For every test Olathe East threw at the Emporia High Spartans in Thursday night’s game in the first round of the Paul Terry Classic, the Spartans had an even better answer.
Olathe East came back from a 12-point third-quarter deficit to get within one point on three different occasions in the fourth quarter, but every time the Hawks had a shot at the lead, Emporia made a play to keep East at bay on the way to a 62-59 victory.
“Fortunately, we came down and played within the offense, got the shots we wanted — easy shots — and stayed disciplined,” sophomore Greg Canales said. “We just finished. Tonight, we finished.”
Led by senior Caydrick Bloomquist’s game-high 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting — including a tournament record-tying seven 3-pointers — the Spartans (1-1) advanced to the winner’s bracket of the tournament, where they will meet Tulsa Memorial at 8:15 tonight.
“Tonight’s win was just pure effort right on our part,” Bloomquist said. “We came out with a lot of intensity, and we want to carry that on into (today).”
Emporia played its best half of the young season in the first half against East, as the Spartans looked in rhythm offensively — a drastic difference from their season-opening loss to Leavenworth — on their way to a 39-26 halftime lead. EHS shot 58 percent (15-of-26) from the field while holding East to just 30 percent (9-30).
“I was really happy with the first half,” EHS coach Rick Bloomquist said. “I thought we played the way we are supposed to play and the way we want this team to play. I thought we had a lot of continuity, I thought we had a lot of energy, I thought we had a lot of rhythm in the offense.”
But while the Spartans weren’t bad in the second half, Olathe East was simply better.
After scoring 21 points in the first half, Caydrick Bloomquist was held to just eight points in the second half thanks to a defensive adjustment by East.
Meanwhile, the Hawks’ Bruce Reed got hot.
After a four-point first half, Reed scored 16 after halftime, with nine coming on three 3-pointers.
Caydrick Bloomquist’s seventh 3-pointer of the game at the 4:30 mark of the third quarter put EHS up by 12 at 43-31.
The shot tied the tournament record for three-point makes in a game, a record he already shared with Olathe East’s Joey Mundweiler, who hit seven threes in 2003.
“I was in rhythm tonight,” Caydrick said. “You have to be in rhythm to make those shots. I felt pretty good.”
East closed the quarter on a 12-7 run, however, trimming Emporia’s lead to 50-43 at the end of the third frame.
Reed then scored seven points in the first 2 minutes of the fourth period — including a breakaway dunk — in helping the Hawks close to within one point with 5:18 left to play at 54-53.
“Olathe East is a very nice team,” Rick Bloomquist said. “You’ve got to credit them for staying with their gameplan and staying with their offense.”
Canales came up with Emporia’s first answer, as he hit a jumper in the lane a minute and a half later to stretch the Spartans’ lead to 56-53.
Canales had a big night, going 5-for-6 from the field and 1-for-2 at the free-throw line to score 11 points. He also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
“I felt confident,” he said. “I just played the offense and played my role. If shots came to me, I made them.”
East got to within one point twice more, at 56-55 and 58-57, but Emporia’s Taylor Euler and Caydrick Bloomquist each hit shots to stave off the Hawks’ threat. Emporia got a little breathing room when Euler scored on a breakaway layup off an East turnover to make it 62-57, and the Spartans closed it out from there.
“I have to give my kids credit,” Coach Bloomquist said, “because although the second half wasn’t as good as the first half, they pretty much answered anything they (East) gave us. We turned persistent in spurts.
“We want to be persistent all the time.”
In other games Thursday, Tulsa Memorial defeated Webb City (Mo.), 65-51; Junction City defeated Bellevue East (Neb.), 61-54; and defending Class 5A State champion Blue Valley West defeated Basehor-Linwood, 52-48.
Emporia boys 62, Olathe East 59
Paul Terry Classic
Thursday at White Auditorium
Olathe East 13 13 17 16 — 59
Emporia 20 19 11 12 — 62
Olathe East (0-2) — Mundweiler 6-15 1-2 17, Caresia 0-8 0-0 0, Moore 0-1 0-0 0, Darby 4-13 6-6 14, Reed 7-9 3-3 20, Williams 0-1 1-2 1, Schmitz 0-1 0-0 0, Nemec 1-2 0-0 2, Starling 2-5 0-0 4, Gafford 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 20-55 12-15 59.
Emporia (1-1) — Childs 1-2 0-0 2, Bloomquist 10-17 2-3 29, Canales 5-6 1-2 11, Euler 3-7 0-1 6, Pierce 6-9 2-2 14, Roberson 0-3 0-0 0, McAnarney 0-1 0-2 0, Jamison 0-0 0-0 0, Torres 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-47 5-10 62.
3-point goals — OE 7-21 (Mundweiler 4-9, Caresia 0-4, Darby 0-2, Reed 3-5, Schmitz 0-1), Emporia 7-15 (Bloomquist 7-11, Euler 0-1, Roberson 0-2, Torres 0-1). Rebounds — OE 32 (Nemec 7), Emporia 28 (Canales 9). Assists — OE 10 (3 tied with 2), Emporia 11 (Childs 3). Turnovers — OE 14, Emporia 18. Total fouls — OE 14, Emporia 13.