SALINA, Kan. – No McPherson Magic needed on Saturday. The McPherson High School Boys Basketball team successfully finished their quest of winning back-to-back 4A State Championships, beating Rock Creek 53-44 at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina.
It took overtime and Gabe Pyle buzzer beaters to win the quarterfinal and semifinal games, but the Bullpups led wire-to-wire in the championship game Saturday. A strong first quarter gave McPherson a much-needed boost, highlighted by a 5-1 run to start the game and a 30-foot buzzer beater from Jett Pyle to close out the quarter with a 15-7 lead. Rock Creek found momentum of their own in the second quarter thanks to a strong post presence by senior Elijah Bell and great shooting by senior Coley Burgess. McPherson would fight them off to end the half though, heading to the locker room up 25-19.
McPherson kept their feet on the gas all the way to the finish line. The Bullpups led by as much as 14 points in the third quarter, shot 5/5 in the 4th quarter and converted 10/18 on free throws in the second half. Rock Creek started to hit clutch jumpers in the final couple of minutes, but McPherson broke past their defensive pressure and converted on clutch free throws to win 53-44.
What a week for the McPherson Bullpups. Thankfully no OT was needed, but the Pups won their second straight title Saturday!
Here are some of the highlights from Saturday’s game. There were so many great plays, but I had to only fit a few in for time.@MHSBullpups @maccoachk pic.twitter.com/n7fLZ4E1jx
— Lane Gillespie (@LaneGillPxP) March 16, 2025
Junior guard Jett Pyle set the tone with 11 points in the first half, finishing with 13 on the game. Senior guard Gabe Pyle tied with his cousin Jett with 13 points in his final game, finishing his career as the team’s leading scorer in his final two seasons at MHS. Sophomore guard Ashton Malm closed off a phenomenal week with 10 points and a team-high seven assists.
Following the game, much emotion was shared amongst the players and coaches. Following the final buzzer, Gabe Pyle threw the ball high into the air and shared a big hug with his cousin Jett. Senior Brody Seidl, who only played for one season of basketball, pointed to the sky with a big smile on his face. Coach Kinnamon shared tears, laughter, and hugs with his team, especially Ashton Malm, who had an incredible week averaging 9.3 points per game over the three-game tournament.
All-League honors were decided prior to the tournament, but were not announced until the season’s official end. Gabe Pyle was named the AVCTL Div. 3 Player of the Year and First Team honoree. Jett Pyle was also named a first-team All-League honoree. Senior forward Ian Razak earned All-League Second Team honors and junior guard Cade Strathman was named an AVCTL Div. 3 Honorable Mention. All-State honors will be released at a later time.
McPherson’s season ends with a 20-4 record. The four losses is the most out of any state championship team under head coach Kurt Kinnamon. The title is McPherson’s 15th in school history, which is the second most in the state of Kansas. It is also their first time winning two straight since 2014 & 2015. It is head coach Kurt Kinnamon’s 8th title in his coaching career, tying for the third most in state history. He was tied for second-most momentarily before Steve Eck of Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School won his ninth title hours later.
Listen to the emotional postgame interview with head coach Kurt Kinnamon below:
