and fourth quarters, the Irish went on a 17 to 3 run that pulled them within 2 points with four minutes left in the game.

The Pirates responded with a run of their own to get some breathing space, but Lafayette continued to pressure. The Irish won key defensive rebounds and created consecutive turnovers to get back within 3 in the final minute.

With six seconds remaining, freshman Lance Bassett secured a defensive rebound and was fouled. He knocked down both free throws to secure the win.

Jaron Briggs led the Pirates in scoring with 18 points. Briggs was aggressive in driving the lane, and earned 6 points at the free throw line as a result. Tamar Bates scored 16, hitting all seven of his shots from the field. Bassett scored 11. Dylin Taylor-Cantu led the team with 5 rebounds.

Piper defeated Blue Valley Southwest and Olathe North in the first two rounds to get to the championship game. They hold a 4-0 record and will play at Bonner Springs on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m. The game will be the Braves’ senior night for winter sports.

by Brian Turrel

The Piper Pirates defeated the Ottawa Cyclones 66-51 in their season opener Friday evening. The Pirates overcame an early 14-point deficit to earn the victory.

In their first game since their state championship win in March, the Pirates have an almost completely new look, with four new starters and a new head coach.

The new edition of Pirates basketball started out shaky, letting 6-foot, 5-inch Ottawa senior Kobe Johnson control the action in the paint on both ends.

Down 20-6, Piper started its comeback late in the first quarter. Returning starter Tamar Bates became more assertive on the offensive end, earning his own shots off the dribble. Bates scored the final 7 points of the first quarter to pull Piper back to a 20-13 deficit.

Piper continued the comeback in the second quarter, scoring the first 8 points to take a 21-20 lead. Junior guard Dylin Taylor-Cantu found open shots on the edge and hit three 3-pointers in the quarter, including one in the closing seconds of the half to tie the game at 31.

The Pirates extended their lead through the second half, up by 20 until a late flurry of Cyclones defense pulled them back to the final 15-point margin.

Bates led the scoring for Piper with 32 points, while Taylor-Cantu knocked in 14.

Incoming head coach David Birch, most recently an assistant coach at 6A state champs Blue Valley Northwest, started his Piper tenure with a win.

Birch has a storied basketball career. He earned All State honors as a high school player at Olathe East, and he played professionally as a member of the Washington Generals, the standing opponents to the Harlem Globetrotters.

Piper will play next at the De Soto tournament, facing off against Blue Valley Southwest in the opening round on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.