DODGE CITY -- Lyndon has one of the most storied basketball histories in Kansas small class boys' basketball, yet there is one glaring accomplishment that is missing.

The Tigers and 18th year head coach Michael Massey are hoping to rectify that missing goal on Saturday when they will make just their second state championship game appearance in the Class 2A tournament after holding off Sacred Heart, 63-56, on Friday at United Wireless Arena in Dodge City.

Not only are the Tigers seeking to grasp the holy grail of high school basketball with a title, but they are trying to remove the missing piece. This year, Massey is making his seventh state appearance as head coach and it is the 15th in school history and ninth final four appearance.

But no state trophy yet.

"I'm so proud of our kids because they executed the game plan about as well as a coach could ask," Massey said. "We had to deal with some major foul issues but Daxton (Miller, 19 points) really showed what a great player he is. He came through big for us."

Miller and 5-9 senior point guard Jalen Massey (Michael’s son) played to the size of his 6-9 cousin Kaedin (Kansas State bound for football) by adding 15 points. Scoring leader Tanner Heckel, who was one of those who battled foul troubles (three in the first half, fourth in the 3rd quarter) scored 16 points, but had 13 of those in the first quarter.

With a back-and-forth first half and Sacred Heart up 27-26 at the break, the second half took on a life of its own. Lyndon went up by five (32-27); the Knights answered back to tie it at 34, 36 and 42. At the end of three periods, it was nip-and-tuck at 43-42 Tigers.

Nearly halfway through the fourth it was still a one-point Lyndon lead, 48-47. At the 3:57 mark the Tigers held a 51-48 advantage but then went on a 10-0 run that eventually was the difference in the final outcome. By the time Sacred Heart scored with just under a minute left, there was not enough time on the clock for a final rally.

The Knights did manage eight points in the final minute, but it was too little, too late.
"I thought we did a great job of keeping them from getting a lot of 3's (5) and especially consecutive 3's," said Coach Massey. "They're explosive and we just wanted to keep their runs to a minimum."
 

The coach's son, all 5-9 of him, played big as the floor general for the Tigers.

"This is something I've dreamed of my entire life," said the somewhat unheralded Massey. "Everything about this with our family makes it all the more special. Coach is really hard on me, but it has made me a better player."

Jalen said he understands his role and it can change at times, just like it did in the semifinal victory.

"We all understand our own roles," said Jalen Massey. "I'm to get everyone involved and then defensively turn them and make it hard for them to get the shots they want. We wanted to keep them off the 3-point line."

Both teams were red-hot shooting from the field with Lyndon hitting 56.8% (25 of 44) while Sacred Heart knocked down 20-of-39 for 51.3%. Lyndon held a 26-21 lead on the boards with Kaedin Massey grabbing a game-high 8 boards. Turnovers were a wash with Lyndon having 12 and Sacred Heart 11.

The Knights got 19 points from Evan Bogart and 10 from Michael Matteucci.
 

The first quarter was comparable to a NASCAR race with both teams going up and down the floor at a lightning pace. When the eight minutes were over, Lyndon held a 17-14 lead with Heckel lighting it up with 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting.

Seven quick points by the Tigers extended the Lyndon lead to 10, 24-14, and that capped off a 9-0 Tiger run. From that point to the halftime buzzer, it was Sacred Heart off to the races.
A 13-2 run to close out the half capped by a driving layup by Luca Adami, put the Knights up 27-26 at intermission. Fouls also created issues for the Tigers as Heckel went to the bench at the 5-minute mark with three fouls and his team up 10.

Then, 6-9, 270-pound K-State football signee Kaedin Massey, headed to the sidelines two minutes later with his second foul. 

Sacred Heart, which has one of the storied basketball histories in small class Kansas schools, was trying to reach the title game to play for its 10th state championship, the last one coming in 2017. But it was not enough on this late afternoon in early March.

For the elder Massey, reaching the championship game for the second time (2011, lost 41-32 to Berean Academy), it's a special opportunity.

"This is what we've worked for all season," Coach Massey said. "It's a blessing to get to the state tournament. We have a chance to do something special for the boys, for the school and for our community."

And if the football season is any indication, history is within reach. This past fall, Lyndon went undefeated and captured the school's first football state championship, winning the Eight-Player Division I title.
 

 
MOUNDRIDGE RETURNS TO TITLE GAME SEEKING EIGHTH TITLE

It seems that no matter what the venue is, Moundridge's Wildcats are right at home when it comes to the Class 2A state tournament.

The defending state champs get another shot at another title after holding off every Sterling rally to capture a 56-45 semifinal victory.

It was only a year ago, in veteran coach Vance Unrau's swan song season, that Moundridge rolled over Wichita Independent a 66-46 going-away party for Unrau's retirement at the Class 2A state tournament in Manhattan at Kansas State's Bramlage Coliseum.
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Now the Wildcats find themselves under the mentorship of first-year coach Dustan Kanitz. And he's enjoying the ride that this edition of the Wildcats have given him, albeit in a new town (Dodge City) and venue (United Wireless Arena) with Kansas State unable to host state this year as its regular season winds up.

"They're a fun group of guys to coach," Kanitz said. "We played the late game, just hung out together in Dodge City. Great opportunity to bond with each other. It's been fun."
 

