Senior Aaron Simmons drew a crowd of Lions as he drove into the lane in Piper’s substate playoff win over Lansing. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
by Brian Turrel
The Piper Pirates started their playoff run in fine form Tuesday evening in Piper, taking a 76-58 win from the Lansing Lions in the first round of their substate bracket.
The Pirates used quick perimeter movement and skip passes to open driving lanes that they exploited with drives and kickouts.
Piper built on its lead with each successive quarter until there was no doubt about the outcome in the final frame. To the great delight of the boisterous Pirates’ student section, head coach Steve Wallace emptied the bench in the latter half of the fourth quarter.
Four Pirates scored in double figures, led by Jaron Briggs with 18 points. Gannon Roth scored 13, including 3 three-pointers. Devin Kerr scored 11 points and was a perfect 5-for-5 at the free throw line. Mikey Burgess scored 10 points.
The Pirates move on to play Topeka’s Highland Park High School on Friday for the substate trophy and a berth in the 5A state tournament in Emporia.
In other local playoff action, Bishop Ward boys defeated Santa Fe Trail 63-51 and will face Easton-Pleasant Ridge on Thursday in Pomona in the 3A substate bracket. The Lady Cyclones were defeated 47-28 by Osage City in their first round match, and finish their season with a 9-11 record.
Bonner Springs boys lost 85-55 at St. James Academy in Lenexa. Sumner Academy boys lost 65-52 at Pittsburg. Wyandotte girls lost at Shawnee Mission West, 59-9.
Junior Miguel Martin elevated for a jump shot from the elbow. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Freshman P.J. Moore dribbled the ball up the court. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Piper’s ball movement earned senior Gannon Roth a wide open shot from the corner. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
The Piper cheerleaders performed stunts during a break in the game. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Jaron Briggs defended Lansing freshman Makhi Butler. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Miguel Martin went for a layup. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Colin Vigil dribbled in from the corner. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Freshman Mikey Burgess took a jump shot. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Lansing sophomore Ryan French stood in against a drive from senior Jaron Briggs but was whistled for a foul. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Freshman P.J. Moore took a mid-range jumper in the lane. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Jaron Briggs made a move into the lane. Briggs led all scorers with 22 points in the Pirates’ 58-50 win over Eudora. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
by Brian Turrel
With the Frontier League championship on the line, and both teams holding an unblemished league record, the Piper Pirates defeated the Eudora Cardinals 58-50 at home Friday evening.
The game was tight through the first half. The Cardinals used their height to control the boards and extend offensive possessions. Senior Jaron Briggs hit 2 three-pointers during a stretch in the second quarter to open up a 7-point lead midway through, but Eudora scrambled back within a single point at the break.
The Pirates built out a more comfortable lead after the break, extending to 9 points and ending the quarter with the score 39-31. Aaron Simmons and Gannon Roth both hit shots from outside the arc in the quarter.
The Pirates won the game in the fourth quarter at the free throw line. Briggs hit eight free throw attempts and two baskets from the field to dominate the score sheet. A desperate run by the Cardinals, including 2 three-pointers from Logan Sullivan, closed the gap from 14 to 8 at the buzzer.
Briggs led the Pirates’ scoring with 22 points for the game, and Simmons scored 12. The Pirates attempted 39 free throws, and made 22.
In a ceremony before the game, Piper recognized seniors who participated in winter activities, including basketball, cheer, dance, band and power lifting. The four departing seniors from the boys’ basketball team, Briggs, Simmons, Blake Porter and Alex Ivanuska, were all in the starting lineup.
Piper finishes the regular season with a 13-7 overall record. Substate playoffs start next week, and the 10-10 Lansing Lions will travel to play at Piper in the first round. The game will take place on Tuesday, starting at 7 p.m.
