Ottawa won the Burlington Invitational with a 67-38 win over Silver Lake in the championship game. The Cyclones earned their first mid-season tournament title since winning the Bobcat Invitational in 2013, which is the same year that the program went 25-0 on the way to a 4A state title.

In addition to this being a big moment for the players, it’s also a big moment for Ottawa head coach Clifton McCullough, who took over the program in 2013-14. The team’s first mid-season tournament win under McCullough took place at his alma mater in Burlington.

“It was pretty special for these guys and for me,” McCullough said.

Adding to the moment, his son helped lead the team to victory. Junior forward Aiden McCullough scored a team-high 26 points while pulling down four rebounds. Senior guard Caleb Hepner contributed 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in the game.

The Cyclones also used their defense to take control early on against Silver Lake. They forced 13 turnovers as they held the Eagles to 15 points in the first half.

“It kind of set the tone for the rest of the game,” Clifton McCullough said.
 

The younger McCullough said that defense is what the Cyclones lean on, and that will especially be true in the postseason.

“I think by the postseason our defense is going to be one of the best in the state,” Aiden McCullough said. “Whenever somebody plays us, they got to know our defense and how to play our defense because we all play so hard and we play so good together.”

With the team’s heavy focus on both individual defensive sessions and team defensive drills, the Cyclones have started to build a chemistry that allows them to rotate in unison and as smoothly as they do running an offensive set.

“We want that defense to be the main thing with our team,” Aiden McCullough said.

The Cyclones rolled in all three tournament games, starting with a 71-45 win over Independence before a 75-49 win over Paola earned them a spot in the finals.

?

Against Independence, McCullough delivered a stat line of 20 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals while Hepner finished with 19 points. Sophomore guard Jayce Mourning contributed 14 points, 4 assists and 4 steals.

In the semifinals, McCullough had 20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Hepner had 19 points and 5 rebounds while Mourning and senior guard Cole McGrath each had 11 points.

McCullough earned most outstanding player honors. Hepner and his twin brother Carter joined McCullough on the all-tournament team.

“Tournament week is always a good time for us to see some teams we don't normally see,” McCullough said. “It brings us to the midpoint of the regular season, so the kids know that time is limited and we need to focus on the back half of the season. There will be a lot of movement over the next few weeks as teams start jockeying for playoff positions.”

After finishing last season 14-8 and one game short of a trip to state, Ottawa returned this year expecting to be top contender, both in the Frontier League and in 4A. 
 

But even the Cyclones could not be fully prepared for how strong they would start this season. Ottawa has pushed their record to 17-0 heading into the final stretch of Frontier League games.

The Cyclones next game is likely this biggest game left in the regular season as they head to Baldwin on Feb. 21. Ottawa pulled away late in a 61-52 home win over the Bulldogs on Jan. 14. Baldwin currently sits at 15-2, with the team’s only other loss being against Topeka Hayden in the final of the Baldwin Invitational.

The team’s 17 wins are already tied for the most by this program since finishing 17-5 in 2016-17. Both of those marks are the second most during McCullough’s tenure as head coach behind only the team’s 21-4 season in 2014-15.

Of course, the Cyclones likely have their eyes set on matching the team’s best season ever. Ottawa won its second state title in 2012-13 with a perfect 25-0 record, which gives that group a slight edge of the 1971 squad that brought home the program’s first state title as the Cyclones sported a 19-6 record as 3A champs that year.

With that perfect season, then-head coach Jon McKowen accepted a job in the offseason to coach Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, returning to his home state.

Most players on this team did get a little bit of a crash course in having one of the best seasons in recent history. 

Seven members of this year’s roster, including rotational players McCullough, McGrath, Mourning, and junior guard Haydon Hull, are also members of the Ottawa football team which started the year 3-0 on the way to the team’s best record in almost a decade.

The Hepner twins and senior guard Cayden Turner were also key players on the Ottawa boys soccer team which won a regional championship in the fall and finished the season with a 12-4-2 record.

“I’ve got a bunch of those kids,” Clifton McCullough said. “They get into situations like (playing a close game against Baldwin) and they don’t get rattled. They’re just so even keeled.

“That’s what you get from having that kind of confidence from football and going deep in the playoffs in soccer.”

In addition to preventing his players from getting rattled, McCullough said that type of experience adds one more thing to his squad.

