Category: High School Sports

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.

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.