The makings of a magical boys basketball season continued over the weekend for the Hutchinson Salthawks and Haven Wildcats.
 
Both Reno County programs protected unbeaten records and won championships in two of Kansas’ most tradition-rich mid-season tournaments. Hutchinson, which moved to No. 2 in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association’s Class 5A rankings this week, defeated Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I rival Maize South 67-56 to improve to 11-0 and win the 80^th Dodge City Tournament of Champions.
 
Meanwhile, Haven navigated through Winfield, Concordia and Andale to win the 53^rd Adolph Rupp Invitational in Halstead. The Wildcats, No. 4 in 3A, moved their record to 13-0 with a 41-38 victory over Andale in the championship.
 
“I am extremely proud of our team as they did not play their best in the Concordia game and found a way to win,” Haven coach Lonnie Paramore said. “We got out to a fantastic start in the finals against Andale. Andale made a good run at us in the second half, but we made enough plays down the stretch to win the championship.”

 
Haven entered the tournament as the top seed, winning its first 10 games by double digits. The Wildcats made it 11 with a 69-28 victory over Winfield in the opening round before Concordia provided the first of two strong tests, falling 45-37 in the semifinals.
 
In the championship, Haven built a 27-11 halftime lead before Andale launched its run. But with tournament MVP Brant Sipe scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, and senior D.J. Miller adding 16 points, the Wildcats held on.
 
Haven starts a stretch of seven games to end the regular season at home on Jan. 31 against Hillsboro.
 
“We hope to build off of the momentum and finish strong,” Paramore said.
 
In Dodge City, Hutchinson won its first Tournament of Champions title since 1986 with devastating defense in its first two games and a second victory this month over Maize South in the final. The Salthawks, one of four AVCTL I teams in the tournament along with Maize South, Newton and Derby, defeated Newton 53-25 in the opening round and Junction City 56-29 in the semifinals.
 
In the championship, senior Garrett Robertson scored 19 points, sophomore Terrell King added 17 and Buhler transfer Wade Meyer added 12 for the Salthawks, who also dealt Maize South its other loss, 64-55, on Jan. 6.
 
Robertson and King were named to the all-tournament team.
 

WICHITA HEIGHTS TOPS PREVIOUSLY UNBEATEN GARDEN CITY, WINS VALLEY CENTER JANUARY JAM
 
Wichita Heights coach Joe Auer has been around long enough to see the dangers of playing a unique opponent or at a different time of day.
 
The Falcons got both to start the Valley Center January Jam when they faced Seaman in a battle of reigning state champions – Heights in Class 6A and Seaman in 5A.
 
Heights passed that test, winning 59-55, and added victories over Blue Valley and previously unbeaten Garden City to claim the championship.
 
Guard Marcus Zeigler led four Falcons in double figures in a 60-47 victory over Garden City in Saturday’s final, moving Heights’ record to 11-1. Garden City, which got 13 points from senior Caleb Wiese, fell to 12-1.

 
Auer recalled the first of his six state championship seasons at Heights – 2008-09 – when the Falcons went 24-1 with then-freshman and former University of Kansas standout Perry Ellis. Heights’ lone loss was a 51-50 setback to Hutchinson in the opening round of the McPherson Invitational.
 
Heights, No. 2 in 6A, opened the January Jam against a game opponent in Seaman less than 48 hours after the Falcons defeated Kapaun Mt. Carmel 51-36 in a battle for first place in the Greater Wichita Athletic League.
 
“We don’t do a lot of traveling,” Auer said. “And we didn’t really here, but you’re still hopping on a bus for a 4:30 game and that’s different. It can be the most dangerous game of the season.”
 
The Falcons held off Seaman in part to 20 points and nine rebounds from junior standout T.J. Williams. Williams added 14 points in the semifinals against Blue Valley and 13 in the championship victory over Garden City.
 
Williams, a key member of the Falcons’ 6A championship team last March, transferred to Wichita’s Sunrise Christian Academy at the start of the school year. But the Division I prospect quickly transferred back to Heights in September, strengthening a returning group of Falcons that included Zeigler and sophomore Amalachi Wilkins.
 
All three were named to the January Jam’s all-tournament team.
 
“We have a long way to go, but the pieces are all there without question,” Auer said. “We’ve got a good chance to play at a really high level at the end of February.”
 

