By John Mesh
The Hutchinson High School Salthawk boys basketball team lost to Manhattan 63-61 in the seventh-place game at the 61st annual McPherson Invitational Tournament Saturday at the McPherson Roundhouse.
The Salthawks have lost four straight games.
The Salthawks (4-5) took a 24-11 lead in the first frame and led 38-27 at halftime. Hutchinson’s Lamar Govain, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard, had 14 points at intermission. He finished with a season-high 20 points.
Manhattan (4-7) outscored Hutchinson 16-12 in the third quarter and 20-11 in the fourth quarter.
Terrell King added 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals for the Salthawks. Taishaun Govain added 7 points and 3 blocked shots.
Levi Kepler scored 6 points, Jalen Crable 5, Danny Boone 4 and Tramel Walker 3. Lucas Witt had 2 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Vince Doering led Manhattan with 17 points. Landon Knopp scored 12 points and Will Carpenter 10.
“They (Manhattan) had a good game plan,” said Hutchinson boys basketball coach Bryan Miller during his radio postgame interview. “I told the guys at halftime ‘They’re going to make a comeback.’ Give a lot of credit to those guys.
“In the fourth quarter, we might have run out gas. We just got to finish games. I know this is not how we wanted to finish in this tournament.”
Hutchinson’s Lamar Govain scored 45 points in three tournament games and tied for fifth among tournament-scoring leaders. He was fourth in field goal percentage (51.3%). Older brother Taishaun Govain was sixth in field goal percentage (48%).
King was second in free throw percentage (81.3%). Taishaun Govain was seventh in rebounds (21). Boone was fourth in steals (7) and King was sixth (6).
Lamar Govain and Taishaun Govain tied for fifth in offensive rebounds (9). Kepler was seventh in defensive rebounds (13). Taishaun Govain tied for seventh in blocked shots (3). King tied for fifth in assists (9).
Blue Valley West defeated McPherson 54-47 to win the MIT boy’s championship game.
Brandon Kirk led the Blue Valley West Jaguars with 15 points. Luke Goodale added 12 points. Tyler Peterson grabbed 11 rebounds. Cade Wysong dished off 6 assists to go with 6 points.
Gabe Pyle led the McPherson Bullpups with 23 points, including four 3-pointers. Ian Razak scored 10 points and Jett Pyle 9.
The Shawnee Mission East Lancers captured third place at the MIT, defeating the Lenexa-St. James Academy 62-58 in the third-place game.
Will Beck led the Lancers with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Walt Jones also scored 15 points, dished off 5 assists and had 2 steals. Stephen Hlobik scored 12 points and Pearson Konold 10.
Emmitt Peters paced the Thunder with 17 points. Jake Lolich scored 12 points. Nate Hornback scored 11 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.
The Free State Firebirds won the MIT fifth-place game 59-55 against the Wichita East Blue Aces. Free State led 34-33 in the first half.
Bennett Negal led Free State with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Korbin Dowdell scored 15 points. Braden Wilmes had 11 points and 7 rebounds. Ethan Prescott had 7 rebounds.
Ismael Berry led the Blue Aces with 17 points. Jaylen Phillips-Grey scored 14 points and grabbed 10 boards. Luke Henderson scored 14 points.
McPherson’s Gabe Pyle was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He was selected to the All-Tournament Team along with Jett Pyle, McPherson; Cade Wysong, Tyler Peterson and Brandon Kirk, Blue Valley West; Stephen Hlobik and Will Beck, Shawnee Mission East; Landon Knopp, McPherson; Luke Henderson and Ismel Berry, Wichita East; and Emmitt Peters, St. James Academy.
The Salthawks host Derby at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Haven Wildcats capture Halstead Rupp tournament title
The Haven Wildcat boys won the 55th annual Halstead Adolph Rupp Tournament champions by defeating Cheney 46-33 in the title game Saturday night.
Haven defeated the Smoky Valley Vikings 81-47 Friday in the semifinals and Liberal 66-31 Tuesday in the first round.
In the championship game win over Cheney, Bontrager led the Haven Wildcats with 12 points and 5 rebounds. Nash Wray scored 10 points
Reece Tolar led the Cheney Cardinals with 8 points and Peintner scored 6.
The Haven boys ranked fifth in Kansas Class 3A (KBCA), and improved to 11-1.
Haven has been overly impressive this season under longtime head coach Lonnie Paramore.
The Wildcats also have wins over multiple 4A and 5A programs with their only loss coming to 4A No. 6 Andale. Their best win is likely over 5A No. 6 Great Bend earlier this season.
Haven’s Dalton Bontrager was named to the Rupp All-Tournament team, the All-Academic team and tournament MVP.
