Emporia High coach Rick Bloomquist knew there was no need to outthink himself on Friday night with Taylor Euler on his side.
With 35.9 seconds left and trailing by two points, Bloomquist called timeout and drew up a play for Euler, who had already scored 23 points and made four 3-pointers.
“If it wasn’t set up for Taylor, then I’m a pretty dumb coach,” Bloomquist said. “Anybody in this gym could have called that.”
The Spartans got the ball to Euler, he went around two ball screens and let loose a contested, rainbow 3-pointer.
“That’s probably the most arch I’ve ever had on a shot,” Euler said. “... To be honest, it really didn’t feel that good coming off the hand.”
It didn’t seem to matter on this night. Euler 3-pointer didn’t touch rim, Bellevue West missed what would have been a buzzer-beating game winner and the Spartans survived with a 51-50 victory.
“You always see things like that on TV, see Mario’s shot for KU,” Euler said. “Finally when it happens to you, it feels great. You just feel great that you were able to do that for your team.”
Euler finished what he started against Bellevue East, one of the top teams in Nebraska led by 6-foot-7 senior Jarrell Crayton, a Division-I recruit.
Euler, who will play at White Auditorium next season for Emporia State, showed why Bloomquist says “that’s probably the smartest thing that (David) Moe’s done since I’ve been here at Emporia was sign him early, because if he didn’t, somebody was going to come after him.”
Euler scored 14 points in the first quarter and did not miss a shot until a halfcourt heave at the buzzer. After Jacob Torres scored the first four points of the second quarter, Euler scored the final seven, twice taking back the lead for EHS. After Bellevue East took the lead for the first time when Evan Williams made two free throws with 2:50 left in the second, Euler responded with a runner.
Trailing by a point near the end of the second quarter, Emporia ran down the clock and cleared out for Euler to go to work. Euler pulled up from 25 feet out with three seconds left and his 3-pointer gave the Spartans a 29-27 lead at half.
“I came out real focused,” Euler said. “Like at Leavenworth, I can’t do it on my own. The guys were screening. The guys were moving the ball. Everybody was just working hard. I think if I can get an open shot then I’m going to hit it and the guys know that.”
Euler did not get any open looks in the second half. Bellevue East came out of halftime determined to stop Euler. Nearly ever time Euler touched the ball, the Chieftains would run a second defender at him.
“I think they were selling Taylor out in the first half. It started turning into, ‘hey, we enjoy watching Taylor too,’” Bloomquist said. “I told them at halftime we’ve got four good guys that can pass, catch and make baskets, we’ve got to use them.
Bloomquist told Torres, in particular, at halftime that he needed to step up.
“First half we were nonchalant. Taylor was hitting so we gave it to him,” Torres said. “Second half we all had to come together. We needed everyone, not just Taylor.”
Torres answered his coach’s demand by scoring the first six points of the third quarter. He scored nine of Emporia’s 11 third quarter points with an assortment of drives to the basket and pull-up jumpers. The only other basket in the quarter came from Euler on a baseline jumper.
“Skip’s a great player. He hasn’t shown that this year and I think people finally got a little look of what he can do,” Euler said. “We knew he was going to do that and we told him afterward, you’ve got to man up, you’ve got to take over. He definitely manned up.”
Torres continued to be the Spartans only man on offense in the fourth quarter, scoring the first eight points of the quarter. His two free throws with 2:50 left gave the Spartans a 48-45 lead.
Crayton scored on a jump hook on the Chieftains’ next possession. Bellevue East’s Joel Butts tied the game at 48 with 1:53 left on a free throw, and then Crayton took the lead on another jump hook with 1:08 left.
Trailing by two, the Spartans dribbled around the perimeter trying to get the ball to Euler or Torres, but Bellevue East would not allow either to get the ball in position to score. So Bloomquist decided to call a timeout so he could figure out a way to give Euler a chance to win the game.
Torres, who had scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, was the second option, but even he wanted Euler to take the shot. When Euler released it, Torres said he knew it was in.
“Because that’s just how he is,” Torres said. “He’s a good player. I would have rather had him take it and that’s how everyone else feels too.”
Euler and Torres ended up scoring 47 of Emporia High’s 51 points and were the only two Spartans to score in the final three quarters.
“Every time Taylor Euler and Jacob Torres release a ball, I’m surprised if it doesn’t go in. I really am,” Bloomquist said. “Jacob hasn’t been shooting it well, but he’s going to. This is the first time he’s had to have this roll.
“It’s kind of like Jacob’s taken Caydrick’s role or Jacob’s filling in that other guard, and he’s never had to shoot like this. And he can stroke it. I’m telling you. He can stroke it.”
With the win, Emporia advances to today’s championship of the Paul Terry Classic at White Auditorium. The Spartans will go for their first Classic title since 2004.
That year another future Hornet, Wes Book, led the Spartans. On Friday, it was Euler providing Emporia State fans a preview of what’s to come.
“I love this gym,” Euler said. “I grew up watching games here, grew up watching the state tournament and being a little ball boy. I love this arena. I love playing in it. It’s good to get a little bit of a taste of what next year will be like.”
Friday at White Auditorium
Bellevue East 13 14 11 12 — 50
Emporia 18 11 11 11 — 51
BELLEVUE EAST
Wallace 2-7 0-0 5, Owens 1-5 0-0 5, Macnab 0-3 0-0 0, Butts 1-3 5-7 7, Crayton 11-16 2-4 24, Williams 3-5 3-4 9, Reeves 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 19-41 10-15 50.
EMPORIA (2-1)
Euler 10-17 1-3 26, Golden 0-1 0-0 0, Jamison 1-3 0-0 2, Torres 6-14 8-12 21, Canales 1-1 0-0 2, Gentz 0-5 0-0 0, Essex 0-0 0-0 0, Childs 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-41 9-15 51.
3-point goals — Bellevue East 2-8 (Wallace 1-1, Owens 1-5, Macnab 0-1, Crayton 0-1), Emporia State 9-15 (Euler 5-8, Torres 1-3, Gentz 0-2). Fouled out — Bellevue East: None; Emporia: None. Rebounds — Bellevue East 26 (Crayton 18), Emporia 23 (Torres 5). Assists — Bellevue East 8 (Wallace 3), Emporia 6 (Euler 2). Total fouls — Bellevue East 15, Emporia 13.