“They see what could have been and they can see what’s in front of them right here,” McCullough said. “I think it’s really good motivation for them.”

 
GALENA POWERS THROUGH TONY DUBRAY CLASSIC, MOVE TO 18-0 ON SEASON

Galena won the Tony Dubray Classic after last year’s runner-up finish ended multiple years of dominance at this tournament in Liberal, Missouri.

“We have a great group of seniors this year,” said Matt Meyr, Galena head coach. “But each and every game we seem to have a different couple of starters that really step up and contribute. The kids have really played hard and taken a huge step from where they were as Juniors last year.”

The Bulldogs earned a 43-32 victory over Pierce City (Mo.) in the championship game after rolling in the team’s first two tournament outings. Galena defeated Sheldon (Mo.) 82-26 before earning a 74-46 win over Northeast Vernon County (Mo.) in the semifinals.

Senior guard Jack Perry led the team in scoring in the finals. Perry scored 16 while senior guard Linkin Kimberling finished with 12 points.

In the semifinals, Perry broke the school record for single-game points by scoring 44 against Northeast Vernon County. The previous record, held by Mike Gibson, stood since 1980. Perry hit 10 3-pointers, which also broke the school record, as well as the tournament record for a single game.

The next week, Perry would reach 1,000 points scored in his career.

Perry earned tournament MVP honors while Kimberling joined him on the all-tournament team.

Galena has moved to 18-0 on the season with just a couple CNC games left on their schedule. The Bulldogs will have a road back-to-back facing Cherokee Southeast on Feb. 20 and Columbus on Feb. 21.
 

BISHOP WARD WINS MCLOUTH INVITATIONAL FOR 3RD STRAIGHT YEAR

For the third straight season, Bishop Ward took care of business during its annual outing at the McLouth Invitational.

Bishop Ward head coach Kevin Walterbach described this year’s tournament run as more hard fought battle than in years past, with the team securing each of the games by single digits.

“We had three close games to make the run and were able to successfully close out each game and improved as a team tremendously over the course of the week,” Walterbach said.

In a rematch of last year’s championship game in this tournament, Bishop Ward earned a 53-46 win over Horton. The Cyclones had won last year’s final by 22 points over Horton.

Senior forward Tyler Holmes delivered a stat line of 21 points, 11 rebounds and 8 steals. Sophomore guard Quintavion Pike added another 12 points, senior forward Gabe De La Torre had 9 points and junior guard Jailen Jefferson nearly finished with a double-double as he contributed 9 points and 8 rebounds.

Walterbach said Holmes played well in crunch, including with his high pressure defense that led to many of those takeaways he accumulated in the contest. Walterbach said the team needed that wire-to-wire effort from the team’s star player as the Cyclones entered the championship final shorthanded.

“Due to injury, we were playing the championship with a six-man rotation and most players played the entirety of the game,” Walterbach said. “Tremendous effort on their parts.”

Holmes was one rebound away from averaging a double-double throughout the tournament while also averaging more than 20 points per game.

In the semifinals against Maur Hill, senior guard Noah Jensen had four steals and three 3-pointers as he added 17 points to the 19-point, 10-rebound performance by Holmes. Pike joined them as double-digit scorers with his 11 points in the game as the Cyclones won 59-51.

Jensen, De La Torre and Jefferson each had 8 points in the team’s tournament opener against Riverside. Holmes led the team with 21 points and 8 rebounds as the team held on for a 54-51 win.

Holmes was a unanimous selection for the all-tournament team, while Noah Jensen also earned all-tournament team honors.

Walterbach described his squad as a “fun group” who are just now starting to realize their potential as a team this season.

“Led by a true talent in senior Tyler Holmes, who is a problem for other teams on offense and defense, everybody else was able to find their contributions in various ways to help the team make the tournament run and hope to utilize that experience as we push toward the end of the season,” Walterbach said.

Ward did have a tough stretch after this tournament, going 1-3 with each of those losses against Kaw Valley foes. But the Cyclones rebounded with two straight wins to move to 10-7 on the season.
 

BLUE VALLEY WINS JANUARY JAM TO END NEARLY DECADE-LONG DROUGHT IN MID-SEASON TOURNEYS

Blue Valley won the Valley Center January Jam for the first time, which also earned the team’s first mid-season tournament title in nearly a decade.