The Piper dance team performed at halftime, recognizing senior members of the team. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Aaron Simmons hauled in a contested rebound. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Alex Ivanuska took a shot in the paint. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Blake Porter met some resistance on a drive to the basket. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
The Piper cheerleaders performed stunts featuring their senior members. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Freshman Mikey Burgess drove past Eudora sophomore Braylen Hoobler. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
The referee signaled sophomore Gannon Roth’s three-point shot. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Colin Vigil elevated for a short jumper. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Miguel Martin looked to pass around the perimeter. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Bonner Springs sophomore Olivia Stean showed off her growing collection of state championship medals after winning the 170-pound championship at the KSHSAA 5A-6A girls’ wrestling tournament. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
by Brian Turrel
Bonner Springs sophomore Olivia Stean took the top spot on the podium at the KSHSAA 5A-6A girls’ wrestling tournament Thursday, repeating her championship performance from a year ago.
She capped a group of four Wyandotte County medal winners from Bonner Springs, Harmon and Turner high schools.
The tournament took place Wednesday and Thursday at Hartman Arena in Park City.
Stean defeated Basehor-Linwood senior Mandy Wilson in the championship round of the 170-pound weight class. Familiar adversaries, they had already faced each other twice this season. Stean pinned Wilson just 49 seconds into the match to earn the win.
Forty-nine seconds was Stean’s longest match of the tournament. She blew through Wednesday’s preliminary rounds by pinning opponents in 15, 30 and 22 seconds.
Speaking after the tournament, she dedicated the performance to her friend, Hayleigh Wempe, a wrestler from Baldwin who took her own life last year.
“I’ve been thinking about her a lot,” Stean said. “I want to wrestle in her name. I want to win these titles for her because our goal was to win state together and now sadly that’s not going to happen.”
Stean finished the season undefeated with a 42-0 record, and she has her sights set beyond the Kansas state championship to becoming a finalist at the 16U national championships in Fargo, North Dakota, this summer.
Turner junior Arianna Ortiz earned state finalist honors in the 101-pound weight class, winning her way through the bracket with two falls and a major decision on Wednesday.
Ortiz faced Derby sophomore Amara Ehsa in Thursday’s final. Though Ortiz took control of the match early, Ehsa recovered and caught her momentarily off balance to make a pin and win the match.
Harmon freshman Kamahni Jackson earned sixth place in the 132-pound class. She won her first two matches Wednesday, pinning both opponents, but she lost in the semi-final to eventual champion Breanna Ridgeway of Great Bend.
Bonner Springs junior Jenna Knight won sixth place in the 120-pound class. She defeated Kaylynn Ottenschnieder of Spring Hill and Addison Otte of Hays in her first two rounds, but class winner Hannah Glynn of Blue Valley Southwest pinned her in the semi-final round.
The performances from Stean and Knight helped Bonner Springs place 15th in the team competition out of 58 schools at the tournament.
Bonner Springs sophomore Olivia Stean pointed skyward after her win over Kapaun Mount Carmel’s Gianna Redcorn in their quarterfinal match. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Turner junior Arianna Ortiz subdued Salina Central’s Haylie James in the quarterfinal round. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Harmon freshman Kamahni Jackson wrestled Kapaun Mount Carmel’s Aalyra Arguelles, winning by fall in the second period. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Bonner Springs junior Jenna Knight wrestled Hays’s Addison Otte in a quarterfinal match in the 120-pound weight class. Knight won by fall in the first round. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Turner junior Arianna Ortiz overpowered Garden City’s Anahi Cervantes and won by fall in the second round. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Bonner Springs sophomore Chloie Knapp wrestled Garden City’s Angel Serrano in the opening round of the tournament. Serrano won by fall in the third period. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Bonner Springs junior Olivia Stean rushed Spring Hill’s Lexi Suter for a quick win in the opening round. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Harmon junior Kamahni Jackson received her medal at the end of the two-day tournament. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Turner junior Arianna Ortiz wrestled Derby sophomore Amara Ehsa in the finals of the 101-pound weight class. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Sumner junior Alissa Harris wrestled Washburn Rural’s Alexis Fredrickson in the third round of the tournament. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Harmon freshman Kamahni Jackson was all smiles after a win. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)Bonner Springs junior Jenna Knight wrestled Spring Hill’s Kaylynn Ottenschnieder in the opening round of the tournament, getting a pin in the first period. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