The tradition-steeped Wildcats will face unbeaten and top-seeded Lyndon (25-0) in the championship game set for 6:15 p.m. Saturday. Sterling will face Sacred Heart at 2 p.m. in the third-place game.

Leading 27-18 at halftime, the Wildcats expanded the lead to 14, 44-30, heading to the final eight minutes. An early surge in the fourth extended the lead to 17, the last at 51-34 with 4:57 left.

Trying to figure out a way to ice the game, the Wildcats didn't make a field goal in the final 5:13. It was a parade to the free throw line for the remainder, and Moundridge had its struggles, making only 6 of 13 and having one wiped away because of a lane violation.

"We got to the finish line and that's the most important thing," Kanitz said. "This group has bought into a new style defensively, but the thing I like is they have a lot of confidence and trust in each other."

Eight different Moundridge players provided a balanced offensive attack, three of whom reached double figures. Kreighton Kanitz, son of the head coach, led the way with 13 points while his other son, Kaizer, and Barrett Moddelmog each contributed 10.

Colby Beagley and Boston Ekart shared honors for Sterling with 12 points apiece and Gabe Riffel added 11.
 

The final shooting stats are part of the story for this one, with Moundridge finishing at 48.8% (20 of 41) while Sterling's cold night showed 12 of 45 for 26.7%. Moundridge also had a slender 36-32 rebounding edge with Zachary Dixon pulling down 9. Riffel had 10 for the Bears giving him a double-double.

In the first half, the Black Bears couldn't buy anything from the field, suffering through a 6-of-21 shooting half overall, and a chilly 1-of-8 from 3-point range. Moundridge, meanwhile, built its 27-18 lead with a balanced attack as seven different Wildcats got into the scoring column. The Wildcats did hit 10 of 22 field goals (45.5%) but were only 2 of 10 behind the arc.

The 15-5 first-quarter advantage only was cut by one, and the Black Bears trailed 27-18 at the intermission. Riffel's 10 points kept the Bears within range.

CLASS 2A BOYS SEMIFINAL BOXSCORES
 
LYNDON 63, SACRED HEART 56

Sacred Heart ... 14 ... 13 ... 15 ... 14 … -- … 56

Lyndon ... 17 ... 9 ... 17 ... 20 ... -- ...63

Sacred Heart (21-4) -- Matteucci 5-8 0-0 10, Tuttle 1-5 0-0 3, Adami 4-7 1-2 9, Bogart 6-9 4-5 19, Samuelson 3-3 1-2 7, Ehrlich 1-6 5-8 8, Marrs 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-39 11-17 56.

Lyndon (25-0) -- Miller 7-11 4-5 19, J. Massey 5-11 4-5 15, Heckel 7-8 2-4 16, Wirth 1-2 0-2 3, Marcotte 0-5 0-0 0, K. Massey 5-7 0-2 10. Totals 25-44 10-18 63.

3-point goals — Sacred Heart 5-12 (Matteucci 0-1, Tuttle 1-4, Bogart 3-4, Ehrlich 1-3); Lyndon 3-12 (Miller 1-4, J. Massey 1-4, Wirth 1-1, Marcotte 0-2). Rebounds —  Sacred Heart 21 (Matteucci 4); Lyndon 26 (K. Massey 8). Assists — Sacred Heart 13 (Adami 4); Lyndon 15 (Wirth 4). Turnovers — Sacred Heart 11, Lyndon 12. Total Fouls — Sacred Heart 20, Lyndon 17. Fouled Out -- None.
 
MOUNDRIDGE 56, STERLING 45

Moundridge ... 15 ... 12 ... 17 ... 12 … -- … 56

Sterling ... 5 ... 13 ... 12 ... 15 … -- ... 45

Moundridge (22-3) -- Ka. Kanitz 4-7 2-6 10, Kr. Kanitz 5-10 3-5 13, Schmidt 2-2 0-0 5, Churchill 1-1 0-4 2, Hecox 3-5 0-0 7, Adolf 1-2 0-0 2, Dixon 2-4 3-5 7, Moddelmog 2-10 5-5 10. Totals 20-41 13-25 56.

Sterling (22-3) -- Smith 0-3 0-0 0, Farney 0-6 1-2 1, Newberry 0-1 0-0 0, Gray 1-4 2-4 4, Briar 0-5 5-6 5, Beagley 4-10 1-3 12, Ekart 3-9 5-5 12, Riffel 4-7 2-6 11. Totals 12-45 16-26 45.

3-point goals — Moundridge 3-14 (Kr. Kanitz 0-3, Schmidt 1-1, Hecox 1-3, Moddelmog 1-7); Sterling 5-19 (Smith 0-1, Farney 0-1, Briar 0-3, Beagley 3-8, Ekart 1-4, Riffel 1-2). Rebounds — Moundridge 36 (Dixon 9); Sterling 32 (Riffel 10). Assists—Moundridge 11 (Kr. Kanitz 4); Sterling 6 (Farney 5). Turnovers — Moundridge 13, Sterling 13. Total Fouls — Moundridge 23, Sterling 27. Fouled Out — Moundridge: Kr. Kanitz, Hecox; Sterling: Ekart, Riffel.