The Tigers rallied from a second-half deficit to earn a 59-50 win over Olathe Northwest in the tournament finals.

“We were not really controlling the paint as well as we could have with them scoring in the paint and beating us on the offensive and defensive boards,” Williams said. “We made some adjustments at halftime and did a much better job of defending in the second half and rebounding.”

Sophomore Brendan Walsh led the team with 16 points in the championship game. Walsh also corralled four rebounds and dished out two assists. Junior Enoch Rodriguez finished with 14 points, four rebounds and an assist while junior Parker Seithel had 9 points and 12 rebounds. Seniors Maguire Richman and Patrick Dennis added 8 points each, with Dennis also having a team-high five assists.

In the tournament semifinals, Seithel delivered a double-double performance as he led the team to a 51-38 victory over host Valley Center. Seithel finished 20 points and 13 rebounds, both team-highs. Walsh and Rodriguez both finished with 11 points. Walsh had a team-high six assists while Rodriguez tied senior Kyle Boggess for the team-high in rebounds with nine. Boggess also had 4 points.

Seithel also led the team in scoring in the tournament opener. He scored 22 points with 14 rebounds and five assists in a 74-70 win over Wichita Northwest. Rodriguez added another 12 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Boggess also had 12 points while Richman finished with 10. Walsh and Dennis contributed 8 points each. 

Seithel earned tournament MVP honors while Walsh and Rodriguez joined him on the all-tournament team.

Blue Valley’s last mid-season tournament title was in 2015-16 during Williams’ second year leading the Tigers. Williams took over the program after previously serving four years as an assistant coach at Blue Valley Northwest.

His team won the Bobcat Invitational that season, earning the championship game win over host Basehor-Linwood. The Bobacts had held a nearly two-year win streak in the regular season heading into that match-up. 

After the team finished 8-14 during Williams’ first season at the helm, Blue Valley rode that mid-season tournament win to a 14-6 record in the regular season. The Tigers were bumped off early in the postseason, losing their sub-state opener to Blue Valley North.

In 2016-17, the Tigers churned out a 16-5  record only to suffer the same fate by losing to the Mustangs in the sub-state finals. Harry Van Dyne and Tyler Geiman graduated that year after narrowly missing out on the chance to bring the Tigers back to state for the first time since 2004.

Blue Valley is now chasing the best record since the Tigers went 17-6 during that 2004 run to state.

The Tigers currently stand at 13-3 after earning a hard-fought 43-40 win over Blue Valley North on Feb. 14.

Sophomore Brendan Walsh leads the team in scoring as he averages 14.9 points per game to go along with 3.6 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals.

Junior Enoch Rodriguez is right behind him with 14.4 points per game while also averaging 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and just under a block. Junior Parker Seithel averages a double-double with 13.0 points and 10.1 rebounds while also delivering 1.4 assists.

Seniors Kyle Boggess, Maguire Richman and Patrick Dennis help round out the rotation. The trio has combined for another 15.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.3 steals, which includes Richman trailing Walsh by just two steals for the team lead in that category.

Following the January Jam win, Williams said he was impressed with how much his players were playing unselfish basketball in recent weeks.

“But we have really been committed to our defensive game plan and the energy we are playing with on the defensive end has flowed into our offense,” Williams said. “I need to give a shoutout to our bench as well. They were the ones that brought the energy and positive attitude to those games and helped us when facing adversity in all three (tournament) games.”

Blue Valley started the year 3-3 before winning 10 straight. With a tough schedule the rest of the way, Williams gave a simple key for the team to keep its momentum going.

“We have to make sure we stay committed to us and stay true to ourselves moving forward,” Williams said.

ALTOONA-MIDWAY REPEATS AS MILBURN APT TOURNEY CHAMPS ON HOME COURT

Altoona-Midway protected its home court in the Milburn Apt Tournament for the second straight season.

The Jets clinched the championship in their own mid-season tournament with a 63-48 win in the finals over Liberty Homeschool Alliance.

Altoona outscored Liberty by five in each of the opening quarters, followed by a back-and-forth third quarter to send the Jets into the final frame with a 45-33 advantage. They pushed the lead to 20 before coasting to the 15-point victory.

Altoona-Midway head coach Dave Vance said the team he saw on the court during this tournament was the one he envisioned heading into this season.

