Hutchinson boys basketball maintains perfect season with Tournament of Champions title

Bryan Miller can still remember the reactions in 2020 when he left a cushy job in the college basketball ranks to take over the Hutchinson high school boys basketball team.

He was coaching alongside a legend in Steve Eck as an assistant on the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team, a perennial contender for the NJCAA championship.

Miller, a 1997 graduate of Hutchinson High, had obvious ties to the position, but why give up such a good job to take over a high school program better known for its title-winning football teams than producing winning basketball teams?

“There were a lot of people who thought I was crazy when I took this job,” Miller said, laughing. “Thought this was career Russian roulette. But I know this town and I know these kids.”

Miller’s bet-on-yourself approach has already paid off, as Hutchinson captured its first Tournament of Champions title since 1986 on Saturday with a 67-56 victory over Maize South at United Wireless Arena in Dodge City.

The Salthawks (11-0) are in the midst of an undefeated season in Miller’s third season on the sidelines. They are currently ranked No. 3 in Class 5A.

So how did Miller take Hutchinson from a scrappy team to a title contender in such a short amount of time?

“It’s nothing that happened this year,” Miller explained. “This has been a work in progress. We’ve been working at this for two and a half years now. Now we’re seeing it come to fruition through consistent hard work and buy in. All of these kids are 100% bought in. They play unselfish, they play for each other and they are tough. Hutch is a blue-collar town and we embrace that and we carry that with us on the court every single game.”

In order to do something the program hasn’t done in nearly four decades, Hutchinson had to defeat an AV-CTL Div. I rival that’s ranked No. 5 in Class 5A for the second time already this season.

The Salthawks were able to do just that behind a stingy defense that has propelled the team to win after win this season. Miller credited the team’s three starting perimeter players in Garrett Robertson, Dauntay King and Terrell King for outstanding point-of-attack defense to bottle up opponent’s ball handlers. If they do happen to drive in the paint, Hutchinson has a top-notch rim protector in 6-foot-6 senior Nic Lange to alter shots. Buhler transfer Wade Meyer has also transitioned seamlessly to the team this season.

“The kids are ecstatic right now,” Miller said. “The kids are just ecstatic. They’ve never won something like this before. It’s been a long, long time.”

While winning a marquee Kansas high school midseason tournament like the Tournament of Champions is certainly an impressive feat, Miller stressed to his players on Saturday that this was not the end goal for Hutchinson.

There’s still more work to be done come the postseason, as Hutchinson looks to make a statement as an emerging basketball power under Miller.

“We celebrate the moment, but we know we’ve got to get right back to work,” Miller said. “We know we can improve on our performance. We were real choppy in some areas (against Maize South). We’ll watch the film and get back to practice and continue to keep it real with our guys about what we do.”

Andover Central rallies for Chanute title, marquee win over Miege

After blowing a 14-point lead and allowing Bishop Miege to force overtime in the championship game of the Ralph Miller Classic in Chanute, Andover Central coach Tyler Richardson was anxious to see how his team would respond to the adversity.

Consider the challenge accepted: the Jaguars made a push of their own in overtime and prevailed with a 71-67 victory over the No. 2-ranked team in Class 4A.

Andover Central (10-2) won its ninth straight game behind a game-high 20 points from Kobe Smith.

“We’ve been telling our kids for two weeks now that this weekend was preparation for March,” Richardson said. “We’ve got three games in three days and that’s what we expect to do in March. These are the kind of games you’re going to have to win in the postseason. This whole tournament was great for us. It gave us the right postseason mindset.”

Miege made two free throws with 4.6 seconds left in regulation to tie the game, which ultimately forced overtime.

In the extra period, Jayden Brown stepped up for Andover Central to drill 7 of 8 free throws to help the Jaguars ice the game. Brown finished with 13 points, while Brian Perry scored 16 for Andover Central.

“We just started to remember what our game plan was and we started connecting the dots out there,” Richardson said. “We knocked down some big free throws and we were more patient on offense and ultimately, it came down to us trusting our defense and executing on offense. We had a lot of guys start to trust in the end.”

Wichita Heights hands Garden City first loss for January Jam title

When it came time to decide the championship, Wichita Heights leaned on its usual brand of stingy defense.

And like usual, the Falcons pulled away for a victory in a 60-47 win over Garden City in the finals of the January Jam tournament in Valley Center. It was the first loss of the season for 6A No. 7 Garden City (12-1), while 6A No. 3 Heights improved to 11-1.

With the game still up for grabs, as Heights took a five-point lead into the fourth quarter, the Falcons shut down Garden City to pull away for a comfortable double-digit victory.