 
KAPAUN DEFENDS BLUESTEM CLASSIC TITLE
 
Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior Will Anciaux didn’t mind a quick turnaround after the Crusaders dropped their first game of the season last Tuesday to Wichita Heights.
 
As Anciaux’s coach, Steve Eck, put it, “One game doesn’t make a season. We had to understand that.”
 
The Crusaders got their opportunity to move on at the El Dorado Bluestem Classic, and they did it successfully, defeating Great Bend 65-50 for the title in a rematch of the 2022 Bluestem final, which Kapaun also won. Anciaux, the Kansas State football signee, was named the tournament’s most outstanding player after helping Kapaun win the three tournament games by an average of 26.3 points.
 
“The Heights game gave us a lot to think about,” Anciaux said of the Crusaders’ 51-36 loss last Tuesday in league play. “We can learn a lot from that and maybe it can bring us together as a team a little bit more.
 
“Playing this tournament really helped us with that. We got a chance to really fine-tune some stuff on defense and keep working on our offense.”
 
Junior Teagan Charles scored 14 points, including a basket right before halftime that gave 5A No. 3 Kapaun an 11-point advantage, to lead the way against Great Bend. Corbin Johnson added 11 points and Will Thengvall had 10. Anciaux scored all eight of his points in the first half.
 
Offense hasn’t been much of an issue for Kapaun, which averaged 70.3 points in three tournament games. But Eck is looking for more from his defense down the stretch from his 11-1 team.
 
“We have better shooters this year and can score more points, but defense-wise, we’ve got to tighten it up a bit,” he said.
 

MOUNDRIDGE WINS THIRD STRAIGHT CANTON-GALVA INVITATIONAL
 
Nearly sunk by Bennington’s inside tandem of Eli Lawson and Mister Smith in the Canton-Galva Invitational semifinals, Moundridge survived in overtime after Landon Kaufman’s coast-to-coast drive forced the extra period. The hot-shooting Wildcats then fought off another Heart of America League foe, Ell-Saline, 66-55, to win the tournament for the third consecutive season.
 
Kaufman, a senior point guard, and sophomore Barrett Moddelmog each scored 20 points in the title game as Moundridge, No. 6 in 2A, shot 64 percent and kept Ell-Saline at arm’s length throughout the game.
 
“I just love these guys,” Moundridge coach Vance Unrau said. “They understand the game and they’re heavy investors. We don’t always do what we’re supposed to do, but they’re at least trying, and they’re trying to do the right thing.”

 
Unrau saw the tournament as a perfect preview for next month’s Sterling sub-state, which features four teams with at least 10 victories – Moundridge, Ellinwood, Inman and Remington – and a fifth, Sterling, with nine.
 
To reach the Canton-Galva final, Moundridge overcame a combined 54 points from the 6-foot-4 Smith and 6-7 Lawson to top Bennington 71-68. Senior Logan Churchill scored 27 points, Moddelmog added 20 and Kaufman had 10 points and 13 assists.
 
“After a hard-fought, emotional win and having to come back, I told the guys that’s what we’re going to have to do at sub-state because the final four teams there are going to be really good,” Unrau said. “You’re going to have to win maybe three really good games in a row.”
 
Kaufman, who had 14 assists in the championship game, understands Unrau’s critique. The Wildcats scored the first nine points against Ell-Saline and led the entire game, but had stretches that made it difficult to put the Cardinals away.
 
“We have moments where we think we’re all that,” Kaufman said. “We’ve got to get that out of our heads. A tournament is a good place to figure that out. Three games in a week is fun. The mistakes you make one night, the next night you can fix them.”
 

ANDOVER CENTRAL KNOCKS OFF MIEGE TO WIN RALPH MILLER CLASSIC
 
It wasn’t easy, but Andover Central emerged as champion of the 51^st Ralph Miller Classic in Chanute with a 71-67 overtime victory over two-time reigning Class 4A champion Bishop Miege.
 
Senior guard Kobe Smith matched his season scoring average with 20 points in the championship game as the Jaguars improved to 10-2 and stretched their winning streak to nine games. The Jaguars, No. 6 in 5A, bounced back for the victory after 4A No. 2 Miege erased a 14-point deficit.
 
Miege forced the extra period with two free throws with under five seconds to play in regulation. But in the overtime, sophomore Jayden Brown hit seven free throws for part of his 13 points to help Central prevail.
 
Smith and fellow senior Brian Perry, who had 16 points in the championship game, were named to the all-tournament team. Andover Central reached the final with a 57-43 first-round victory over Carthage (Mo.), then defeated Emporia 41-35 in the semifinals.
 