“The boys played well again tonight,” Vance said. “That’s three good games in a row. Hopefully we can keep the string going. We played solid defense and managed to rebound enough to keep Liberty pretty much at arm’s length all night.”

Senior guard Williams Stackhouse led the team in scoring with exactly 27 points in all three games. In the final, he also had 14 rebounds, 8 steals and 6 assists. Stackhouse combined the last of those stats on a highlight-reel worthy play late in the game. As he started to fall out of bounds while making a steal near the sideline, Stackhouse instinctively fired a behind-the-back pass down the court to senior forward Joey Lamendola for a fastbreak layup.

Lamendola ended up finishing with 10 points in the game. Senior guard Kieran Foster and freshman forward Chance Carter both finished with 7 points, while Foster also had a team-high five assists. Junior guard Kage Beck and sophomore forward Taj Chism contributed another 5 points each. Beck also finished with seven rebounds.

“Our defense came up with a lot of turnovers which led to fastbreaks. As a result, we shot 62 percent from the field, and we only attempted nine three-pointers (making three), which was a plus,” Vance said.

Stackhouse leads the team in scoring this season with 18.3 points per game while also averaging 11.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists as well 6.1 steals and 1.9 blocks. Stackhouse also reached the 1,000-point milestone following a 20-point performance in the team's 61-23 win over Souther Coffey County on Feb. 13.

Foster joins Stackhouse as a double-digit scorer with his 10.7 PPG to go along with averages of 3.7 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals. Beck and Lamendola are both averaging 6.6 points while combining for 10.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game.

Vance said the key will be for his team to keep building on the team’s performance in the mid-season tournament. While he likes the direction his team is headed, he also sees plenty of areas he’d like them to improve on before the postseason arrives.

“We have to keep working,” Vance said. “We need to keep improving every play of every game.”

The Jets ended up losing four of their next six games, but they turned things around with back-to-back wins heading into their regular season finale against Chetopa on Feb. 21. Altoona currently holds a 10-9 record.
 

BLUE VALLEY WEST UPSETS TOP 3 SEEDS TO WIN MCPHERSON INVITATIONAL

Blue Valley West won the McPherson Invitational with a 54-47 win over the host Bullpups in the tournament’s championship game.

Senior guard Brandon Kirk scored a team-high 15 points in the championship game as he hit 3 of 6 on 3-pointers and knocked down all four of his free-throw attempts. Senior guard Luke Goodale, who is tasked on defense with locking down the opponent’s best guard, had his best offensive outing of the tournament during the finals, adding another 12 points as he hit four 3-pointers. Senior center Tyler Peterson finished with 11 rebounds and 2 points.

The Jaguars controlled the action for most of the game as they built up a double-digit lead heading into the fourth quarter. But McPherson went on a 12-0 run to take a 1-point lead with less than three minutes to go.

With the pressure on, the Jaguars responded with their own 8-0 run to power their way to victory. During that stretch, senior guard Luke Goodale made a behind the back pass to senior center Tyler Peterson, who elevated to throw down a two-handed slam just before the shot clock expired.

Blue Valley West head coach Ryan Hintz was impressed with his players’ poise down the stretch in response to their blown lead.

“A lot of teams have folded in that situation in the Roundhouse, but our guys stayed strong and closed the game out on an 8-0 run to get the win,” Hintz said.

Hintz also appreciated that his team kept its cool following a flagrant foul by McPherson late in the game, as well as his Jaguars knocking down the subsequent free throws to put the game away.

Blue Valley West entered the tournament as the seventh seed, meaning the team had to defeat the top three seeds on its way to the tournament title.

The Jaguars started with an upset of No. 2 seed Hutchinson. They held the Salthawks scoreless in the first quarter in a 53-42 victory. Blue Valley West delivered a similarly impressive quarter of defense, holding St. James Academy to just 5 points in the second quarter of a 57-46 victory.

“Each game we got up 10-15 points and then teams would fight back and make it interesting in the fourth before pulling away at the end,” Hintz said.

Kirk led the team in scoring in each game despite playing a sixth-man role for the team. His coach likened his role to one like that of the NBA’s Jamal Crawford, who is known for high-volume shooting leading the second unit in games. Kirk also finished a perfect 12 of 12 from the charity stripe during the tournament.

Peterson led the tournament in rebounds as he averaged 10.0 rebounds across the three games, with close to half of those getting pulled down on the offensive end of the floor.

