CLASS 4 DISTRICT 16 BOYS SEMIFINALS @ SAVANNAH HS
4 Platte County 52 OT
1 Lafayette 51 (20-5)
2 Kearney 57
3 Smithville 45
Championship – 2 Kearney vs. 4 Platte County – Friday, 8:00 PM
CLASS 5 DISTRICT 16 BOYS SEMIFINALS @ CENTRAL HS
1 Park Hill South 74
4 central 40 (10-16)
2 Park Hill 74
3 Staley 49
Championship – 1 Park Hill South vs. 2 Park Hill – Friday, 7:00 PM
By David Boyce
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State should have had only two concerns Thursday afternoon when it faced Washburn in the quarterfinals of MIAA tournament at historic Municipal Auditorium.
The Bearcats, seeded No. 1, were coming off an emotional victory over Central Missouri just five days ago. Would Northwest experience a letdown?
“We knew what was at stake,” said Northwest senior Matt Wallace, who went five for seven from the field and finished with 12 points. “We were ready to go.”
Northwest also might have had a bit of doubt facing the No. 8 seed. Washburn was the only conference team to beat Northwest in Bearcat Arena this season.
As it turned out, there was no need to worry. Northwest scored the first five points of the game. And even though the Bearcats briefly faced a 1-point deficit midway through the first half, Northwest had no problem beating Washburn 71-61.
Northwest, 23-5, moves on to the semifinals and will play at noon Saturday.
“It is pretty exciting to get the first win,” Wallace said. “Coach Mac (Ben McCollum) always says the first win is the hardest. It was against a really good Washburn team. We knew we weren’t going to blow them out. They fight too hard and are coached too well. To be able to get that win and do things right was great for us. We are excited for Saturday.”
The thing that has made the Bearcats so good all season is their focus. The only time they lost it was late in the first half and into the second half against Washburn on Jan. 10.
The Ichabods faced a different Northwest team this time around. The game started with a basket by senior Grant Cozad followed by a three-pointer from freshman Justin Pitts, giving Northwest a quick 5-0 lead. It was a nice way to shake off any tournament jitters.
Northwest pushed its lead to 12-5 when it suffered its only lull in the game when the outcome was in doubt. A couple of three-pointers by Washburn allowed the Ichabods to briefly take a 15-14 lead.
A three-point play by Pitts gave Northwest the lead for good at 18-15. Sophomore Zach Schneider took over, unleashing a couple of three-point bombs that helped the Bearcats extend their lead to 24-17.
Northwest went into halftime ahead 34-27 and then took complete control in the first five minutes of the second half. The Bearcats held Washburn to 30 percent shooting from the field while making 54 percent of their shots.
“We really locked in and played good defense,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “We were really focused.”
Washburn opened the second half with a bucket. Northwest answered with a basket by Cozad, followed by one from Pitts and then a three-pointer by Schneider. Schneider concluded a 12-0 run with a three-pointer, giving Northwest a 46-29 lead.
“Justin driving off the ball screen was huge for us,” Wallace said. “If he is being aggressive, they have to help more and that gets everybody else open. That is always big for us.”
The Bearcats maintained a double-digit lead for nearly the rest of the game. In the final 2 minutes, Northwest missed several free throws that allowed Washburn to close to within seven.
“All in all I was pleased with the effort, to fight through it and get the win,” McCollum said.
As always, it was another solid team effort. Four of the five starters scored in double figures.
Pitts, a graduate of Blue Springs South, had a nice game in his return to Kansas City. Pitts finished with 25 points, going nine for 12 from the field, including four of five from three-point range.
“It is a great feeling being back at home, and playing in front of my friends and family who came out to watch me,” Pitts said. “It was a great feeling all around.”
— Northwest Sports Information —
The Benedictine Men’s Basketball team opened up postseason play on Thursday night as they took on Central Methodist University inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.
Central Methodist (20-12) entered the game looking for their third straight win over Benedictine (24-7) but the Ravens had other plans as they used a 62.1 percent shooting effort in the second half to keep the Eagles at arm’s length and earn a 75-62 win.
The win moves the No. 2-seeded Ravens into the Heart of America Athletic Conference semifinals on Saturday night.
Benedictine struggled from the floor out the gate while CMU was able to build as much as a five-point lead inside the first four minutes of play.
Those five points proved to be CMU’s biggest lead of the game as Benedictine started to click offensively by the midpoint of the first half.
After the lead changed hands six times, a 3-pointer by Jonathan Anaekwe pushed the Ravens in front 18-16 with seven minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the first half. That shot sparked a 15-4 run that allowed Benedictine to pull ahead by as much as 13 before settling for a 33-28 lead at the break.