Four players scored in double-figures for Heights: Marcus Zeigler (14 points), Jordan Alford (13), T.J. Williams (13) and Amalachi Wilkins (12).

In the third-place game, Tasean Williams scored a game-high 25 points to lead Wichita Northwest to a 58-50 win over Blue Valley. In the seventh-place game, Brayden Myovela (18 points), Jaxon Booth (16) and Wyatt Stover (12) combined for 46 points in Maize’s 67-44 win over Valley Center.

Garden City’s Jace Steinmetz was named the tournament MVP, while the Heights duo of Zeigler and Williams joined him on the all-tournament first team, as well as Topeka Seaman’s Kaeden Bonner and Northwest’s Williams. The second team featured Wilkins of Heights, Garden City’s Caleb Wiese, Blue Valley’s Jackson Akerman, Valley Center’s Sean Kemp and Seaman’s Aron Davis.

Kapaun captures another Bluestem Classic title

Kapaun Mt. Carmel won its second straight Bluestem Classic championship in dominant fashion, courtesy of a 65-50 win over Great Bend in El Dorado.

Junior Teagan Charles led Kapaun with 14 points, while Corbin Johnson added 11 points and William Thengvall chipped in 10 points. The Crusaders, ranked No. 2 in 5A, improved to 11-1 this season with the victory.

In the third-place game, Collegiate freshman scored 33 points to lead the Spartans to a convincing 71-57 win over Arkansas City. The Spartans (11-1) suffered their first loss of the season in Friday’s semifinals to Great Bend.

Trinity Academy lost 78-64 to a Manhattan home school team in the fifth-place game, while Goddard edged El Dorado in a 55-53 victory in the seventh-place game.

Andover cruises to Salina tournament championship

Indiana State commit Eli Shetlar was named Salina Invitational Tournament MVP after leading Andover to three straight dominant performances, culminating in a 58-45 win over Blue Valley Southwest in the finals at Kansas Wesleyan.

The Trojans, ranked No. 9 in 5A, won their eighth game in a row and improved to 10-2 on the season.

Wichita South crushed Salina South 64-30 in the fifth-place game, while Buhler topped Liberal 67-48 in the seventh-place game.

Haven stays perfect to capture Adolph Rupp title

Haven held off a furious comeback by Andale to keep its undefeated season alive and capture the championship of the Adolph Rupp Invitational in a 41-38 victory in Halstead.

Andale had just three field goals at halftime and trailed Haven 27-11 but managed to mount a comeback behind 21 points from Tegan Orth, including 16 points in the second half. Andale managed to come within one possession, but Haven would never relinquish the lead.

Haven, ranked No. 5 in 3A, improved to 13-0 on the season behind 34 combined points from seniors Brant Sipe and D.J. Miller, while Andale dropped to 8-4 on the season.

The third-place game required overtime to decide, but it was Rose Hill that held Concordia without a point to escape with a 52-46 victory. Rose Hill scoring star Kellan Simoneau scored 23 points, including 14 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, to lead the Rockets to victory, while Jace Evans added 15 points.

Cheney’s Josh Burdick erupted for 34 points in the fifth-place game in a high-scoring affair between the Cardinals and Winfield, which resulted in an 88-64 win for Cheney. Kale Madrigal scored 16 points to lead the way for Winfield.

In the seventh-place game, Seth Dugan scored a game-high 20 points to lead Garden Plain to a 61-53 win over Halstead.

Game-winner vaults Circle to Chaparral tournament trophy

A battle between two of the top teams in Class 4A lived up to the hype in the Roadrunner Classic finals, as the championship was decided in the final seconds on a Trevor Cowman runner to lift Circle to a 49-48 victory over Wellington.

Cowman finished with a game-high 20 points to help Circle, ranked No. 4 in 4A, improve to 11-1 this season. The Thunderbirds rallied from a 14-point deficit midway through the third quarter to prevail.

Wellington, ranked No. 7 in 4A, was led by 18 points from Banks Hinshaw, while the Crusaders dropped to 10-3 on the season. The two teams will meet again in Wellington on Feb. 3.

In the third-place game, Mulvane handled the Reno County home school team in a 73-54 victory, while Belle Plaine topped Chaparral 69-64 in the fifth-place game.

The all-tournament team featured Cowman and Conner Chadwell from Circle, Jack Wright, Carter Burnett and Montel Tate from Wellington, Kaiden Abasolo and Aiden McKee from Mulvane, Kolby Noggle from Reno County, Isaac Bible from Belle Plaine, Jackson Swartz from Chaparral, Ty Cash and Jake Klausmeyer from Clearwater and Nash Johnson and Taylor Wykes from Conway Springs.