 
SHETLAR, ANDOVER CLAIM SALINA INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
 
Deadlocked with Blue Valley Southwest at halftime of the championship game, Andover used 20 points and 11 rebounds from tournament MVP Eli Shetlar to post a 58-45 victory to win the Salina Invitational Tournament on Saturday.
 
The Trojans also defeated Wichita South 77-57 and Salina Central 60-33 en route to the title. In the final, Shetlar, an Indiana State commit, led a balanced attack that helped Andover improve its season record to 10-2.
 
B.J. Redic added 14 points, and Josh Kim and Blake Rucker each had 10 as the Trojans broke away from the 21-21 deadlock.
 
“Winning our mid-season tournament was vital for us,” Andover coach Martin Shetlar said. “It brings a lot of energy into our program and builds confidence. We have not had a lot of close games this year and in the ones we have had, we fell short.
 
“For us to win the championship game against a good Blue Valley Southwest team was a big step toward us reaching our goals at the end of the season.
 
In addition to Eli Shetlar, senior Chris Harris and Kim were all-tournament selections for Andover.
 

 
AUGUSTA RALLIES TO WIN BALDWIN INVITATIONAL
 
Few teams across the state were able to match the suspense Augusta provided in winning the Baldwin Invitational. The Orioles trailed in the fourth quarter of all three games and erased a nine-point deficit in the final 3:35 of regulation on their way to a 55-49 overtime victory over Girard in the championship.
 
 “It was a great weekend for our program,” Augusta coach Ryan Petty said. “We really came together and dug deep the entire week. We were able to battle all week and make the plays down the stretch that were needed to win close games.”
 
Senior Kaden McDaniel scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the title game for Augusta, which improved to 7-4 during a tournament run that included victories over Heritage Christian and Wellsville by identical 63-57 scores. Junior Gavin Kiser added 14 points and senior Marcus McClanahan had 12 in the victory over Girard, which managed just one point in overtime and one field goal in the final eight minutes.
 
Kiser, who scored 49 points in the three games, McDaniel, who averaged a double-double with 14 points and 10.7 rebounds, and McClanahan (36 points) were named to the all-tournament team.
 
Before the championship, the Orioles attended the Big 12 matchup between Kansas and TCU at Lawrence’s Allen Fieldhouse.
 
“It was just a great weekend of bonding and coming together as a group,” Petty said. “We have won four games in a row now and really hope to build off this weekend and keep the momentum that we have rolling.”
 

CIRCLE EDGES WELLINGTON TO WIN ROADRUNNER INVITATIONAL
 
Circle led for only eight seconds of the Chaparral Roadrunner Classic final. But it was the right eight seconds for the Thunderbirds, as senior Trevor Cowman hit a bank shot in the lane to give Circle a 49-48 victory over Wellington in a matchup of ranked 4A Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League teams.
 
Cowman’s game-winner punctuated No. 5 Circle’s comeback from a 14-point second-half deficit. He finished with 18 points and helped the Thunderbirds improve to 11-1.
 
Wellington, which led 34-20 in the third quarter, had the last shot, but senior Jack Wright’s 3-point attempt from the top of the key fell short. Senior Banks Hinshaw scored a game-high 19 points for No. 7 Wellington, which fell to 10-3.
 
Cowman and junior Conner Chadwell made the all-tournament team for Circle, which defeated Clearwater 59-29 in the opening round and Mulvane 48-45 in the semifinals. Cowman also won the tournament’s 3-point contest.
 

WICHITA INDEPENDENT ROLLS IN ST. JOHN MID-WINTER CLASSIC
 
After a state tournament appearance last season and its first No. 1 ranking earlier this month, Wichita Independent continued its upward trend with three impressive victories in the St. John Mid-Winter Classic.
 
The Panthers, Class 2A’s top-ranked team, defeated top-seeded Macksville 64-48 on Sunday in a weather-delayed championship game. The victory came on the heels of a 67-52 victory over Nickerson and a 71-41 win over Sunrise Christian in the tournament’s first two rounds.
 
“I thought we really picked it up defensively after the first game,” Independent coach Tyler Keim said. “We have been working really hard to get better on that end of the floor. We are playing some pretty good basketball, but we need to continue to get better every day.”
 