A 3-pointer by CMU’s Mitchell Farr pulled the game into its second tie at 37 points inside the first five minutes of the second half but Benedictine never gave up their advantage.
The Ravens outscored the Eagles 18-7 over the next five minutes as John Harris Jr. scored 16 of his game-high 31 points to spark Benedictine.
CMU didn’t go down without a fight as the pulled within six points three times inside the final nine minutes of play but they couldn’t find an answer for Benedictine’s second-half offensive outburst.
Brett Fisher and Jake Schannuth knocked in back-to-back 3-pointers to keep CMU from getting any closer than six points before Harris Jr. capped off his night with a break away dunk to push Benedictine ahead by 13 points with 90 seconds left in the game.
Benedictine outscored CMU 42-26 in the paint as Harris Jr. set a new single-game individual high with 14 field goals. Jallen Messersmith chipped in with 14 points, converting on 6 of 7 field goals while Anaekwe finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
The Ravens remain at home on Saturday as they host No. 3 seed Missouri Valley College back inside the Nolan Gymnasium at 7 p.m. The Ravens and the Vikings split the regular-season series successfully defending their respective home floors. Benedictine earned a 82-74 win in Atchison on Jan. 17 and then Valley earned a 77-76 win in Marshall, Mo., on Feb. 21.
— BC Sports Information —
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Deion Lavender scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds to help lead ninth-seeded Southern Illinois past eighth-seeded Missouri state 55-48 in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on Thursday night.
Anthony Beane and Sean O’Brien each added 10 points for the Salukis (12-20), who will play top-seed Wichita State on Friday. Thursday was the fifth time in six years Southern Illinois has played in an opening round “play-in game.” They are 3-4 overall in the first round.
After Missouri State’s Dorrian Williams hit two free throw to cut the Southern Illinois lead to 45-43 with 3:20 to play, the Salukis scored the next five, highlighted by and O’Brien 3-pointer, to push the back to seven and put the game away.
Austin Ruder scored 17 to lead the Bears (11-20), who shot just 35 percent from the field and turned the ball over 16 times.
— Associated Press —
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs released veteran linebacker Joe Mays on Thursday as they attempt to free up much-needed salary cap space before the start of free agency next week.
The Chiefs saved about $3 million by parting with Mays, who started last season on injured reserve and wound up making just 16 tackles in eight games. Mays was expected to start alongside Derrick Johnson, but never seemed to solidify his role.
The Chiefs have made modest savings by releasing Mays along with wide receivers Donnie Avery and A.J. Jenkins and tight end Anthony Fasano. Now, the big question is whether they will carve out more significant salary cap space by trading, releasing or restructuring the massive contracts of wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and linebacker Tamba Hali in the coming days.
BOYS
CLASS 3 SECTIONAL @ EXCELSIOR SPRINGS HS
Lafayette County 58
Bishop LeBlond 40
CLASS 2 SECTIONAL @ STALEY HS
Mid-Buchanan 60
Wellington-Napoleon 49
GIRLS
CLASS 3 SECTIONAL @ EXCELSIOR SPRINGS HS
Chillicothe 45
St. Pius X 40
The No. 22 Benedictine Women’s Basketball team used six first-half 3-pointers and converted on 91.7 percent from the charity stripe in the first half on Wednesday night to advance to the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals.
Benedictine (23-8) jumped out to a 13-0 lead on Peru State College (11-20) and never looked back as they picked up the 66-55 win over the Bobcats.
The win on Wednesday gave the Ravens three wins this season over Peru State College and sets up a rubber match with Baker University back inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium on Friday night.
Chayla Rutledge, Jackie Ziesel and Kristen Murphy combined to score the first 13 points of the night for the Ravens with the second of back-to-back 3-pointers knocked in by Rutledge and Ziesel pushing Ziesel into the 1,000 point scoring club.
The Ravens led by as much as 16 points before the Bobcats closed within seven points with just over five minutes left in the half. Benedictine outscored Peru State 12-7 over the remainder of the first half to take a 12 point lead into halftime.
Peru State opened the second half with five straight points only to have Benedictine answer with 9-0 run that pushed their lead back to 16 with 16 minutes left in the game.
The Ravens committed 11 turnovers in the second half, which aided the Bobcats offense and allowed Peru State to pull within six points with seven minutes left in the game.
Benedictine outscored Peru State 13-4 over the next two minutes to push their lead back to 15 before the Bobcats scored the games final four points to give Benedictine the 11-point win.
