McPHERSON, Kan. – McPherson High School’s girls & boys basketball teams followed up their mid-season tournament weeks with two double-headers in the span of three days, sweeping Wichita Collegiate Tuesday, Feb. 6 and splitting at Augusta Thursday, Feb. 8.
Feb. 6 vs. Wichita-Collegiate
Girls: McPherson 40, Collegiate 39
A strong start to the game against a taller, more experienced Collegiate squad help push the Bullpups to a 16-9 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. The Collegiate Spartans slowly pushed their way back into the game, taking the lead in the 4th quarter. With nearly a minute left, senior guard Ellie Bower hit a go-ahead layup to put McPherson up 40-39. McPherson stole the ball down the stretch but turned it back over, giving the Spartans a chance to win. Julia Herrman, who finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds, missed the potential game winner at the buzzer to give McPherson a statement win. Brooke Doile was the only Bullpup in double-figures with 15 points. Collegiate’s Lucy Voloch also had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, but Herrman & Voloch’s stats combined for 33 of the team’s 39 points and they had 24 of the team’s 31 rebounds.
The win moved the McPherson girls to 6-7 on the season.
Boys: McPherson 59, Collegiate 54
The Bullpup boys came in ranked by the KBCA as the #2 team in 4A. The Spartans were ranked the #1 team in 3A. Those rankings heightened the hype for the Tuesday night matchup. The Bullpups had an incredible start, leading 34-22 at halftime. However, the Spartans were able to turn around their first-half cold snap offensively, finishing with a FG% of 47% and preventing turnovers. However, clutch defense by McPherson halted the comeback, finishing with a five point Bullpup victory. Senior Gabe Pyle was the only Bullpup to score in double-figures, but it was for a career-high 31 points, the most scored by any Bullpup this season.
McPherson’s win pushed them to an 11-2 record.
Feb. 8 at Augusta
Girls: Augusta 42, McPherson 32
The Bullpups were forced to play without a couple of their key playmakers, making things more difficult on the offensive side of the ball. McPherson had open looks, but the rims at Hutter Gymnasium were not friendly to McPherson’s shots. Augusta’s defense in the fourth quarter pushed them to defeat McPherson for the first time ever.
McPherson is now 6-8 on the season, 2-3 against AVCTL Div. 3 opponents.
Boys: McPherson 66, Augusta 37
The Bullpup boys went up against a young, up-and-coming Augusta Orioles squad, who had to play without their star freshman shooter. McPherson found themselves in a double-digit lead early, pushing it into the second half. Augusta tried to use their shooting to bring themselves back in it, but McPherson outscored the Orioles 22-6 in the fourth to close out the 29-point victory.
The Bullpup boys are now 12-2 on the season, 5-0 against divisional opponents.
McPherson’s games scheduled Tuesday, Feb. 11 at Hays have been postponed to Monday, Feb. 17 due to inclement weather. The next schedule game is a divisional matchup and rivalry double-header Friday at Buhler.
