By John Mesh
The Derby Panther girls basketball team turned up the defense en route to a 51-34 victory over Hutchinson Tuesday night at the Salthawk Activity Center.
Derby, ranked third in Class 6A in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association poll, improved to 8-1. Hutchinson dropped to 5-2.
Derby has won 16 straight games over the Salthawk girls dating back to the 2015 season.
Hutchinson led 6-4 in the opening quarter, but Derby finished the frame with a 9-0 run to take 13-6 lead.
The Panthers led at halftime 30-14 and 39-23 at the end of third quarter. Derby outscored Hutchinson 12-11 in the fourth quarter.
Kaia Smith, a 6-foot-1 senior, led the Salthawks with 20 points, including 12 in the first half. Grace Posch scored 7 points, including 5 in the fourth quarter. Tenley Keeton added 3, Ava Krone 2 and Kohlbie Craft 2.
Macayla Askew, a 6-2 junior who is being recruited heavily, led the Panthers with 12 points. Nine Derby players scored in the game.
“We lost one to a great Derby team,” said Hutchinson High School girls basketball coach Kalen Hilst. “Their defense bothered us a lot tonight. We will be back at it next Monday against a great Maize South team on the road.”
Hutchinson Trinity Catholic girls, boys fall in first round of Sterling tourney
The Hutchinson Catholic girls and boys basketball teams lost their first-round games against Scott City Tuesday at the Sterling Invitational Tournament.
The Celtic girls lost 61-19 and the Trinity boys lost 79-27.
The Trinity boys (1-8) were led in scoring by Jackson Dozier and Max Ryan with 7 points each.
Jackson Rumford scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Scott City Beavers (8-2), who will play Hugoton at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Alex Tarango contributed 15 points.
The Celtic boys will play Southeast of Saline at 3 p.m. Thursday in the consolation round. The game will be played at the Gleason Center at Sterling College.
The Trinity girls (also 1-8) will play Smoky Valley at 4:30 p.m. in the consolation round.
Despite a slow start, the second-seeded Sterling Black Bears posted an 87-32 win over the Smoky Valley Vikings.
The win puts Sterling into the semifinals at 6 p.m. on Thursday against Lyons. The Black Bears were led by 6-6 junior Boston Ekart with 31 points, followed by Blake Smith with 19.
The Bears (7-2) put the game away with a 36-point third quarter as they shot 60% from the field.
In other tournament action Tuesday:
• Eli J. Walter at Berean: The Hutchinson Central Christian girls lost to Berean Academy 29-19.
The Wichita Classical girls defeated Elyria Christian 51-31 and improved their record to 7-3.
• Adolph Rupp at Halstead: The Class 3A Haven boys improved to 9-1 with a 66-31 victory over Class 6A.
• St. John Invitational girls: Inman 70, Macksville 26. The Teutons will play Central Plains at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
• St. John Invitational boys: St. John 45, Inman 33. The Inman boys will play Cimarron at 5 p.m. Friday.
• Hillsboro Tournament boys: Moundridge 56, Riley County 26. The Moundridge Wildcats, who led 31-12 at halftime, placed three players in double figures.
Henry Hecox scored 16 points, Heath Churchill 13 and Bear Moddlemog 11. Brett Hopper led Riley County with 11.
Monday night basketball tournament action
It was a tough Monday night for the Nickerson High School Panther basketball teams as the boys team and girls team both lost in the first round of the St John Mid-Winter Classic.
The Panther girls lost 79-16 to Little River. The Nickerson girls will play the loser of St. John vs. Larned at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in St John.
The Nickerson boys lost 51-35 to Central Plains. The Nickerson boys play the loser of Little River vs. Larned at 5 p.m. Thursday in St John.
Also on Monday at the St. John tournament, the Macksville boys defeated Cimarron 64-57 and the Central Plains girls defeated Cimarron 39-25.
In Monday games at the 55th Annual Adolph Rupp Invitational, the Cheney boys defeated Rose Hill 68-18 and the Andale boys defeated Garden Plain 50-45.
Haven boys, girls basketball teams fall in KBCA poll
After suffering their first losses of the season, the Haven High School boys and girls basketball teams dropped to fifth and ninth in Class 3A in the latest Kansas Basketball Coaches Association rankings released on Tuesday.
Halstead is ranked second in Class 3A girls, Sterling is ranked fourth in Class 2A boys and Inman is fifth in Class 2A girls.
The Great Bend Panthers, who defeated Hutchinson on Friday, are ranked sixth in Class 5A boys.
First-place boys teams: Shawnee Mission Northwest, Class 6A; Topeka Highland Park, Class 5A; Ottawa, Class 4A; Wichita Collegiate, Class 3A; Moundridge, Class 2A; Coldwater-South Central, Class 1A Division I; and Cunningham, Class 1A Division II.
First-place girls teams: Overland Park-Blue Valley North, Class 6A; Topeka Seaman, Class 5A; Wellington, Class 4A; Hesston, Class 3A; Pittsburg-St. Mary’s Colgan, Class 2A; Little River, Class 1A Division II; Hanover, Clas 1A Division II.