Habven’s Nash Wray was named to the All-Tournament team. Gatlin Rinehart also made the All-Academic Team. Maguire Jacques won the 3-point competition.
Halstead’s Kohen Corona was also named to the All-Tournament Team. Corona and Mathew McClain each scored 21 points and Keaston Shields 16 in Halstead’s 71-58 win over Rose Hill in the seventh-place game. Shields also had 11 rebounds.
Garden Plain defeated Liberal 59-41 in the fifth-place game. Andale won the third-place game 63-41 over Winfield.
Cheney won the Bob Hall Sportsmanship Award and Cheney’s Carter Peintner won the Free Throw Contest.
The rest of the All-Tournament Team consisted of Peintner and Josh Burdick, Cheney; Austin Baalman, Andale; Christian Moree, Winfield; Kaden Kasselman, Garden Plain; Jack Horsch, Andale; and James Fieser, Liberal.
The rest of the All-Academic Team consisted of Burdik, Kasselman, Peintner, Ben Molitor and Caden Fowler, Andale; Brady Brack, Garden Plain; Trayton Allison-Hill, Rose Hill; and Evan Hutto, Winfield.
Five Hutchinson wrestlers unbeaten at AVCTL II meet
Five Hutchinson High School boys were unbeaten at the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League II Dual Thursday at the Salthawk Activity Center.
Unbeaten Salthawk boys wrestlers at the meet were sophomore Cruz Cannon, 113 pounds, 3-0; senior Anthony Gresham, 157, 4-0; senior Kade Smith, 165, 6-0; junior Jackson Anderson, 175, 6-0; and senior Kevin Wilson, 190, 3-0.
Freshman Dion Brown went 3-1 at 106 pounds, sophomore Cooper Harris went 5-1 at 150 pounds, senior Skylar Ray went 3-1 at 215 pounds and senior Charles Anderson went 3-1 at 215 pounds.
Also competing for the Salthawks were freshman Tommy Perkins, 0-2 at 106 pounds; sophomore Zach Allen. 2-4 at 120; junior Jair Maciel, 3-3 at 126; freshman Kam Wilson, 2-4 at 132; senior Alex Stowell, 2-4 at 138; junior Ayden Robidoux, 1-5 at 144; junior Chris Evans, 0-2 at 157; freshman Ashtun Lemonds, 10-1 at 190; sophomore Jayden Tuchardt, 0-1 at 190.
In the AVCTL II varsity girls competition Thursday, Hutchinson’s Ruby Foster went 5-1 at 120 pounds. Aaida Brown was 4-2 at 100 pounds and Natalie White was 4-2 at 105 pounds. Eco Kinast posted a 2-1 record at 110 pounds.
Posting 3-3 records were Baleigh Cousins at 140 pounds, Renna Ehling 145 pounds and Jillian Ferguson at 170 pounds.
Also competing for the Salthawk varsity girls were Emma Foster, 2-4 at 130 pounds; Princess Mendoza, 2-4 at 135 pounds; and Isabella Castaneda, 1-5 at 115 pounds.
In junior varsity boys and girls competition at the Salthawk Invitational Saturday at the SAC, Hutchinson’s Ashtun Lemonds placed second at 190 pounds with a 2-1 record. Not placing with 0-2 records were Hayden Von Anne, 175 pounds; Jayden Tuchardt, 190 pounds; and Lucas Bohlen, 215 pounds.
Three Salthawk JV boys wrestlers placed first: Dion Brown 4-0 at 106 pounds; Jair Maciel, 4-0 at 126 pounds; and Sam Smalley, 4-0 at 138 pounds.
Placing second were Tommy Perkins, 2-1 at 106 pounds; and Zach Allen, 2-1 at 130 pounds.
Placing third were Steven Allen, 5-2 at 126 pounds; and Anthony Gresham, 3-1 at 150 pounds. Chris Evans placed fourth at 157 pounds with a 4-2 record.
Not placing were Keagan Speaks, 1-2 at 106 pounds; Damian Nusser, 1-2 at 113 pounds; Titan Crabbs, 1-2 at 113 pounds; Eli Parks, 2-2 at 113 pounds; Daniel Jiminez, 0-2 at 120 pounds; Eli Thomas, 1-2 at 120 pounds; Gunnar Lehr, 2-2 at 132 pounds; Jaxon Bruce, 2-2 at 132 pounds; Cooper Hart, 2-2 at 132 pounds; Sam Lipani. 0-2 at 138 pounds; Kaiden Pettijohn, 0-2 at 157 pounds; Cruz Ibarra, 0-2 at 165 pounds; Cyrus Penny, 1-2 at 175 pounds; Nico Garcia, 2-2 at 175 pounds.