Rutledge led the Ravens with a game-high 15 points while Ziesel was close behind with 14. Murphy narrowly missed out on a double-double as she led the Ravens with 11 rebounds while finishing with nine points.
The second-seeded Ravens host third-seeded Baker, who beat Graceland 82-65 on Wednesday, at 7 p.m. Friday night in the Nolan Gymnasium. The two schools split the regular-season series, winning on the opponents home floor. Benedictine earned a 77-73 win in Baldwin City on Jan. 8 while Baker earned a 63-57 win in Atchison on Feb. 12.
— BC Sports Information —
MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team was ranked third in the latest NCAA Central Region poll which was release on Wednesday afternoon. The Bearcats are 22-5 overall and 19-5 in games against NCAA Division II in-region opponents.
The Bearcats, who went 15-4 and won the outright MIAA title, are seeded first in the upcoming MIAA Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Northwest takes on No. 8 seed Washburn on Thursday at noon.
The top eight teams in each of the eight regions advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament, with the top seed serving as host for the opening three rounds. Augustana (S.D.) defeated Minnesota State Moorhead to win the Northern Sun Conference Tournament on Tuesday to conclude the season.
The NCAA Selection Show will take place on Sunday, March 8, at 9:30 p.m. CT.
— Northwest Sports Information —
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Missouri Western women’s tennis team suffered their first loss of the season to the hands of rival Northwest Missouri, 8-1. MWSU is now 3-1 on the season, while the Bearcats moved to 3-0 and ranked third in the region.
MWSU couldn’t find a victory in any doubles matches. The Griffons also pushed two matches into extra sets in the No. 2 and No. 6 spot but couldn’t come up with another victory.
The Griffons lone win came in the No. 5 singles spot when Ceara Boldridge came up with a 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (10-4) victory over Mannix Stephanie.
MWSU will remain at home when they face Rockhurst University on Wednesday, March 4. Check back gogriffons.com for updates involving match start time and location.
Scores
Singles competition
1. Quesada,Camila (NWMSU) def. Giraldo,Sarah (MWSU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Jarolim,Lorena Rivas (NWMSU) def. Aguilera,Sofia (MWSU) 4-6, 7-3, 7-6 (10-4)
3. Jaquet,Margaux (NWMSU) def. Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) 7-5, 6-0
4. Kolen,Aniek (NWMSU) def. Chiao,Denise (MWSU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) def. Mannix,Stephanie (NWMSU) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (10-4)
6. Hull,Marianne (NWMSU) def. Smith,Meara (MWSU) 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (10-4)
Doubles Competition
1. Quesada,Camila/Jaquet,Margaux (NWMSU) def. Chiao,Denise/Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) 8-1
2. Dibbins,Rachel/Jarolim,Lorena Rivas (NWMSU) def. Boldridge,Ceara/Aguilera,Sofia (MWSU) 8-6
3. Kolen,Aniek/Mannix,Stephanie (NWMSU) def. Giraldo,Sarah/Beger,Lindsay (MWSU) 8-5
— MWSU Sports Information —
The Benedictine faithful didn’t have to wait long on Wednesday night for Jackie Ziesel to become the 17th player in Raven Women’s Basketball history to score 1,000 points in her career.
It took just two minutes and 36 seconds for Ziesel to get a standing ovation from the home crowd at Ralph Nolan Gymnasium after she connected from deep to join a prestigious group of Benedictine College athletes.
Ziesel entered the game with 998 career points after scoring 15 points in the regular-season finale on Saturday against Evangel. It was fitting that she reached her career milestone with a 3-pointer.
“I just had a big smile on my face,” Zeisel said. “I’m glad it was on a three and I could get it over with and get it out of my mind. Then I was just able to play, relax and have fun for the rest of the game.”
Ziesel came into the postseason with a team-high 41 3-pointers. With her two 3-pointers on Wednesday, she now has 146 career 3-pointers which has allowed her to move up to No. 7 on the Ravens Career 3-pointers list.
She made sure to leave her mark on the game Wednesday, finishing with 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting while grabbing six rebounds.
By accomplishing this goal it’s given her time to think about those who have helped her on this journey and how far she has come.
“My coaches, and my family have been with me for this entire time,” Zeisel said. “Starting with YMCA ball and traveling with AAU basketball, they’ve taken me everywhere across this country just to play basketball, the thing I love to do. If I didn’t have them following and supporting me and doing everything that they can possibly do for me to play college basketball, none of this would be possible.”
Ziesel and the Ravens return to action on Friday at 7 p.m. as they host a Heart of America Athletic Conference Postseason Tournament Semifinal with Baker University.
— BC Sports Information —
