Serving Kansas City (Wyandotte County) Kansas for over 50 years!
by Brian Turrel
Thirty-one teams participated in the Special Olympics Polar Plunge, held Saturday morning at Schlitterbahn water park.
The event was especially well supported by local Kansas police and fire departments, which formed many of the participating teams. The event raised money for Special Olympics Kansas.
The plunge was preceded by a 5k race and a costume contest.
by Brian Turrel
The gym was packed, the crowd was loud, and the band was rocking when the Schlagle and Wyandotte High School boys basketball teams met at Wyandotte on Friday night. The home team came back from a 10-point deficit to win the game and move into first place in the Kansas City-Atchison League, ahead of the Stallions, who were rated second in the state in the most recent Kansas coaches’ poll.
Both teams applied pressure defense effectively from the start and throughout the game, using backcourt traps to slow and disrupt the other team’s ball handling. Schlagle was able to poach a few Wyandotte inbounds passes for easy points, and the Stallions built a ten point lead midway through the second quarter.
The Bulldogs made a comeback late in the second quarter, sending Diamond Hines straight to the rim where he collected fouls from the Schlagle defenders. Hines converted all six of his free throws in the quarter, and Wyandotte went to the halftime break down by only one point, 27-26.
Wyandotte attacked from the right wing in the third quarter, picking up three-pointers from Hines and Walzel Evans, and they held a 43-38 advantage at the end of the quarter.
Schlagle’s Tyon Grant-Foster, unsuccessful from the three-point line for most of the night, picked up his inside attack in the fourth quarter, collecting seven points on made baskets and free throws. Schlagle pulled within two with three minutes remaining, but got no closer.
Hines led the Bulldogs with 28 points in the game, and Evans picked up 17, including 15 in the second half. Grant-Foster led the Stallions with 17 points, and D’Monte Gaw added 14.
Wyandotte’s win puts the Bulldogs atop the KCAL standings at 4-0 (6-5 overall). They will play at Atchison on Feb. 2. Schlagle is a half-game behind at 4-1 (11-4 overall). The Stallions will play next at Harmon on Feb. 6.
by Brian Turrel
The Harmon Hawks won Tuesday night’s game at home against the Bishop Ward Cyclones 66-50, controlling the game with their strong rebounding.
The future is bright for both teams with freshmen leading the way. Harmon’s talented duo Lonell Lane and Chauncey Keys each scored 21 for the game, and Mike Carson added 9. Ja’Ron Byrd led the Cyclones with 15 points. Senior Jordan Dominguez-Jones added 8 for Ward.
The Hawks had the advantage in the first quarter, breaking down Ward defensively and getting Lane and Keys inside for easy points. Harmon doubled up Ward 20-10 in the first quarter.
Ward rallied against the Harmon press in the second half, sending three players forward and shooting long outlet passes to get a brief offensive advantage. Ward had little margin for error. If the Cyclones failed to score on the initial break, Harmon’s defenders closed quickly to shut down their opportunity.
Harmon freshman Mike Reed hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to send Harmon to halftime with a 32-24 lead.
Out of the break, Harmon stepped up its on-ball defense. Ward’s shots stopped falling, and Harmon’s rebounding advantage took over the game. On the other end, even when Ward disrupted the Harmon offense, the Hawks recovered the ball and scored on the second chance. Harmon broke the game open, outscoring Ward 25-9 in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Cyclones got Pedro Galvez and Andres Torres open for three-point baskets with effective ball movement, but the margin was too much to overcome.
The non-conference win moves Harmon’s overall record to 4-8. The Hawks will play at home against the Wichita Defenders home school sports program on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Ward’s record drops to 0-12. They will play at Shawnee’s Maranatha Christian Academy on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