Renna Ehling placed second in the junior varsity girls 145-pound weight class with a 1-1 record.
Not placing were Eco Kinast, 0-2 at 1-5 pounds; Natalie White, 0-2 at 105 pounds; Kira Dickman. 0-2 at 115 pounds; Princess Mendoza, 9-2 at 115 pounds; and Annie Keyser. 0-2 at 145 pounds.
Nickerson boys 7th, girls 8th at St. John Mid-Winter Classic
The Nickerson boys basketball team defeated Inman 60-44 to capture seventh place at the St. John Mid-Winter Classic.
The Nickerson boys led Inman 11-7 in the first quarter, 35-22 at halftime and 45-33 after three quarters. Nickerson outscored the Teutons 15-11 in the fourth quarter.
The Nickerson High School girl’s basketball team lost to Macksville 49-38 in the seventh-place girls game early Saturday morning and placed eighth.
The Panther girls led the Mustang girls 15-9 at the end of the first quarter, but trailed 25-22 at halftime. Macksville led 38-28 after three quarters and won the fourth quarter 11-10.
The Macksville boys defeated Central Plains 48-42 Saturday in the championship game of the St. John Mid-Winter Classic. The Mustangs improved to 11-2.
Macksville improved to 11-2 and is ranked No. 6 KBCA in Class 1A Division I. Mustangs’ coach Jeff Kuckleman was the Sports in Kansas Class 1A Division I Coach of the Year in 2023.
Little River, No. 1 in KBCA Class 1A Division I, won the Mid-Winter Classic girls championship. Little River defeated Inman 67-53 in the title game.
Inman’s Suttyn Harris and Little River’s Saelyn Raleigh and Arika Feldman were named to the All-Tournament Team. Feldman was named Most Valuable Player and won the 3-Point Shooting championship. Little River’s Evie Look was the Free Throw Shooting champion.
Little River’s Jaxson Konen was named to the Boys All-Tournament Team.
The Nickerson teams host Wichita Classical on Monday and Haven on Tuesday. The Nickerson-Haven games are make-up games because of snow on Jan. 7.
Buhler girls 2nd, Crusader boys 7th at Salina Invitational Tournament
The Buhler High School girls basketball team battled No. 1 seed Andover in the girls championship game at the Salina Invitational Tournament Saturday afternoon, but fell short 61-48.
Andover led 15-10 after one quarter, 29-19 at halftime and 44-37 after three quarters. The Trojans outscored the Crusaders 17-11 in the fourth quarter for the 13-point win.
The Buhler boys basketball team defeated Wamego 58-51 to capture seventh place at the Salina Invitational Tournament Saturday afternoon. The Crusaders improved to 4-7.
Buhler led Wamego 20-11 after one quarter and led SIT 37-31 at halftime. Wamego took a 49-48 at the end of the third quarter. The Crusaders outscored Wamego 10-2 in the fourth quarter for the victory.
Great Bend won the SIT boys championship game 61-45 over Andover. The Panthers are 11-1, with their only loss coming against Haven. Panther junior Ian Premer, who was named the SIT boys Most Valuable Player, scored 29 points in the championship game.
Salina Central won the third-place boys game 55-54 over Salina South and Salina Central won the fifth-place girls game 58-30 over Abilene.
Salina South defeated Wamego 52-46 in the third-place girls game. Abilene won the fifth-place girls game 67-49 over Wichita South. The Great Bend girls defeated Junction City 60-25 in the seventh-place girls game.
Andover’s Aliyah Green, who played her freshman and sophomore seasons at Hutchinson, was named the girls Most Valuable Player. Salina South’s Brylee Moss was named Girls Most Inspirational Player. Abilene’s Tyler Holloway was the Boys Most Inspirational Player.
The SIT Boys All-Tournament Team consisted of Jacob Miller, Buhler; Premer and Jacob Hall, Great Bend; Josh Kim and Walker McClellan, Andover; Kaden Snyder and Kamryn Jones, Salina Central; Jace Humphrey, Salina South; Ian Crump, Abilene; and Maliek Saunders, Wichita South.
Buhler’s Natalya Krafels and Gracie Oard were named to the SIT Girls All-Tournament Team along with Green, Bella Bouddhara and Asiah Sullivan, Andover; Paityn Fritz and Tamia Cheeks, Salina South; Tahlia Morris, Salina Central; and Kendall Mayer and Lexi Hecht, Wamego.