Area wrestlers ranked by KWCA for Jan. 21
Several area wrestlers are listed in the latest Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association ranking released on Tuesday.
All-Class Boys
144 pounds: 6.Cruz Hershberger, Buhler.
157: 8.Max Harris, Hutchinson.
160: 5.Kade Smith, Hutchinson.
Class 5A Boys
113: 3.Cruz Cannon, Hutchinson.
150: 6.Cooper Harris, Hutchinson.
157: 6.Max Harris, Hutchinson.
Class 4A Boys
132: 6.Sammy Hershberger, Buhler.
144: 3.Cruz Hershberger, Buhler.
165: 6.Luke Kerns, Buhler.
Class 321A Boys
106: 5.Marius Lee, Lyons.
126: 3.Jacob Moore, Haven.
150:2.Jace Grizzle, Lyons.
All-Class Girls
105: 8.Jacynn Boeken, Lyons.
155: 6.Trista Rogers, Haven.
Class 5A
125: 6.Sophia Zwickl, Hutchinson.
Class 4A
135: 4.Lillie Ledford, Buhler.
145: 2.Macey Parks, Buhler.
235: 4.Elizabeth Dick, Nickerson.
Class 321A
100: 5.Taylor Baxter, Lyons.
105: 1. Jacynn Boeken, Sterling.
110: 2.Kennedy Grizzle, Lyons.
155: 3.Trista Rogers, Haven.
Blue Dragon women drop to 5th in NJCAA Division I rankings, HutchCC men are No. 23
Saturday’s 67-41 loss at then-No. 3 Dodge City knocked the Hutchinson Blue Dragon women’s basketball team out of the top spot to No. 5 in the latest NJCAA rankings.
The rankings were released one day later than normal because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
The Blue Dragons are now 17-1 overall and are tied with Dodge City atop the KJCCC at 11-1.
The Blue Dragons have a pair of home games this week with Barton on Wednesday and Fort Hays Tech Northwest on Saturday.
Coffeyville joins Hutchinson and Dodge City as ranked teams from the KJCCC. The Ravens (14-3) are No. 23 after receiving votes last week.
After a six-week absence from the national rankings, a seven-game win streak as propelled the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team back into the NJCAA Top 25.
The Blue Dragons (13-5) jumped back into the rankings at No. 23 on Tuesday after wins over Seward County and Dodge City extended a season-long seven-game win streak.
The Blue Dragons host Barton on Wednesday and Fort Hays Tech Northwest on Saturday.
The Barton Cougars (14-4) fell out of the rankings this week after going 1-1 with a tough loss to Independence and a win over Coffeyville.
Cowley is the highest-ranked KJCCC team in the rankings at No. 5. Coffeyville is No. 13 and Butler is No. 14.
Buhler bowlers sweep Wichita CCA, Solomon
The Buhler High School boys and girls bowling teams swept Wichita Central Christian Academy and Solomon Tuesday afternoon at The Alley in Hutchinson.
The next matches for the Crusaders is Thursday at The Alley in Salina.
Varsity Boys (+4 Baker)
Buhler: 2381 (3085)
Central Christian Academy: 2063 (2788)
Solomon: 1282 (1751)
High Game: Malachi Willis – 226
High Series: Rylan Klug – 657
Varsity Girls (+4 Baker)
Central Christian Academy: 1948 (2604)
Buhler: 1895 (2523)
Solomon: 293
High Game: Macy Miller – 206
High Series: Macy Miller – 525
JV Boys
Buhler: 1836
Central Christian Academy – 437
High Game: Gaven Bowers – 181
High Series: Gaven Bowers – 507
JV Girls
Buhler: 1371
Central Christian Academy: 843
High Game: Madalyn Bohringer – 153
High Series: Madalyn Bohringer – 390
Today’s Series:
Varsity Boys
Rylan Klug: 219, 223, 215 = 657
Malachi Willis: 226, 183, 205 = 614
Logan Brown: 196, 184, 189 = 569
Julian Morrison: 178, 171, 192 = 541
Trevor Trustian: 166, 147, 176 = 489
Carson White: 176, 130, 179 = 485
Varsity Girls
Macy Miller: 172, 206, 147 = 525
Aubrey Ewing: 181, 158, 168 = 507
Cheyann Geesling: 180, 104, 141 = 425
Brayla Johnson: 141, 112, 155 = 408
Eva Goertz: 125, 134, 135 = 394
Brynn Treaster: 80, 110, 98 = 288
JV Boys
Gavin Bowers: 175, 151, 181 = 507
Collin Schwartzkopf: 143, 164, 155 = 462
Blake Mourn: 114, 146, 170 = 430
Dominic Gaede: 148, 144, 125 = 417
Kadin Glass: 134, 143, 113 = 390
Christian Smith: 69, 112, 96 = 277
JV Girls
Madalyn Bohringer: 153, 136, 101 = 390
Baylee Krase: 78, 135, 122 = 335
Juliette Shank: 90, 128, 98 = 316
Lelani Strodtman: 85, 89, 120 = 294
Keelee Bryant: 110, 73, 97 = 280
Cora Nuttmann: 75, 93, 88 = 256