Buhler Girls 55, McPherson 44
MCPHERSON, KAN. (Tuesday, Dec. 16) – Natalya Krafels put an exclamation mark on Buhler’s 55-44 win at McPherson on Tuesday with a three–pointer late in the fourth quarter. Krafels was the star of the show, finishing with a career-best 23 points on 9 of 15 shooting. She also pulled in six rebounds.
After a back-and-forth first quarter that produced a 15-all tie, Buhler grabbed the lead back early in the second and never relinquished it. The Crusaders shot just over 40% from the field and 18 of 28 from the free throw line. Defensively, they collected an impressive 16 steals.
Gracie Oard had six of those steals to go along with her seven points and five assists. Charlie Baxter tallied a season-high 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
“That senior group was spectacular tonight,” Head Coach John Darrow said. “Just a gritty win.”
For Buhler, the win snaps a 21-game losing streak against McPherson. It was the Crusaders first victory over the Bullpups since March of 2015 and their first win in the Roundhouse since February of 1987.
Scoring
Buhler: 15, 11, 13, 16 = 55
McPherson: 15, 7, 10, 12 = 44
Natalya Krafels: 23 points
Charley Baxter: 11 points
Nyah Sewell: 8 points
Gracie Oard: 7 points
Tori Tustian: 3 points
Sammie Brooks: 2 points
Ella Voss: 1 point
McPherson Boys 70, Buhler 30
Defending 4A State Champion McPherson jumped out to an early 11-0 lead en route to a seventh straight win over Buhler. McPherson shot 52% from the field to Buhler’s 16%.
The Crusaders battled as they always do, narrowing the gap a little in the third quarter. Julian Morris showed his continued maturity, leading his team with nine points. Asher Zachary also played some key minutes, finishing with five points and five rebounds.
“We just gotta keep working,” Head Coach Eric Tate said. “We do battle.”
Buhler will conclude a tough early season stretch of games with Mulvane at home on Friday.
Scoring
McPherson: 18, 20, 18, 14 = 70
Buhler: 7, 7, 13, 3 =30
Julian Morrison: 9 points
Mitchel McDaniel: 6 points
Asher Zachary: 5 points
Luke Holmberg: 4 points
Reuben Harder: 3 points
Jared Miller 1 point
