AUGUSTA, Kan. – The Mac High Basketball teams were able to take control early inside Hutter Gymnasium on Tuesday, on their way to sweeping the Orioles 49-13 in the girls contest, and 72-57 in the boys game.
The MHS Girls enter this week’s KBCA Polls the No. 2 team in Class 4A, and they opened the game on an 11-0 run and had the opportunity for a first-quarter shutout before a free throw gave the Pups an 11-1 lead after a quarter.
“I thought that our defensive effort was really good tonight.” said McPherson Girls Head Coach Chris Strathman, “In the first quarter I wasn’t very pleased with our defensive box outs and defensive rebounding, but outside of that stretch we had, I thought that our defense was very locked in.”
“We were able to speed them up tonight, they never really got comfortable at all, we took them out of the sets that they like to run.” He credited Chloe Clevenger, and her ability to make everything difficult for the opposing point guard, Aspen Peterson. “She’s really a good shooter,” explained Strathman “She just didn’t get a chance to show it tonight because Chloe was running around the three-point line pretty well, getting through screens and chasing her. She did a nice job.”
In the second half, the Pups once again increased the defensive effort and were able to finish in transition, taking a 40-9 lead in the third quarter before Strathman emptied his bench for a fourth-quarter running clock, as the Bullpup Girls would go on to win 49-13.
“We didn’t shoot the ball great from three tonight,” said Strathman, noting the 4/15 from deep, he added, “I thought we only took one bad three, the rest of them were really good looks, sometimes they go, sometimes they don’t, but I thought we were making the right passes almost all the time tonight.”
Jordan Sears battled foul trouble, as she finished with a game-high 12 points, Clevenger followed with 9 in a balanced scoring effort from the Pups.
McPherson Boys 72, Augusta 57 – The Bullpup Boys remained the top team in Class 4A this week according to the KBCA Polls, and after an even 5-5 start, the McPherson Boys quickly became unconscious from downtown in the first quarter led by sophomore Gabe Pyle, who knocked down all five of his three-point attempts in the quarter. “Gabe got off to an incredible start,” said Bullpup Boys Head Coach Kurt Kinnamon. “I kind of looked down at their coach, who was kind of just shaking his head,” he explained.
Later it was Owen Pyle, who banked in a three from the top of the key, before knocking down another three from the corner, as the Bullpups would take a comfortable 43-26 halftime lead.
The Pups would extend their lead to 52-30 before the Orioles started to chip away. They would force back-to-back turnovers, along with knocking down some difficult shots, and after a 7-0 run, Coach Kinnamon felt the need to call a timeout.
The Orioles would get the game back within 11 before much-needed baskets came from Cory Muehler and Mason Miller. After a third quarter that favored the Orioles, the Pups would go back to Miller, where he would have one of his best games of the season finishing with 20 points. “We did a much better job in the second half getting the ball inside to Mason, they didn’t really have a very good answer for him, and he did a good job finishing plays,” said Coach Kinnamon.
In the fourth quarter, the Pups locked down on the defensive end, while patiently maneuvering the offense to get the ball to the hot-handed Miller, as the Pups would go on to win, 72-57.
“I thought we did a good job of withstanding that run they made at us,” said Coach Kinnamon following the game, as he concluded by saying, “Glad to get the win, it’s always hard to win here it seems like.
Following the win, both Bullpup teams move to 7-1, and they will return to action Friday, as they’re set to host the Mulvane Wildcats in the Roundhouse. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
*No Official Stats at the moment*
