HILLSBORO HIGH SCHOOL: Trojans dodge Wildcats' bullet, claim league title
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
The good news for the Trojans is they ended the regular season repeating as MCAA champions, winning 15 consecutive games.
Quickly there to rain on their parade is the fact that's history come March 4 as they officially embark on their quest for a state title.
Now the real trick is getting back to playing the kind of basketball they started playing February 7.
In the four-game stretch against the likes of Ellinwood, Lyons, Sterling and Halstead, the Trojans were relentless in going the full 32:00.
Come Tuesday night's season-finale against the frightening visitors Haven Wildcats, for the second game in a row the Trojans again seemed to run out of gas late
Luckily, big first and third quarters by the Trojans allowed them to ward off a scare from the Wildcats, 69-57.
Hillsboro ends the regular season 18-2 overall and 12-1 in the MCAA.
Trojan coach Darrell Knoll doesn't seem too thrilled about the final week of the regular season.
The senior group of Tyler Weinbrenner, Shawn Hughbanks, Andy Brubacher, Dustin Jost, Steve Chisholm, Alan Yoder and Eric Bartel were all making a curtain call against the Wildcats.
Mix that in with sub-state beginning on Monday, it would be easy to divert the attention away from Haven.
The way the first quarter started with Hillsboro sprinting to a 24-11 lead and hitting nine of 12 from the floor, the latter didn't seem to be a factor.
Weinbrenner made his regular season home finale one to remember, bombing the Wildcats with a game-high 23 points, 10 coming in the first quarter.
As did Chisholm and Jost, adding 16 and 10 points, respectively.
Still hobbled by a sprained ankle sustained in the Feb. 18 meeting with Halstead, Brubacher drained back-to-back triples to build the Trojans' lead to 27-11, 21 seconds into the second quarter.
The usual quick start for Hillsboro evaporated the second quarter, missing six opportunities to extend the lead with baskets in transition.
"We played a really good first quarter I thought," Knoll said. "Even the second quarter we played well, we just didn't convert those fast-breaks and I think at that point, we lost a little momentum."
Few things can kill momentum like turning the ball over, and Hillsboro swung it back in Haven's favor having its fast breaks wiped out with turnovers.
Six second-quarter miscues by Hillsboro led to six Wildcat points and Haven was gaining on the Trojans by halftime, trailing 37-26.
A combined 13 points from Weinbrenner and Chisholm helped leave the impression the Trojans were on the verge of a knockout with a 20-12 third quarter.
Especially after Weinbrenner gave the Trojans a 21-point bulge with a basket just under 2:00 left in the third.
Hillsboro hit nine of 13 from the field to take a commanding 57-38 lead into the fourth quarter.
But the 19-point lead was even too flimsy as the Wildcats drained some key threes to claw their way back into the game against the seemingly tired Trojans.
"The third quarter I thought we did a nice job of playing well and extending our lead," said Knoll. "The fourth quarter it was just like we lost the energy somehow."
Normally a team that flourishes both shooting the three and dribble-penetrating, Hillsboro instead looked to be content trying to run out the clock.
Missing seven of 10 attempts from the floor, four free throws from Hughbanks and two from Chisholm kept pushing the lead.
"I was pleased with the game overall," Knoll said. "It seemed like the last quarter lacked energy, but the rest of the game we got after it pretty hard.
"I think more than anything we need to realize this season is over and a new season is starting on Tuesday. We need to get our energy and start playing like we were last week. We played excellent basketball during that stretch.
"We've had some things where we need to take a little break, get ourselves rejuvenated and come after the new season."
Hillsboro opens the first round of the Hesston sub-state March 4 against the Ellsworth Bearcats at 7 p.m. in Hillsboro.
Collegiate
Friday night's game against hosting Wichita-Collegiate wasn't so much a matter of the Spartans being that good, but rather the Trojans being that sluggish.
Knoll was quick to pin the blame for that on the absence of Brubacher.
Nevertheless, a game-high 16 points from Weinbrenner helped the Trojans knock out a 49-41 victory over the surging Spartans.
Hillsboro had plenty of chances to bury the Spartans, but shooting a season-low seven for 19 at the free throw line kept Collegiate sticking around.
The Spartans were ice-cold from beyond the arc, firing blanks on all 10 of their shots.
Hillsboro 69, haven 57
Total points: T. Weinbrenner 23; Jost 10, Chisholm 16, Peachey 3, Hughbanks 6, Brubacher 6, Marsh 5.
Steals: Chisholm 3, Peachey 1, Hughbanks 2, Brubacher 2.
Assists: E. Weinbrenner 1, Brubacher 3, T. Weinbrenner 7, Jost 2, Marsh 2, Peachey 1.
Rebounds: Brubacher 2, T. Weinbrenner 2, Chisholm 6, Peachey 5, A. Yoder 1, Hughbanks 10.