Seniors Conar Harris and Christian Dean were named to the all-tournament team after averaging 15 and 11 points respectively in the three games. Seniors Javon Beadles and Isaac Combs provided an additional scoring punch during the tournament, each averaging 9 points.
 

HESSTON’S WINNING STREAK REACHES 11 WITH TROJAN CLASSIC TITLE
 
Two-time reigning Class 3A champion Hesston rolled to the Trojan Classic title in Hillsboro, capping a dominant week with a 59-36 victory over Remington in the championship.
 
Senior Jake Proctor scored 32 points in the final, giving him 71 for the tournament as the Swathers stretched their winning streak to 11 games since a season-opening 56-46 loss to Southeast of Saline. Hesston forced 22 turnovers and used a 25-8 second-quarter blitz to take control against Remington
 
Proctor poured in 23 points in Hesston’s 72-25 opening-round victory over Republic County. In the semifinals against host Hillsboro, the Swathers avenged a 2022 title-game loss with a 48-33 victory as Proctor scored 16. Hesston raced to an 18-4 lead in the first quarter against the Trojans.
 
Hesston’s victories kept them at No. 3 in the 3A rankings behind Sabetha and Southeast of Saline. Remington, which reached the final with victories over Eureka and Clay Center, is No. 10 in 2A.
 
 

CHERRYVALE CAPTURES WAR ON 54 TITLE
 
Down by 18 points with three minutes to play in the third quarter, Cherryvale turned up its defense and turned on a rally, charging past host Iola 50-47 to win the inaugural War on 54 tournament and give the Chargers a sweep of the boys and girls titles.
 
Cherryvale, which improved to 7-4 with tournament victories over Yates Center, Anderson County and Iola, fueled its championship game comeback with 3-point shooting from Stetson Schafer and Brock Robertson. The Chargers took a 48-47 lead with 30 seconds to play on a basket by Danny Vigil. Schafer then stole the ball, was fouled and hit two free throws for a three-point lead with about 13 seconds remaining.
 
Cherryvale was called for a foul on a 3-point attempt as time expired, but the Mustangs missed all three free throws.
 
“Our team played really well in the first round (a 71-38 victory) against Yates Center,” Cherryvale coach Rodney Vigil said. “We overcame obvious size matchups with Anderson County (in a 57-46 victory) in round two. We played solid defense and hit some big free throws down the stretch. Our kids never gave up.”
 

SEDAN WINS FIRST SCBL TOURNAMENT TITLE SINCE 2016
 
Sedan captured its first South Central Border League boys tournament title since 2016 and ninth in the program’s history with a 31-30 victory over top-seeded Cedar Vale-Dexter in Saturday’s championship in Arkansas City.
 
The Blue Devils got 14 points from senior Koda Blankinship and used key defensive performances from Lyndon Sears and Jeremiah Prince to capture the title. Sears and Prince each had three steals as Sedan held Cedar Vale-Dexter well below its season average of 56.1 points entering the game.
 
“It was a defensive battle from start to finish,” Sedan coach Zac Hill said. “Our kids guarded the entire game, but credit Cedar Vale-Dexter, so did they. Lyndon and Jeremiah had big defensive assignments and they were both ready to meet the challenge.”
 
The Blue Devils’ title run improved their record to 11-1. Sedan defeated Flinthills 51-34 in the quarterfinals, then edged West Elk 58-52 in the semifinals.
 
“It was super special to our boys,” Hill said. “One of our parents found a picture of this same group watching the 2016 team in the stands at Cowley (College, site of the tournament). The tradition of the guys that came before and the Blue Devils coming after mean a lot to our guys, and the pride and heart they played with on Saturday showed that.”
 

MEDICINE LODGE WINS 54 CLASSIC
 
After taking down top-seeded Norwich in the semifinals, Medicine Lodge parlayed that into the 54 Classic title in Cunningham, defeating Stafford 55-45 in the championship game.
 
Junior Derrek Randels scored 19 points and sophomore tournament MVP Keveon Ruiz added 17 in the final for Medicine Lodge, which improved to 10-3. Medicine Lodge’s lone loss in its last seven games was 55-54 on Jan. 10 at Kingman.
 
“We had multiple guys step up and play well this week,” Medicine Lodge coach Joe Dohrmann said. “With some injuries that happened, we really relied on the bench to step up.”
 
Medicine Lodge moved into the winners bracket with a 60-45 victory over Skyline. The Indians then dealt Norwich its second loss of the season, topping the Eagles 59-53.