Clutch Finishes Highlight Day Two of 61st Annual McPherson Invitational

McPHERSON, Kan. – Two games finished within a single possession and no margin of victory ended by more than 12, making day two of the 2025 McPherson Invitational a fun day of action at the McPherson Roundhouse.

Below are the scores of all four games, Saturday’s schedule, and the stat leaders after two days of the MIT:

Consolation Semi-Final #1

#6 Wichita-East – 61

#2 Hutchinson – 58

Wichita-East’s Ismael Berry hit’s the go-ahead 3PT shot with 24.6 seconds remaining. Berry finished with six 3PT’s on the game, becoming the 17th player in the tournament’s 61 year history to make at least 6 three-pointers, and the first since 2022.

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Stat Leaders:

Wichita-East:

• Ismael Berry: 24 pts., 8-17 FG, 6-12 3PT, 2-3 FT, 4 steals
• Jaylen Phillips-Grey: 7 reb., 10 pts., 4-6 FG

Hutchinson:

• Lamar Govain: 15 pts., 8 reb., 6-14 FG
• Levi Kepler: 11 reb., 9 pts., 2-4 FG, 1-1 3PT, 4-4 FT

Consolation Semi-Final #2

#5 Lawrence-Free State – 52

#8 Manhattan – 40

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Stat Leaders:

Lawrence-Free State:

• Korbin Dowdell: 13 pts., 7 reb., 5-12 FG, 3-6 3PT
• Braden Wilmes: 11 pts., 5 reb., 2 blocks

Manhattan:

• Landon Knopp: 8 pts., 2 reb., 3-13 FG, 2-8 3PT
• Will Carpenter: 8 pts., 3-5 FG, 2-4 3PT

Semi-Final #1

#7 Blue Valley West – 57

#3 St. James Academy – 46

Blue Valley heads to the MIT Championship game for just the 2nd time ever (2012 MIT Champions). This year is their 14th overall appearance.

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Stat Leaders:

Blue Valley West:

• Brandon Kirk: 17 pts., 4-9 FG, 3-6 3PT, 6-6 FT
• Tyler Peterson: 8 pts., 10 reb., 3-7 FG

St. James Academy:

• Emmitt Peters: 14 pts., 5 reb., 5-13 FG, 4-8 3PT
• Evan Dejmal: 9 pts., 3-8 FG

Semi-Final #2

#1 McPherson – 66

#4 Shawnee Mission East – 64

McPherson pulled off the win in overtime with a go-ahead alley-oop dunk by Gabe Pyle following a game-tying 3PT by SM East’s Walt Jones.

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Stat Leaders:

McPherson:

• Gabe Pyle: 23 pts., 9-19 FG, 1-7 3PT
• Jett Pyle: 15 pts., 3-10 FG, 1-4 3PT, 8-14 FT
• Ian Razak: 9 reb., 4 pts.

Shawnee Mission East:

• Stephen Hlobik: 15 pts., 12 reb., 7-10 FG
• Will Beck: 14 pts., 5 reb., 5-14 FG, 3-7 3PT
• Walt Jones: 11 pts., 3-7 FG, 3-7 3PT

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY, JAN. 25:

• 11:00 a.m.: #2 Hutchinson vs. #8 Manhattan (7th Place Game)
• 12:35 p.m.: #5 Lawrence-Free State vs. #6 Wichita-East (5th Place Game)
• 2:10 p.m.: #3 St. James Academy vs. #4 Shawnee Mission East (3rd Place Game)
• 3:45 p.m.: #1 McPherson vs. #7 Blue Valley West (Championship)

TOURNAMENT STAT LEADERS (Top 3 through two games):

Points:

• 1. Gabe Pyle (McPherson) – 38 (19.0/game)
• T-2. Ismael Berry (Wichita-East) – 32 (16.0/game)
• T-2. Luke Henderson (Wichita-East) – 32 (16.0/game)

Rebounds:

• T-1. Stephen Hlobik (Shawnee Mission East) – 19 (9.5/game)
• T-1. Tyler Peterson (Blue Valley West) – 19 (9.5/game)
• 3. Ian Razak (McPherson) – 18 (9.0/game)

Offensive Rebounds:

• T-1. Stephen Hlobik (Shawnee Mission East) – 9 (4.5/game)
• T-1. Tyler Peterson (Blue Valley West) – 9 (4.5/game)
• T-3. Bishop Brown (McPherson) – 8 (4.0/game)
• T-3. Ian Razak (McPherson) – 8 (4.0/game)
• T-3. Braden Wilmes (Lawrence Free State) – 8 (4.0/game)

Defensive Rebounds:

• 1. Evan Dejmal (St. James Academy) – 12 (6.0/game)
• 2. Levi Kepler (Hutchinson) – 11 (5.5/game)
• 3. Five players – 10 (5.0/game)

Assists:

• T-1. Jacob Fratzel (St. James Academy) – 10 (5.0/game)
• T-1. Jett Pyle (McPherson) – 10 (5.0/game)
• 3. Walt Jones (Shawnee Mission East) – 7 (3.5/game)

Field Goal Percentage (Min. 5.0 FGM/game):

• 1. Stephen Hlobik (Shawnee Mission East) – 64.7% (11/17)
• 2. Cade Strathman (McPherson) – 58.8% (10/17)
• 3. Gabe Pyle (McPherson) – 51.6% (16/31)

3-Point Percentage (Min. 2.0 3PTM/game):

• T-1. Jake Kolich (St. James Academy) – 50.0% (4/8)
• T-1. Emmitt Peters (St. James Academy) – 50.0% (7/14)
• T-1. Cade Strathman (McPherson) – 50.0% (5/10)
• T-1. Logan Verschelden (Shawnee Mission East) – 50.0% (4/8)

3-Point FG Made:

• T-1. Ismael Berry (Wichita-East) – 7
• T-1. Emmitt Peters (St. James Academy) – 7
• T-3. Walt Jones (Shawnee Mission East) – 5
• T-3. Cade Strathman (McPherson) – 5

Free Throw Percentage (Min. 3.0 FTM/game):

• 1. Brandon Kirk (Blue Valley West) – 100% (8/8)
• 2. Terrell King (Hutchinson) – 81.8% (9/11)
• 3. Jett Pyle (McPherson) – 60.0% (12/20)

Steals:

• 1. Ismael Berry (Wichita-East) – 8 (4.0/game)
• 2. Will Carpenter (Manhattan) – 5 (2.5/game)
• T-3. 5 players – 4 (2.0/game)

Blocks:

• 1. Braden Wilmes (Lawrence Free State) – 5 (2.5/game)
• T-2. Luke Henderson (Wichita-East) – 4 (2.0/game)
• T-2. Ian Razak (McPherson) – 4 (2.0/game)
• T-2. Oliver Selmon (Wichita-East) – 4 (2.0/game)

Stats are provided by the McPherson Optimist Club.