Timely shooting helps Sabres survive upset bid against St. James Academy

By NICK SLOAN, NJSloan212@gmail.com

It wasn’t always fun for the Sumner Academy Sabres Tuesday night against the St. James Academy Thunder.

St. James would not go away despite being an overwhelming underdog.

However, the Sabres hit just enough key shots to keep the Thunder from rolling into the second round.

Sumner Academy defeated St. James 57-51 at Sumner Academy Tuesday with 19 points from Benny Parker, 13 points from Alex Garvin and 12 points from Jowell Daniels.

From the opening tip, it was a battle.

Behind nine first quarter points from Thunder star forward Clint McCullough, St. James built an early 8-5 lead in the game. Two three-pointers from Garvin helped Sumner Academy overcome the slow start and the Sabres eventually grabbed a 17-13 lead.

In the second quarter, it appeared the Sabres were ready to bust the game open a bit. A quick 7-3 run to begin the quarter extend Sumner Academy’s advantage to 24-16. 

As they did all night, St. James fought back. Stephen Leimbach and McCullough combined to score the final 16 points of the half for St. James as they tied the game.

St. James would grab a three-point lead following a McCullough bucket in the third.

That’s when Deon Tripp showed up and started making plays for the Sabres.

Up 38-37, Tripp scored a key basket to extend Sumner Academy’s lead to 40-37. On Sumner’s next possession, Tripp penetrated and performed some classic dribble-drive offense and pitched out to Benny Parker on the wing.

"I felt comfortable playing the one because it helped me set up teammates," Tripp said. "Whatever I need to do for the team, I'll do."

Parked drilled the three, pushing the Sabres’ lead to six.

Following four points to begin the fourth quarter by Leimbach, Tripp made another huge play. Again, after penetrating the lane, he quickly kicked the ball out to Jowell Daniels in the corner, who drilled a crucial three to extend Sumner’s lead to 46-41.

St. James would cut the lead back down to two points after a three-pointer from Tom Huppe. The Sabres made five free throws in the final minute to push the game to a seven-point advantage.

Parker finished with a game-high 19 points for Sumner Academy. Leimbach scored 16 for St. James Academy, while McCullough finished with 15. McCullough only had three second half points.

Sumner Academy improves to 18-3 on the season.

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Sub-State: Basehor-Bonner III set

By NICK SLOAN, NJSloan212@gmail.com

The Basehor-Linwood Bobcats and Bonner Springs Braves will be doing battle for the third time after both teams won in the first-round tonight.

BASEHOR-LINWOOD 92, Perry-Lecompton 51 - Basehor's offense was dominant all night, as the Bobcats jumped out to a 26-9 lead in the first quarter and just continued to add on to Perry's misery all night long.

Basehor scored at least 26 points in the first three quarters of the game, having 81 points through three quarters.

Five Bobcats scored in double-figures for Basehor: Ryan Murphy had 22, Colin Murphy had 21, Chase Younger had 12 and Ben Johnson and Brad Waterman each had 11 points a piece.

The Bobcats hit nine threes on the night and overall, 10 Bobcats scored on the night.

Basehor's now 18-3 on the season.

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BONNER SPRINGS 44, Bishop Ward 33 - It wasn't as easy, but the Bonner Springs Braves ended up completing the four-game sweep of the Bishop Ward Cyclones.

Improving to 16-5 on the season, seniors Stevie Williams and B.J. Watson each scored 14 points for the Braves.

After Bonner led 17-11 after the first quarter, Bonner outscored Ward 14-4 in the second quarter to take a 31-15 lead into the second half.

Ward rallied a bit, out-scoring Bonner Springs 12-5 in the third quarter to cut the game into single figures. Evan Brull, a sophomore for Bishop Ward, led the Cyclones in scoring with 11.

But it wasn't enough.

Bishop Ward senior C.J. Vallejo was held to just 5 points in the final game of his great career for the Cyclones.

Ward finishes the season 4-17.

