The Olpe boys advanced themselves to Sub-State play, holding off Marais des Cygnes Valley 53-40 on Thursday in the 1A Regional semifinals at Hartford.
“You work so much in the regular season, and then your season comes down to just one game,” Olpe coach Chris Schmidt said. “There’s a lot of pressure on it, so it’s nice to go on.”
The Eagles’ triumph didn’t come without a struggle.
After taking a 24-16 lead into half, Olpe saw its advantage trimmed to 35-31 by the end of the third quarter.
A 3-pointer from MdCV’s Chisom Spencer made it 35-34 with 6 minutes left in the game.
The next 2 minutes ended up being the game-deciding stretch for Olpe.
Bradley Argabright knocked down two consecutive threes, then Alex Medenciy added another as the Eagles went on a quick 9-0 run to build their lead back to 44-34 with 4:18 left.
Olpe went just 3-for-8 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter but still was able to hold on to its double-digit advantage.
Cole Krueger led the Eagles with 15 points, while Argabright added 12 and Medenciy had 11.
MdCV was led by Brandon Litch and Spencer, who had 11 points each. The Trojans’ leading scorer, Dennis Becker, had 10 points.
“I was pretty pleased with our defense,” Schmidt said. “All night long, we did a pretty good job on Becker.”
Olpe advances to face Colony-Crest in Saturday’s Regional final.
Olpe boys 53, MdCV 40
Thursday at Hartford
MdCV 7 9 15 9 — 40
Olpe 8 16 11 18 — 53
MdCV — Brandon Litch 11, Chisom Spencer 11, Dennis Becker 10, Matthew McGowin 5, Michael Schmidt 3.
Olpe — Cole Krueger 15, Bradley Argabright 12, Nathan Hammond 3, Matt Redeker 2, Alex Medenciy 11, Josh Klumpe 6, Ethan Schneider 4.
Halftime — Olpe 24-16. Total fouls — MdCV 13, Olpe 12. Fouled out — None.
Colony-Crest boys 59, Madison 36
Madison couldn’t overcome a poor rebounding performance in a 59-36 loss to second-seeded Colony-Crest in the 1A Regional semifinals at Hartford.
The Bulldogs led 13-12 after the first quarter, but little went right after that.
Madison scored just five points in the second quarter before struggling on the boards in the second half.
“We gave them too many second and third opportunities,” Madison coach Alan Brown said. “When you give a team that many chances, they’re going to capitalize on it.”
Madison was outscored 23-13 in the third quarter and 14-5 in the fourth, as Crest ran away with the win.
Eric Porter led the Bulldogs with 11 points, while Kaleb Schankie added nine.
Madison was hurt by the 1-2 punch of Crest’s Brandon Newton and Todd Johnston.
Newton scored 24 points, which all came in the first three quarters.
Johnston, meanwhile, heated up in the second half, scoring 18 of his 20 points after the break.
Madison ends its season with a 16-4 record — a year in which the Bulldogs won their first Lyon County League tournament in 30 years.
“We going to feel this one for a little bit,” Brown said, “but I think down the line, we’ll realize all the accomplishments that we did do this year.”
Colony-Crest boys 59, Madison 36
Thursday at Hartford
Crest 12 10 23 14 — 59
Madison 13 5 13 5 — 36
Crest — Newton 24, Johnston 20, Stinnett 6, Weldin 4, Bryan Newton 3, Buck 2.
Madison — Eric Porter 11, Kaleb Schankie 9, Michael Luthi 7, Sid Childers 5, Kale Schankie 2, Caleb Hamilton 2.
Halftime — Crest 22-18. Total fouls — Crest 13, Madison 17. Fouled out — None.