Kirk, Peterson and junior guard Cade Wysong earned all-tournament team honors. Hintz described Wysong and junior guard Max Orr as “swiss army knives” who do a little bit of everything for the Jaguars.

The Jaguars earned the title in this tournament for the second time after previously winning it in 2012.

Hintz said the team’s performance in this tournament served as a big confidence boost for his squad.

“In early January, we were 2-5 after playing a challenging early season schedule, but the guys stuck together and showed great resiliency,” Hintz said. “Our quote heading into the road trip was ‘You don’t be a team, you become a team.’ The time on and off the court has brought us closer together.”

With the team ultimately stringing together a seven-game win streak heading into February, Hintz felt the team put itself in a better position to navigate a tough stretch of EKL play heading into the postseason.

After losing a pair of games against Blue Valley and St. James Academy, the team’s 63-60 win over Blue Valley Northwest on Feb. 14 pushed the team’s record to 10-7 with three games left in the regular season.
 

CHANUTE WIN RALPH MILLER CLASSIC, CLINCHING HOME TOURNEY TITLE FOR 1ST TIME SINCE 2006

Chanute won its 53rd Annual Ralph Miller boys basketball tournament, allowing the team to celebrate a mid-season title on its homecourt for the first time since 2006.

The Comets needed to survive a close battle in the tourney opener, but they powered through the rest of the way with two double-digit victories, including a 63-53 win over Campus in the championship game.

After trading off on who led the team in scoring during the team’s first two tournament games, senior guard Elliot Stephenson and junior guard Kris Harding tied for the team-high in scoring in the championship game with 17 points a piece. Harding added 8 assists and 7 rebounds to his stat line while Stephenson finished with 3 rebounds and an assist.

In the semifinals, Chanute earned a 62-51 win over Sunrise Christian Academy. Harding led thet way with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists while Stephenson had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Although his team started the tournament with a closer final score, Chanute head coach Devon Crabtree pointed to this match-up as the toughest test for his team.

“We were down 7 at halftime and came out and played really well during the second half to get a big win,” Crabtree said. “Defensively we were really good and rebounded very well against a team that was much bigger than us.”

During the tournament opener, the Comets held on for a 46-43 win over Coffeyville Field Kindley.

Stephenson led the team in scoring for that one as he finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds. Harding was not too far behind with 13 points while also leading the team in rebounds with eight.

After starting the season 0-2, Chanute has won 15 straight games since. The Comets will finish off the regular season with three more SEK league games, starting with it’s third battle with Field Kindley. Before their tournament faceoff, Chanute earned a 38-33 win over the Golden Tornado on Jan. 14.

Chanute head coach Devon Crabtree said part of the reason for the team’s success is their well-rounded roster featuring a strong mix of strong upperclassmen and younger players

“Our depth has played a big role in our success at this point in the season as well,” Crabtree said. “Everyone knows their role and are doing the best job that they can in those roles.” 

Crabtree said that winning this tournament, particularly with a nearly two-decade gap between the program’s last time winning it, gave the team a lot of momentum going forward.

“Our kids believe in themselves and found ways to win each game,” Crabtree said.
 

MILL VALLEY HOLDS OFF FAMILIAR FOE TO WIN SPRING HILL INVITATIONAL

Mill Valley won the Spring Hill Invitational as the Jaguars held on for a 62-57 win in the championship game over Sunflower League foe Olathe South.

Mill Valley head coach Kurtis Bangle said winning this tournament was one of the team’s key goals during the regular season.

“It is great for our guys to understand and build on these smaller goals for our big goals later on this season,” Bangle said. “We were able to see so many of our players get varsity experience at this tournament, which is huge for our development.”

The championship game was a rematch from a game two weeks before this tournament. In that game, Mill Valley rolled to a 78-62 victory over the Falcons. The Jaguars had a much tougher time in this one as they faced foul trouble throughout the game.

Mill Valley senior forward Carter Kaifes led the team in scoring in the tournament finals with 17 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. That’s with Kaifes exiting the game early as he fouled out with two minutes to go. Junior guard Reece Riedel added 13 points and 5 rebounds while junior guard JaKhai Carter finished with 11 points and 3 assists.

“It was great seeing our team manage adversity and close out the win against a talented team,” Bangle said.

