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Furious rally falls short

By Staff | Feb 28, 2007

It was a valiant comeback that eventually led to a one-point lead, but it fell short in the final two minutes Monday night in a Class 4A substate basketball quarterfinal game in Baldwin.

The Tonganoxie High boys basketball team battled back from a 19-point deficit in the second half and held a 60-59 lead late in the fourth quarter.

However, the Chieftains failed to score a point in the final 1:42 as they lost 70-62 to Baldwin in the first round of substate.

“It’s always tough when it is your last one and you have to tell six seniors that they can’t play anymore,” coach David Walker said. “I think it’s especially tough when we dug ourselves out of a hole and gave ourselves an opportunity. We just fell a little short.”

Monday’s contest was the final one for six Tonganoxie seniors. The loss was felt hard by senior Jeff Hughes.

“It was tough for us seniors because it was our last game,” Hughes said. “We just needed to come out and play with more intensity earlier instead of waiting until we were down 15. Baldwin is a good team, but I just wish we would have had more time.”

In the middle of the third quarter, Baldwin led 45-26 after the Bulldogs scored two quick lay-ups. BHS still led by 15 points at the end of the quarter, but the Chieftains were far from finished.

Hughes sparked the comeback with a three-pointer 10 seconds into the fourth quarter. After a couple other baskets by Tonganoxie, Hughes scored a three-point play and another long-range shot and closed Baldwin’s lead to 54-50.

“Everybody just stepped it up and we did a good job of getting on the board and getting some good shots,” Hughes said. “We just hit some shots.”

Walker said the comeback began because of the Chieftains’ defensive pressure.

“I think it all starts with defense,” Walker said. “You have to make some stops and then take care of the ball on the offensive end. We got some good looks at the basket and some kids hit some big shots.”

The Chieftains continued their aggressive defense and red-hot shooting. They took a 60-59 lead after senior Tyler Miles scored a lay-up with 2:43 remaining.

Both teams exchanged baskets in the next minute as THS led 62-61 after senior Zeb Kissinger knocked down a pair of free throws. Then Baldwin held the Chieftains scoreless for the remainder of the game as it made eight of 11 foul shots and sealed the win.

“You have to tip your hat to them, because Baldwin did a great job of hitting free throws down the stretch,” Walker said.

Baldwin jumped out to an early 8-3 lead, but Tonganoxie hung close for the first quarter. During the second period, Baldwin led by three points before it sank a trio of three-pointers and took a 12-point lead.

“We knew they could shoot the ball, so we were hoping to get our hands in their face a little bit better in the first half,” Walker said. “We dug ourselves in a hole, but we knew if we hung together and played tough defense, we would give ourselves a shot.”

Hughes led the Chieftains in scoring with 19 points, while Miles added 18. THS sank 10 of 12 free throws in the loss that ended its season.

“I am extremely proud of their effort,” Walker said. “They had every opportunity to roll over and die, but they responded like they always have.”

Tonganoxie, after going 2-19 last season, finished this season with a much-improved 10-11 record.

Along with Hughes, five other Chieftains ended their prep careers in Baldwin: Kazy Fukuyasu, Jordan Herron, Zeb Kissinger, Jake Krause and Tyler Miles.

Baldwin, seeded No. 3 in substate, improved to 16-5 on the season and will play No. 2 Basehor-Linwood in the substate semifinals Thursday in Tonganoxie. The Bobcats (17-4) defeated St. James Academy of Lenexa in their quarterfinal game, 71-39, Monday in Basehor.

In one other quarterfinal game, No. 1 Piper improved to 17-4 with a 66-38 win against No. 8 De Soto (3-16). The Pirates will play against the Bishop Ward-Eudora winner Thursday in Tonganoxie.

No. 4 Bishop Ward (13-7) and No. 5 Eudora (10-9) played Tuesday at Kansas City Kansas Community College. That game did not meet The Mirror’s deadline.