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)
Senior Jayce Smith got past the Tonganoxie defense for a layup. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
by Brian Turrel
The Bonner Springs Braves came back from an 11-point deficit to tie the visiting Tonganoxie Chieftains with less than a minute remaining, but the Braves couldn’t come up with final basket they needed, losing 61-58.
The Chieftains took a 19-11 lead in the first quarter thanks to hot shooting from Tonganoxie’s Zane Novotney, who hit three 3-point shots in the quarter.
Jayce Smith helped pull the Braves back in the second quarter, getting 4 points from the field and 4 more at the line. Jayon Noel hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the half to pull the Braves within 1, 29-28.
The Chieftains started hot in the second half, scoring the first 9 points. Braves’ head coach Dan Streit called a timeout to settle his team, which responded with a run of fast breaks to get back within 40-36, but by the end of the quarter, Tonganoxie had pulled back out to a 51-42 lead.
The Braves’ defensive pressure held Novotney scoreless in the fourth quarter, and they fouled strategically to slow the clock. On the offensive end, Smith and Jayden Young got key baskets to narrow the gap. With 40 seconds on the clock, Smith hit a 3-point shot that tied the game at 55 and sent the home crowd wild.
A defensive stop on the next possession gave the Braves a chance to take the lead, but a ball-handling turnover handed the ball back to the Chieftains, who hit all 8 of their free throw chances in the quarter to seal the win.
Smith led the scoring for the Braves with 22 points, including two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Kalen Streit added 13, keeping the Braves in the game early with 7 first-quarter points.
Bonner Springs drops to 8-6 for the season. Their next game will be against the 9-2 Eudora Cardinals on Monday in Bonner Springs, starting at 7 p.m.
Nancy Hurst Landers received a card and flowers after her induction into the BSHS Hall of Fame. Landers, a member of the Bonner Springs class of 1966, was recognized for her community involvement and service to the Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Education Foundation. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Guy Tiner addressed the crowd during his induction into the BSHS Hall of Fame during a halftime ceremony. A member of the class of 1969, and owner of Tiner Construction, Tiner credited his time at Bonner Springs High School for giving him the skills to succeed in his business endeavors and to give back to the community. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Sophomore Kalen Streit got out on a fast break for a layup. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
The Bonner Springs cheerleaders performed stunts during a break in the game. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Tavian Cruse took a short baseline jump shot over Tonganoxie senior Cuyler Kietzmann. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Cameron Doss weaved his way through the Tonganoxie defense. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Sophomore Kalen Streit went up for a short-range shot in the lane. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Trent Stimac fought through a pick on defense. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Jamarrion Evans went up for a finger roll in the fourth quarter of Harmon’s 42-38 win over Baldwin in the championship game of the Baldwin Invitational Tournament. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
by Brian Turrel
The Harmon Hawks won the Baldwin Invitational Tournament, defeating the host team 42-38 Saturday evening in the championship game. The Hawks are hitting their stride as the season nears the mid-point, with a six-game winning streak.
The game opened slowly with the teams scoring only 10 combined points in the first quarter. The Hawks used dribble penetration with a kick out to the wings to open up their shooters, and Chrishaud Berry hit 2 three-pointers to account for all the team’s points.
The action opened up in the second quarter with each team netting 16. Lynell Lane hit 2 threes in the frame, and Berry and Eddie King each knocked down one, contributing to Harmon’s 22-20 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Berry and King each hit another three, and Jamarrion Evans found opportunities to get to the rim for three buckets. Harmon briefly opened up a 7-point lead, but the Bulldogs closed within 4 at the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter saw some gamesmanship from the Hawks. They held a 4-point advantage, so when Baldwin didn’t send a defender to pressure Evans, he calmly dribbled the ball near the half-court line, burning almost three minutes from the game clock.
Baldwin’s coaches fumed and the student section jeered, but the Hawks’ point guard maintained his station while precious time for a Bulldog comeback slipped away. When the clock dipped down to three and a half minutes, Baldwin finally pressured Evans, who responded with a drive to the basket.
Baldwin had only one foul on the board at that point. To slow the game and force Harmon to make free throws, the Bulldogs had to foul several times in succession to push Harmon into the bonus.
The Hawks hit just enough to keep a narrow lead. Jason Rodriguez hit a free throw with 2 second remaining, giving his team a 4-point lead and preventing any last-second heroics from the home team.
Berry scored 14 points to lead the Hawks, including 4 three-point baskets. Evans scored 10, and King and Lane each added 7.
Harmon beat Wellsville and Augusta in the opening rounds to earn their place in the championship. Lane, Evans, and King were each named to the all-tournament team.
After an 0-3 start, Harmon’s record now stands at 6-3. They will play at Shawnee Mission West on Friday, Jan. 28.
Senior Chrishaud Berry launched a three-point shot. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
The sun set over Baldwin High School as the teams headed home from the tournament. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
The Harmon Hawks basketball team, coaches, and cheerleaders posed together after the tournament win. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Lynell Lane knocked away a shot from Baldwin junior Caleb Carr. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Eddie King pulled down a heavily contested rebound. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senor Jamarrion Evans kicked the ball out to a teammate on the right wing. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Eddie King drove into the lane past two Baldwin defenders. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Lynell Lane hit a three-pointer from the left corner. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Eddie King swatted away a shot from Baldwin junior Sam Darnell. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
The Harmon cheerleaders reacted to a Hawks’ three-point basket. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
Senior guard Jason Rodriguez raced to avoid a foul from a Baldwin defender. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
The Baldwin coaching staff looked on as senior Jamarrion Evans dribbled the ball to take time off the clock. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)