The Jaguars rolled in the first two games of the tournament. They earned a 91-33 victory over JC Harmon before moving past Spring Hill with a 65-37 win in the semifinals.

Against Harmon, Kaifes led the team with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 6 steals in just 11 minutes of playing time before the team turned to the bench to maintain the big lead the rest of the way. The team’s 91 points set the school record for scoring in a game, while also tying the team record for assists in a game with 25. 

Junior guard Jack Carpenter and senior forward Thatcher Ivey took advantage of the extra opportunities. Carpenter contributed 12 points and 5 assists while Ivey finished with 10 points. The team’s 91 points set the school record for scoring in a game, while also tying the team record for assists in a game with 25. 

Riedel led the team in scoring against Spring Hill in the semifinals. Riedel scored 19 points and had 5 rebounds. Kaifes finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Carter had 13 points and five assists.

Mill Valley previously won this tournament in 2023, before opting to play in the Saints Classic last year.

Kaifes leads the team this season with 20.5 points per game while also averaging 9.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.0 blocks. Junior guard Reece Riedel is right behind him in scoring with 18.7 points per game, in addition to his 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per outing. Junior guard Ja’Khai Carter’s stat line reads 14.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 0.8 steals.

Bangle said the team has worked hard to find success despite roster turnover forcing many players to take on new identities and roles this year.

“Some new guys have had to step up into much bigger roles and things are starting to fall into place within our team,” Bangle said. “We are excited for the second half of our season and continuing to challenge both for a Sunflower League championship as well as a state championship.”

Mill Valley reached a seven-game win streak before losing to Olathe Northwest 58-53 on Feb. 11 at home. The Jaguars rebounded with a 83-66 road win over Shawnee Mission East three days later to move to 13-3 on the season.
 

EUDORA AVENGES EARLY LOSS TO ATCHISON WITH 29-POINT VICTORY OVER PHOENIX IN TONGANOXIE INVITATIONAL FINAL

Eudora won the Tonganoxie Invitational as the Cardinals defeated Atchison 69-40 in the championship game.

The championship game was a rematch from earlier in the season, which Atchison won 47-39 at home. During this neutral site battle, Eudora got off to a hot start by scoring 21 points in the first quarter and never really slowed down on the way to a 29-point victory.

“I would say it was probably the best we have looked offensively all year,” said Tyler Cleveland, Eudora head coach. 

Sophomore Ryan Osburn led the team in scoring in the finals with 20 points, Senior Errol Siemon tied freshmen Cash Schneider and Sy Thomas for 11 points each in the final.

“Defensively we tried to keep the more athletic Atchison team in front, and then really tried to keep them off the glass,” Cleveland said. “It was a great team effort on both ends of the floor.”

Eudora squeaked out close wins in the first two games of the tournament. The Cardinals beat Metro Academy 54-50 before holding on for a 53-51 win over Bonner Springs in the semifinals.

Against Metro Academy, Thomas hit five 3-pointers as he led the team in scoring with 19 points.

In the semifinals against Bonner Springs, Eudora earned a win against a team that had defeated the Cardinals twice before this season. Bonner Springs won 61-55 on Dec. 17 before winning 65-51 on Jan. 17.

What the Cardinals weren’t able to correct with a month between games they were able to fix in a week before their third try in this series.

Osburn led the team in scoring with 14 while Schneider added another 11 points. Seniors Micaiah Jerome and Connor Watson stepped up for the team in this one, contributing 9 points and 7 points respectively.

Cleveland described this season as being up and down for his squad so far.

“We are playing a lot of young guys that are learning, but also we have a great group of upperclassmen that have been amazing as far as leadership has gone,” Cleveland said. “Getting everyone on the same page has been a struggle at times, but when we figure it out we can be a really dangerous team.”

Eudora won two of its next three games, but is currently looking to end a four game losing streak as the team sits a 7-9 on the season.
 

OLATHE NORTH WINS 3RD STRAIGHT ORANGE & BLACK CLASSIC

Olathe North won the Orange and Black Classic out in Colby for the third straight season.

The Eagles took down Hays 63-39 in the championship game. They rolled Ulysses in the tournament opener with a 81-31 win before defeating Goodland 68-58 in the semifinals.

Cam Love earned tournament MVP honors. Love was joined on the all-tournament team by Sam Simmons, Jr. and Jaalan Watson, who had won the tourney MVP in the two previous trips to Colby.