Augusta prevails in OT for Baldwin tournament title

Augusta’s defense held Girard without a field goal for the entire overtime period to come up with the stops needed to pull out a 55-49 victory in the first-place game of the Baldwin Invitational Tournament.

The trio of Kaden McDaniel (16 points), Gavin Kiser (14) and Marcus McLanahan (12) combined for 42 points for the Orioles, which improved to 7-4 and won their fourth straight game of the season.

Kiser, McDaniel and McLanahan were also named to the all-tournament team for their play in the three games in Baldwin.

Hesston cruises to Trojan Classic championship

Behind a season-high 32 points from Jake Proctor, Hesston had few problems maneuvering past Remington in a 59-36 win in the championship game of the Trojan Classic in Hillsboro.

The Swathers opened up the game with a 25-point explosion in the second quarter to extend their lead to 21 points by halftime. Proctor scored 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field and made 8 of 10 free throws.

Hesston, ranked No. 3 in 3A, improved to 11-1 with the victory, which included its defense forcing 22 turnovers from Remington, which was ranked No. 9 in 2A. Jackson Fry finished with seven steals in the game for Hesston, while Remington was led by nine points apiece from Eli Gerber and Sage Martin.

Saturday’s Kansas high school boys basketball tournament game scores

Tournament of Champions (Dodge City)

1st: Hutchinson 67, Maize South 56

3rd: Junction City 65, Derby 59

5th: Bishop Carroll 66, SM South 64

7th: Dodge City 58, Newton 56 (3 OT)

January Jam (Valley Center)

1st: Wichita Heights 60, Garden City 47

3rd: Wichita Northwest 58, Blue Valley 50

5th: Topeka Seaman 60, Sunrise Christian 44

7th: Maize 67, Valley Center 44

McPherson Invitational Tournament

1st: St. James Academy 61, Manhattan 39

3rd: Lawrence Free State 62, McPherson 56

5th: SM East 60, Olathe East 52

7th: BV West 73, Wichita East 54

Bluestem Classic (El Dorado)

1st: Kapaun Mt. Carmel 65, Great Bend 50

3rd: Collegiate 71, Arkansas City 57

5th: Manhattan CHIEF 78, Trinity Academy 64

7th: Goddard 55, El Dorado 53

Salina Invitational Tournament

1st: Andover 58, BV Southeast 45

3rd: Abilene 52, Salina Central 51

5th: Wichita South 64, Salina South 30

7th: Buhler 67, Liberal 48

Topeka Invitational Tournament

1st: Highland Park 58, Lawrence 47

3rd: Topeka West 63, Wichita Southeast 55

5th: Topeka Hayden 64, Topeka 47

7th: SM North vs. Lansing

Ralph Miller Classic (Chanute)

1st: Andover Central 71, Bishop Miege 67 (OT)

3rd: Parkview (Mo.) 68, Emporia 65 (2 OT)

5th: Carthage (Mo.) 73, Chanute 28

7th: Campus vs. Coffeyville

Bill Hanson Memorial Tournament (Pittsburg)

1st: Owasso (Okla.) 55, BV Northwest 47

3rd: Washburn Rural 69, Pittsburg 63

5th: Webster Grove (Mo.) 65, Wichita West 61

7th: Joplin (Mo.) 77, Willard (Mo.) 69

Adolph Rupp Invitational (Halstead)

1st: Haven 41, Andale 38

3rd: Rose Hill 52, Concordia 46 (OT)

5th: Cheney 88, Winfield 64

7th: Garden Plain 61, Halstead 53

Baldwin Invitational Tournament

1st: Augusta 55, Girard 49

3rd: Olathe Heritage Christian 67, Baldwin 61

5th: Wellsville 79, Bishop Seabury 67

Trojan Classic (Hillsboro)

1st: Hesston 59, Remington 36

3rd: Hillsboro vs. Clay Center (postponed to Tuesday)

5th: Holcomb 69, Riley County 35

7th: Republic County 52, Eureka 27

Roadrunner Classic (Chaparral)

1st: Circle 49, Wellington 48

3rd: Mulvane 73, Reno County 54

5th: Belle Plaine 69, Chaparral 64

7th: Clearwater vs. Conway Springs

Hoisington Winter Jam

1st: Ellinwood vs. Hoisington (postponed to Monday)

3rd: Pratt vs. Ellsworth (postponed to Monday)

5th: Victoria vs. La Crosse (canceled)

7th: Otis-Bison vs. Cimarron (canceled)

SCBL Tournament (Cowley County)

1st: Sedan 31, Cedar Vale-Dexter 30

3rd: Oxford 65, West Elk 60

5th: Burden-Central 70, Flinthills 67

7th: Udall 69, Caldwell 48