McPHERSON, Kan. – McPherson high School’s Boys Basketball team had to play Sub-State games on back-to-back days, winning both games to advance to the State Tournament in Salina.
McPherson ended up playing both games without their Hall-of-Fame Head Coach Kurt Kinnamon, who traveled out of country to celebrate the marriage of his son, Kyler. Assistant coach Gordon Peck, who has been on McPherson’s sideline for 32 years, attained the role of the acting head coach for both Sub-State contests.
Due to the dangerous winds sweeping across Kansas, especially in the Southwestern corner of the state, Ulysses and McPherson made the decision to move their Sub-State Semifinals game to Thursday, March 6. The decision forced the winner of the Semifinals matchup to have to play 24 hours later for a chance to go to State. However, McPherson was able to punch their ticket to the State Tournament for the 61st time in school history.
The 61 State Tournament appearances for McPherson ties the state record for the most tournament appearances by any school in history, tying KC-Wyandotte (formerly Kansas City High School). Wyandotte, who holds the record for the most State Championships with 20, has however not made the State Tournament since winning their last title in 1998.
Another record will be on the line in the State Quarterfinal matchup for McPherson, as a win would send them to their 41st Final Four appearance, making it the most in state history. McPherson is currently tied with the aforementioned Wyandotte with 40.
SUB-STATE SEMIFINAL vs. ULYSSES
McPherson – 64
Ulysses – 36
McPherson finished just one game behind Andale for the top spot in the 4A West Regional standings, giving them the No. 2 seed in the Sub-State bracket. With McPherson’s first postseason contest being No. 15 Ulysses, the Tigers had to make the 230 mile trek to McPherson for the Sub-State Semifinal.
The Bullpups led 12-0 before Ulysses broke their cold snap, but McPherson kept their feet on the gas pedal, leading 23-6 at the end of 1Q and 40-15 at halftime. Ulysses matched their first-half total in the 3rd quarter, but an early score in the 4th quarter game McPherson a 30-point lead, forcing the running clock and giving the Bullpups a chance to rest their starters. They would end up getting the victory 64-36.
McPherson shot 28/56 (50%) on the floor, but struggled from distance shooting 4/17 (23.5%). The defense shined the brightest, getting 17 steals and forcing 20 turnovers overall.
Team Scoring:
MHS: 23-17-17-7
UHS: 6-7-15-8
Individual Scoring:
MHS: G. Pyle – 20, J. Pyle – 14, I. Razak – 9, Malm – 8, Brown – 4, Seidl – 4, Doile – 3, Strathman – 2
UHS: Browning – 9, Perez – 6, Garcia – 6, Meraz – 5, Alvarado – 4, Ledesma – 3, Deirking – 3
SUB-STATE CHAMPIONSHIP vs. CONCORDIA
McPherson – 65
Concordia – 48
McPherson followed up their beatdown of Ulysses with a tough bout against an NCKL contender, No. 7 Concordia, who came off of a 67-39 win over Augusta. Both teams traded blows early, but McPherson went on a 24-8 run in the 1st and 2nd quarters to take a 37-22 lead at halftime.
Concordia trailed by as much as 18 in the 3rd quarter, but cut the deficit to nine with 5:30 left in the 4th quarter. However, McPherson ended the game on a 14-6 run to escape with the win and the Sub-State title 65-48.
The Bullpups’ defense was stellar again, forcing 21 turnovers. The shooting on the floor left some to be desired after shooting 19/44 (43.2%) and 3/15 (20%) on three-point shots, but the free throw shooting made up for it as they shot 24/30 (80%) at the foul line, including junior guard Jett Pyle shooting a perfect 10/10.
Team Scoring:
MHS: 16-21-12-16
CHS: 10-12-17-9
Individual Scoring:
MHS: G. Pyle – 19, J. Pyle – 16, Razak – 11, Strathman – 8, Malm – 7, Brown – 4
CHS: Richard – 15, Krier – 9, Retter – 8, Irigoyen – 7, Donovan – 5, Parker – 4
McPherson earned the No. 4 seed in a stacked State Tournament field. The Bullpups will face the Baldwin Bulldogs in a rematch of the 2024 State Semifinal game Wednesday, March 12 at 4 p.m.