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KCK Preps Game of the Week - St James vs Sumner

by David Brox, davidbrox@shukc.com

Survive and advance!  It doesn't matter how many you win by when you are in a single elimination tournament.  Sumner did just that in a game against St James Academy.

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Scores of the boys 4A sub-state games

SUMNER ACADEMY 57, St. James Academy 51

BASEHOR-LINWOOD 92, Perry-Lecompton 51

BONNER SPRINGS 44, Bishop Ward 33

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Sumner Academy will be playing DeSoto; Basehor-Bonner Springs III is et.

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Previewing Sumner Academy - St. James Academy

By NICK SLOAN, NJSloan212@gmail.com

You know the build-up, so I won't waste most of your time.

Sumner Academy begins its run for a third consecutive state title tonight against St. James Academy. The game will be played at 7 p.m. at Sumner Academy.

They met earlier this season at Sumner Academy. St. James Academy led after one quarter, but Sumner Academy eventually took the half-time lead and won by 13 points. 

Here are some notes on the game.

1. St. James Academy committed 18 turnovers in the first game of the season between these two elite academies. If Sumner Academy's defense forces as many turnovers tonight, they win going away and without question. St. James Academy will need to limit the turnovers and I think they need to cut the number in half to win - or at least to have any chance of winning.

2. The star for St. James Academy is senior forward Clint McCullough. He's struggled a bit against Sumner Academy, but he'll have to be the work-horse tonight. He averages around 22 points and 9 rebounds a game and really has went under the radar all season long. Sumner's defense will have to manage him tonight and if they do, look for a double-figure win for the Sabres.

3. Another SJA player to keep an eye on if you're a Sumner fan: Tom Huppe. Huppe averages 8.5 points a game, but has hit the 20-point mark a few times this season. He shoots just under 40 percent from three and Sumner Academy would be wise to not allow him to get open looks. He's a quality shooter and can make them in bunches if he's called to do so. Huppe and McCullough are the two best three-point shooters on the team. Limit their damage or shut them down and Sumner Academy wins by 20.

4. The clash of tempos will be interesting to watch. St. James Academy is not like a Spring Hill or a team like that. They take the air out of the ball and with the advantage Sumner Academy has in terms of athleticism, that's the right strategy. St. James Academy must - and I usually never say the word "must" - keep the game in the half-court.

5. How will Sumner's younger guys come out tonight? While Benny Parker and Marcus Allen have been there, done that, there are some Sumner players who will have their first extensive sub-state action tonight. Deon Tripp played last year in the postseason, but tonight will be his first start. Reliable players like Alex Garvin and Jowell Daniels will have their first extensive time tonight. Garvin's been a clutch three-point shooter this year and Daniels has offered a nice boost off the bench. Last year, both Vernon Vaughn and Marcus Allen had absolutely no issue playing in their first sub-state games. How about this group, though? I think they'll be fine, but sub-state experience is always a question the first game of the season.

6. Both teams are playing much better than they did in December. St. James Academy started 0-5 on the season, but finished the year on a 10-5 run. Sumner Academy breezed through the second half of the season and have not lost since early January.

7. Will St. James play inspired for Connor McCullough after his death? Again, it's not fun to ask this question and I'm sure many of you think I'm a jerk for asking it. But you have to wonder how the team will respond to a death of a teammate. These are still teenagers, after all. They could come out fired up and inspired beyond belief and give the Sabres a battle. Or, they could just look forward to the season ending.

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Former Sumner Academy star Neil Watson earns nomination for top Mississippi college basketball player award

By NICK SLOAN, NJSloan212@gmail.com

The C Spire Howell Trophy is awarded to the best college basketball player from the State of Mississippi. Three finalists were announced for the award this week.

Former Sumner Academy star Neil Watson, who plays for Southern Mississippi, is one of the finalists.

Watson leads Southern Mississippi in both scoring and assists, averaging 12.1 points a game and 4.6 assists each night.

Watson recently scored 27 points in a 73-71 loss to Houston the road, a game which he hit five three-pointers on just seven attempts. He also scored 23 points in a win on the road against Central Florida.

Probably his best overall game, though, came against Mississippi. He scored 18 points, but had a career-high 11 assists - Watson's first career double-double.

Percentage wise, Watson has actually been more dangerous from behind the three-point line. The sophomore is shooting 41 percent from three.

He's also an 88 percent free-throw shooter for the 23-6 Golden Eagles.

Southern Mississippi is currently sitting in second place in the Conference USA race. They are just one game behind the Memphis Tigers.

The Golden Eagles will likely have to win the Conference USA Tournament to earn a bid in the NCAA Tournament.

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5A Sub-State brackets

Here are the 5A sub-state brackets that involve Kaw Valley League and Kansas City Kansas League teams. 

TOPEKA-SEAMAN BRACKET

BRACKET A

1. Lansing (17-3) vs. 8. Topeka West (0-20)
4. Washington (12-8) vs. 5. KC-Schlagle (7-13)

BRACKET B

2. Emporia (14-6) vs. 7. Shawnee Heights (5-15)
3. Highland Park (14-6) vs. 6. Seaman (6-14)

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BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST SUB-STATE

BRACKET A

1. Mill Valley (12-8) vs. 8. Wyandotte (4-16)
4. Harmon (11-9) vs. 5. Turner (6-14)

BRACKET B

2. Bishop Miege (12-8) vs. 7. Blue Valley (5-15)
3. St. Thomas Aquinas (11-9) vs. 6. Blue Valley Southwest (6-14)

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Women’s soccer is coming to Kansas City Kansas Community College

By ALAN HOSKINS

Beginning this fall, KCKCC will become the 16th member of the Jayhawk Conference to offer a women’s soccer program.

Ruben Rodriguez, who will begin his third season as the men’s coach this fall, will be the full-time head coach of both the men’s and women’s team.

Abdulhamid (Honka) Zlitni returns as the men’s assistant while
Tait Einerson is the new assistant women’s coach. Both Zlitni and Einerson are working on a part-time basis.

The addition of the women’s program was made possible, in part, by the construction of a new turf soccer field scheduled for completion this summer.

“We’ve been wanting to add more women’s programs for several years and now we’re able to do it,” said KCKCC Athletic Director Dan Pratt.

“I’ve never had a home game so this is going to be a big, big advantage,” said Rodriguez, who was the Blue Devil assistant for three seasons before being named head coach. “I’m excited and really looking forward to the challenge, especially with the coaches I’ll be working with.”

Because the current soccer field is not regulation size, the Blue Devils played for at least three years at what at the time was the Wizards practice facility in Swope Park before moving to the Overland Park Soccer complex the last two years.

Both of Rodriguez’ assistants have a wealth of coaching experience in the Kansas City metro area. Einerson has 17 years of experience, six as an assistant at Liberty High School and the last 11 at Blue Valley West.

An assistant on both the boys and girls teams at Blue Valley West, he’s coached only the girls team for the last four years.

In addition, he coaches two club teams in the metro area, KC United, an 18 and under age team; and KC Select for youth 15 and over. A graduate of Park Hill High School, Einerson played soccer in high school and collegiately at Missouri Southern and Southwest Missouri State.

Einerson said he will begin recruiting immediately. With all schools in District 500 of Kansas City, Kan., and the Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley and Olathe school districts offering girls soccer, the potential for recruiting is outstanding. “We’ll start in our own backyard,” said Einerson.

Zllitnia has been coaching club teams for the last 15 years in the metro area and was coach at Maple Woods Community College for five years before coming to KCKCC a year ago.

Rodriguez, who is also being assisted on a voluntary basis by his younger brother, Carlos, has 37 years of experience as a player and more than 10 years of coaching youth and adult club teams. In 2001, he formed a Zamora Boys team that won four league championships and four major tournaments.

Rodriguez holds a BA degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from Washburn University. A 20-year officer with the KCK Police Department, Rodriguez recently resigned that position but will remain a reserve officer.

With the late start in women’s recruiting, prospective athletes are invited to contact the KCKCC soccer office at 913-288-7255 or by e-mail to rrodriguez@kckcc.edu.

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