After shutting down Wichita South’s offense for nearly four minutes of the fourth quarter on Tuesday, Wichita Heights’ girls made a noticeable defensive tweak coming out of a timeout.
 
The visiting Falcons turned up the heat even more.
 
The swarming half-court pressure, which limited South to one point over the next three minutes, has long been a calling card of Heights teams.
 
Which makes sense. With Kip Pulliam back on the bench as coach for the first time in eight seasons, Heights is 3-0 and ranked No. 5 in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Class 6A rankings after a 56-44 victory over third-ranked South.

 
“I think they’ve bought in to my belief that defense is going to win it for us,” said Pulliam, who won four Class 6A titles during a 12-year run from 2004-16. “All the teams I’ve had, we could get after you defensively and do things that made you turn the ball over and speed you up, and we did that at times tonight.”
 
South provided the first true test for Heights, which opened the season with dominating victories over Wichita Northwest and Wichita North. The Titans, led by guard Zion Butler’s 19 points, trailed by just two points at halftime and six entering the final quarter.
 
For Pulliam, who succeeded his successor, Ken Palmer, after Palmer returned to an assistant’s role, the challenge was welcome.
 
“They gave us a game that we wanted,” Pulliam said. “We needed this game. We needed to find out where we are. The best thing about it is we didn’t play our best, but we did what had to do to win at the end.”
 
Heights, which finished 13-8 last season, is young with just two seniors – Mya Mayberry and Jalyiah Manuel. But the Falcons returned five starters and added a pair of key transfers – juniors KaMyra Barber from Northwest and Samiyah Ellis, who helped Wichita Independent reach the Class 2A state tournament last March.
 
Ellis scored a team-high 16 points in the victory over South.
 
“I feel like we have really good energy and a good connection together,” said junior guard Kennadi Jackson, who has drawn recruiting interest from Wichita State. “We just have to trust each other. I feel like the further we keep going the better we’re going to get.”
 
Pulliam, who was 243-46 during his first run as Heights’ coach, stepped down in 2016 as his son, Gunner, approached high school age. At the time, he said he envisioned a return to coaching, and got his basketball fix during his down time helping former Heights and University of Kansas standout Perry Ellis with his offseason professional training.
 
The Falcons will face another solid test on Friday against Wichita Southeast, a 6A state qualifier last season.
 
“I love developing kids and coaching kids,” Pulliam said. “It was inevitable. I think it’s just going to take us some time where they get to know each other on the court and me as a coach. As soon as that happens, this thing is going to be good.”

OXFORD BOYS CLAIM BORDER QUEEN TITLE
 
Oxford’s boys have climbed to No. 6 in the KBCA’s Class 2A rankings with a 5-0 start that included winning Caldwell’s Border Queen Tournament last week.
 
The Wildcats edged Central-Burden 55-54 in the championship game behind 21 points from junior Cordell Jordan. Junior Sam Wheeler added 14 points for Oxford, which also defeated Norwich and Argonia en route to the title.
 
Oxford is averaging 68.8 points per game after an 81-47 victory Tuesday at Pretty Prairie in which all five Wildcat starters scored in double figures. The Wildcats wrap up their pre-holiday schedule Friday at Attica.
 
Norwich captured the Border Queen girls title, defeating Central-Burden 41-8 in the title game.
 
 WELLINGTON BOYS REPEAT AS CHENEY CHAMPS
 
Wellington won its second straight Cardinal Classic last week in Cheney, defeating Hutchinson Trinity 60-40 in the final.
 
Brody Weir scored 17 points and Morice Ayers added 16 for the Crusaders, who also got past Cheney and Pratt in the tournament’s earlier rounds. Blake Hammeke scored 17 points, including five 3-pointers, for Trinity.
 
Wellington is 3-2 after a 50-45 loss to Rose Hill on Tuesday.
 

OTHER BASKETBALL STANDOUTS

• Clearwater senior Elizabeth Tjaden scored her 1,000^th career point Tuesday in the Indians’ 68-18 victory over El Dorado. Tjaden, an Emporia State signee, scored 32 points to help Clearwater improve to 2-1.
• Cheney’s girls started the season 5-0, winning their Cardinal Classic with a 49-48 thriller over Chaparral. The Cardinals opened the season with victories over a pair of Class 4A ranked teams – Clearwater in the season opener and Wellington in the tournament opener. Cheney won its second straight one-point game on Tuesday, edging Wichita Trinity 43-42.
• Norwich captured Caldwell’s Border Queen girls title, defeating Central-Burden 41-8 in the championship.
• Hillsboro’s girls punctuated a run to the Moundridge tournament title with a 58-22 victory over Inman. Savannah Shahan hit five 3-pointers and scored 29 points for the Trojans, who have allowed just 18.3 points per game in a 4-0 start.
• Wichita Independent’s boys are No. 1 in 2A after winning the Marion Classic last week. The Panthers, state runners-up last March, topped Berean Academy 58-36 in the championship to improve to 4-0.
• Moundridge’s boys are off to a 5-0 start under new coach Dustan Kanitz. The Wildcats won their own tournament with victories over Hillsboro, Inman and Lyons before defeating Little River 67-17 on Tuesday. In their latest victory, Bear Moddelmog led four Wildcats in double figures with 17 points.