Trinity Catholic boys 7th, Celtic girls 8th at Sterling Invitational Tournament
The Hutchinson Trinity Catholic boys team placed seventh at the 53rd annual Sterling Invitational Boys Tournament Friday and the Celtic girls placed eighth in the 12th annual Sterling Invitational Girls Tournament.
The Trinity boys, who lost to Scott City 69-27 and Southeast of Saline 69-48 in their first two tournament games, defeated Kingman 70-36 in the seventh-place game.
The Celtic girls lost to Lyons 50-36 in the seventh-place game. The Trinity girls lost to Scott Coity 61-19 and Smoky Valley 55-27 in their first two games.
Max Ryan led the Trinity Celtic boys with 20 points. Aaron Gust scored 17 points, Cameron Kiser 11 and Jackson Dozier 10.
Alex Suter-Tan led the Trinity Celtic girls with 18 points, including three 3-pointers. Cienna Maskill added 11 points.
Scott City’s Jackson Rumford, a 6-foot-6, 245-pound senior post player, received the Clair Gleason Award as the Most Valuable Player of the Sterling Invitational Boys Tournament.
Rumford led the Scott City team to the tournament championship over the host Sterling Black Bears.
Rumford and Bailey were joined on the Boys All-Tournament Team by Hugoton’s Jay Acosta, Lyons’ Xavier Solis and Sterling’s Boston Eckart.
The Scott City girls won the girls championship of the Sterling Invitational Girls Tournament and Southeast of Saline placed second.
Smoky Valley’s Katja Blanchat received the Girls Most Inspirational Player Award and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammate Megan Trout, Southeast of Saline’s Abigail Pearson and Kyiah Samuelson and Hugoton’s Amiley Lewis.
Southeast of Saline’s Owen Bailey won the boys 3-point shooting contest. Hugoton’s Emily Tinoco won the girls 3-Point shooting contest.
Hutchinson Central Christian girls 5th, Cougar boys 7th at Eli J. Walters Tournament
The Hutchinson Central Christian High School girls basketball team defeated Ell-Saline 64-42 in the fifth-place game Friday at the 58th annual Berean Academy Eli J. Walter Tournament.
The Cougar girls lost to Berean Academy 29-19 in their tournament opener and defeated Elyria Christian 27-26 in the consolation semifinals.
The Central Christian boys placed seventh in the Eli J. Walter tournament with a 42-28 victory over Solomon on Friday.
The Cougar boys lost to Elyria Christian 65-32 in their tournament opener and lost to Wichita Classical 67-42 in the consolation semifinals.
Bennington won the girls championship and Ell-Saline won the boys title.
Final score for Sabre boys victory in Reno County Shootout title game was 60-25
The Reno County Sabres Homeschool boys basketball team defeated Wichita Central Christian Academy 60-25 in the Reno County Shootout title game.
The Reno County Sabres girls squad lost to the Wichita Central Christian Academy Lions 43-34 in the girls championship game.
Moundridge boys, Hesston girls capture Hillsboro Classic titles
The Moundridge boys basketball team, ranked No. 1 KBCA in Class 2A, defeated No. 4 Hesston 35-31 Saturday in the Hillsboro Classic boys championship game.
The Wildcats, the undefeated two-time defending Class 2A boy state champions, handed Hesston its first loss of the season.
Bear Moddlemog led the victorious Wildcats with 11 points. Henry Hecox scored 9 and Heath Churchill 8.
Ty Unruh led Hesston with 10 points.
The Hesston girls, undefeated and ranked first in Class 3A, defeated Moundridge to win the Hillsboro Classic girls championship.
Hutchinson Blue Dragon men net four national track qualifiers at NAIA/JUCO Challenge
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Sophomores David Thid and Leo LeGrand earned individual event victories and the Hutchinson Community College men’s track and field team earned its first four national qualifiers on Saturday at the NAIA/JUCO Challenge at Pittsburg State University’s Robert Plaster Center.
The Blue Dragons won the team title after scoring 58.5 points. Coffeyville was second with 48.25 points and Barton was third with 48 points.
Thid captured his first event title of the season, winning the 600-meter run with a meet-record time of 1:19.42.
That’s the second-fastest indoor 600 time in Blue Dragon history and is just .07 seconds off the Hutchinson school record. Thid’s time also eclipsed the NJCAA national qualifying standard.
Teammate Da’Shawn Lester just missed qualifying for nationals with a third-place time of 1:20.89, which ranks fourth in team history, just .25 seconds off the national qualifying standard.
LeGrand won the 1,000 meters with a time of 2:27.25. LeGrand was the 2024 NJCAA national runner-up in the 1,000 meters. Teammate Thaddaeus Rotich placed seventh in the 1,000 with a time of 2:35.80