McPHERSON, Kan. – The McPherson High School basketball teams hosted their winter homecoming night Friday, Feb. 21, splitting against the Augusta Orioles for the second time this season.
GIRLS
Augusta – 60
McPherson – 56
Augusta defeated McPherson for the first time ever the first time these two teams met this season on Feb. 6, but that was with a short-handed Bullpup squad who dealt with illness and injury. McPherson was near full strength this time around, which showed in the early going.
The Bullpups trailed 19-18 in a high-scoring first quarter, but the defense picked up in the second quarter and the early third, all while they were constantly hitting outdoor shots. McPherson shot 56% in the first half, but 30% in the second half which aided Augusta’s comeback effort.
McPherson had a 13-point lead with just over five minutes left int he 3rd, but the works of Augusta’s Emma Bourm and Briar Lichlyter aided in the comeback effort. Bourm had a terrific shooting night, finishing with 27 points on 9-14 shooting, 5-7 from beyond the arc. Lichlyter hit clutch shots in the low post late, finishing with 11 points shooting 5-6.
The Orioles took the lead with nearly four minutes left in the 4th quarter and did not give it up since as McPherson shot ice cold in the fourth, not making a shot in the final 4:53 of the game. Augusta’s 60-56 comeback win marks the first time that the Augusta girls have ever swept McPherson in a season series.
Augusta improves to 9-9 (4-4 AVCTL Div. 3) on the season, while McPherson falls to 6-11 (2-5 AVCTL Div. 3).
Scoring:
MHS: 18 – 18 – 12 – 8
AHS: 19 – 8 – 14 – 19
Individual Scoring:
MHS: Alvord – 16, Doile – 12, Whitfield – 9, M. Sandbo – 8, Bower – 5, Jer. Alexander – 4, Littlejohn – 2
AHS: Em. Bourm – 27, Lichlyter – 11, El. Bourm – 8, Fleming – 7, Pfeifer – 5, Ratcliff – 2
BOYS
McPherson – 73
Augusta – 65
Following Monday’s loss to Hays, McPherson looked to battle back against Augusta at home to sweep the Orioles. The first half went back-and-forth as McPherson struggled to score, leading 22-20 at halftime. McPherson’s strong third quarter ballooned them forward to lead by 16 points at the end of the third.
After that is when the offensive onslaught began, as both teams scored a combined 68 points in the 4th quarter. Augusta fought their way to within five points early on in the fourth, thanks to an incredible game from Augusta Junior Brody Haskell, who finished with 35 points shooting 10-17 on the floor, 6-8 from behind the arc; 24 of those points were in the second half.
The game came down to free throws, as McPherson ended up hitting clutch foul-line shots late in the 4th, shooting 28-41 at the FT line Friday. Timely defense eventually gave McPherson the close victory 73-65.
McPherson improves to 14-3 (7-0 AVCTL Div. 3), Augusta falls to 10-8 (4-4 AVCTL Div. 3)
Scoring:
MHS: 14 – 8 – 21 – 30
AHS: 11 – 9 – 7 – 38
Individual Scoring:
MHS: G. Pyle – 19, J. Pyle – 14, Strathman – 12, Malm – 10, Razak – 9, Brown – 5, Doile – 3, Seidl – 1
AHS: Haskell – 35, Roberts – 11, Stoops – 8, Chappell – 7, Davidson – 2, Ralston – 2
The Bullpups close out the regular season playing three games in four days the upcoming week, starting off with a rescheduled game against Circle Monday, Feb. 24.
