Boys basketball
Warriors 2nd at Cougar Classic
Staff writers
Losing 56-48 in a hard-fought battle Saturday against Elyria Christian, the Warriors took second place in the Cougar Classic tournament at Centre.
Marion started with a comfortable 55-22 victory Thursday over Douglass. On Friday, the boys won 58-36 over Rural Vista.
Elyria, however, third-ranked in the state, was a thorn in the side for the Marion boys and girls.
Jonathan Frese led the boys in scoring Saturday with 16 points. Jack Lanning had 15, and Cole Smith scored 10. Smith crashed the boards on both sides of the floor, with six rebounds on offense and six on defense.
“We played well enough to win but had a few costly turnovers and missed some free throws,” coach Donald Raymer said. “Our team showed their hard work is paying off and can compete with top teams in the area.
“I am happy with how so many guys are making contributions now and how we are becoming a really good team.”
Marion (6-5) will have its homecoming game Thursday, against Council Grove (4-6).
Goessel
Scoring was a struggle Wednesday against a tough Berean Academy defense.
Jack Nickel scored the only basket for the Bluebirds in the first quarter. Noah Schrag hit two free-throws in the second, and the Warriors led 30-4 at half.
Berean’s final margin was 58-13. Schrag scored nine, and Jack Nickel, four.
The Bluebirds rebounded Thursday against Burrton. Goessel 38-4 at half, and the fourth quarter was played with a running clock as Goessel coasted to a 51-21 victory. Noah Schrag collected 18 points; Jack Nickel, 10, and Jake Flaming, 6.
The Bluebirds shot a miserable 40% from the free-throw line Saturday but defeated Pretty Prairie 56-51 in overtime. The Bluebirds trailed by as many as 11 points early in the third quarter but began the fourth quarter with a 38-37 lead.
The Bulldogs regained the lead, but Noah Schrag tied the game at 47 with 49 seconds to play, and Pretty Prairie missed two free throws with 0.8 seconds to play to send the game into overtime.
Late free throws from Schrag iced the game, giving the Bluebirds a 56-51 victory.
Schrag ended with 27 points. Nickel had 11; Koy Smith, 9, and Flaming, 9, for his best game of the season.
Goessel (5-5) will play Friday at Moundridge.
Hillsboro
The Trojans finished strong this weekend, beating Eureka 47-26 Saturday after opening the Trojan Classic with a 70-43 loss Thursday to Clay Center.
The boys bounced back to defeat Riley County, 51-38.
Nash Dickenson led the team Saturday with 30 points, 18 of them from beyond the arc.
Easton Shahan, Seth Driggers, and Lincoln Wichert crashed the boards, bringing down a total of 12 rebounds.
“The contributions from each and every team member made it possible to finish with two wins,” coach Kyle Kroeker said. “We look to continue that progress in the coming weeks.”
The Trojans (5-5) will be at home Friday against Minneapolis (2-9).
Peabody-Burns
The Warriors were unable to close out Douglass on Saturday, finishing in sixth place at the Cougar Classic.
Peabody opened the tournament with a 69-40 loss Thursday to Herington but beat Wakefield 58-40 Friday.
Peabody-Burns (2-7) will be host to Centre (2-6) Friday.
Centre
The Cougars won their second game of the season Saturday, defeating Wakefield, 64-26, after a rough two-day start.
Centre opened its tournament with a loss Thursday to Rural Vista and a loss Friday to Douglass before bouncing back to take seventh place.
The Cougars (2-6) will hit the road Friday to face off against Peabody-Burns (2-7).