Quick-Strike Cats
Ken Easthouse
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Northern Heights used a 10-0 opening surge to overpower Osage City on its way to a 60-40 win Friday night to advance to the championship game of the Flint Hills Shootout.
The Indians didn’t score a basket until just past the 3-minute mark in the first quarter, and by then the Wildcats held an 10-3 lead that they never let go.
“I think we had that deer-in-the-headlight look,” Osage City coach Dennis Fort said. “It took us a while to realize we can play with these guys.”
During the opening few minutes, Northern Heights was a step faster than Osage City, causing multiple turnovers and running a transition offense.
“We’ve got a lot of players who have some basketball skills,” Northern Heights coach Lanny Massey said. “We may not be fast, but we play about as fast as we can play.”
The Wildcats’ speed was, in large part, due to the efforts of senior guard Cody Niedfeldt, who had several steals and led the transition offense throughout the night.
“(Niedfeldt) lengthens the basketball court for us,” Massey said. “He makes you defend the whole court.”
Both teams were in foul trouble late in the third quarter, as several starters and key players were shuffled on both teams.
“Foul trouble hurts us, because we don’t have a lot of post kids,” Fort said.
However, the Wildcats play a deeper bench, which allowed them to defend Osage City more aggressively.
“I didn’t pay too close situation on depth because we have depth,” Massey said. “I can replace some of the kids we have on the floor and not miss a beat.”
One such bench player was Hayden Parks, who tied Niedfeldt with a game-high 14 points. The 6-foot-5 junior held a sizable height advantage over most of Osage City’s interior players, which allowed him to grab easy rebounds and second-chance points.
“I’ve had a few good-scoring games off the bench, and I think I played pretty good off the bench tonight,” Parks said.
Massey said Parks’s improved play recently allowed the team to throw several different combinations of post players on the court.
“That 6-5 body brings a presence the other kids just don’t have,” Massey said. “Hayden brings us a new dimension.”
Northern Heights advanced to play top-seeded Yates Center at 7:30 tonight at White Auditorium.
OSAGE CITY boys 40, NORTHERN HEIGHTS 60
Osage City 7 15 12 6 — 40
Northern Heights 18 18 12 12 — 60
Osage City (7-3) — Br. Thornburgh 7, Carson 4, Davis 4, Oliver 2, Faulkner 12, Keeffe 7, Bl. Thornburgh 4. Total 40.
Northern Heights (9-1) — Roeder 6, Niedfeldt 14, Weakley 2, Hizar 6, H. Parks 14, D. Parks 9, Hobson 5, Heins 2. Total 60.
Halftime — NH 36-22. Total fouls — OC 15, NH 17. Fouled out — OC: Oliver.
Yates Center 67,
Herington 32
Yates Center used a dominant second quarter to overcome upstart Herington 67-32 Friday night to advance to the championship game of the Flint Hills Shootout against Northern Heights.
Herington led 12-9 after the first quarter and was looking for its second upset of the tournament.
However, Yates Center rode a 22-6 run in the second quarter to take the lead for good.
HERINGTON boys 32, YATES CENTER 67
Herington 12 6 7 7 — 32
Yates Center 9 22 15 21 — 67
Herington (3-6) — Miller 11, Scott 7, Geissert 6, Mitchell 3, Burnes 5. Total 32.
Yates Center (10-0) — Matile 15, Bettega 11, Ireland 11, Gehrer 4, Faulkner 8, Fullerton 4, Stockebrand 14. Total 67.
Halftime — YC 31-18. Total fouls — Herington 17, YC 15. Fouled out — Herington: Miller. YC: Faulkner.
Wabaunsee 62,
Mission Valley 47
Wabaunsee used a strong first quarter to upend Mission Valley, 62-47, Friday night in the consolation bracket of the Flint Hills Shootout at White Auditorium. It was the first win for Wabaunsee this season.
Wabaunsee outpaced Mission Valley 22-13 in the first quarter, and used that momentum throughout the game to slowly build its lead.
Senior Garrick Gehrt led all scorers with 27 points for the Chargers, 19 of which came in the first half.
Wabaunsee will take on Royal Valley in the consolation championship at 1:30 p.m. today.
WABAUNSEE boys 62, MISSION VALLEY 47
Wabaunsee 22 14 11 15 — 62
Mission Valley 13 13 11 10 — 47
Wabaunsee (1-8) — Ervin 2, Gehrt 27, Cook 10, Short 6, Terrell 12, Heiman 5. Total 62.
Mission Valley (0-9) — Logan 2, McClelland 8, Branch 2, Zeilke 6, Rudeen 18, Bozarth 7, Lohse 4. Total 47.
Halftime — Wabaunsee 36-26. Total fouls — Wab. 20, MV 22. Fouled out — MV: Zeilke.
Royal Valley 68,
Eureka 28
Royal Valley dominated Eureka to win its first game of the season in a 68-28 victory Friday night to advance to the consolation championship of the Flint Hills Shootout.
The game was relatively close at halftime, with Royal Valley holding a slight 25-21 advantage. However, the Panthers allowed just seven points after halftime while scoring 43 on their side of the court.
It was the first win of the season for the Panthers, who were 0-9 going into the contest and were the bottom seed in the tournament.
Junior Wesley Hale led all scorers with 22 points for Royal Valley.
ROYAL VALLEY boys 68, EUREKA 28
Royal Valley 13 12 17 26 — 68
Eureka 12 9 5 2 — 28
Royal Valley (1-9) — Bausch 3, Kutina 7, Seematter 11, Stithem 6, Streeter 11, Miller 2, Hug 4, Allen 2, Hale 22. Total 68.
Eureka (3-5) — Walker 4, Argabright 4, Salazar 6, Hayes 6, Skiles 3, Mead 5. Total 28.
Halftime — RV 25-21. Total fouls — RV 17, Eureka 15. Fouled out — Eureka: Mead.