Morgan Grippin has had a busy winter as head coach of Argonia’s girls and boys basketball teams.
 
The experienced Raider girls did their part to ease their coach’s South Central Border League tournament week.
 
Led by returning all-league senior Tori Morrison and sophomore Lindsay Coleman, top-seeded Argonia won its first SCBL tournament title since 2021 with a 51-23 victory over Flinthills on Friday at Cowley Community College in Arkansas City. It was the third double-digit tournament victory for Argonia, which added a win Tuesday over Norwich to improve to 12-2.
 
“This tournament was the first goal on our list of goals,” said Grippin, who also guided Argonia’s boys to a fifth-place finish. “Winning this tournament was a chance for us to continue to get better as a team and to gain confidence as we approach postseason play.”
 
Since splitting their first four games of the season, Argonia, which finished 14-8 a year ago, has been on a roll. The Raiders have yielded an average of 21.1 points during a 10-game winning streak they’ll take into Friday’s league game at Oxford.
 
“As a new coach to the team, it has been amazing to see their progress and their understanding of what I am asking of them,” Grippin said. “Very coachable girls who gain confidence each week, and I am excited to see what they can accomplish as the season continues.”
 
Argonia’s tournament run included a 41-16 quarterfinal victory over Sedan in which Morrison and Lindsay Coleman each scored 15 points. Morrison added 10 rebounds and nine steals, while Coleman had six assists.
 
The Raiders’ closest battle came in the semifinals, a 42-31 victory over South Haven. Lindsay Coleman had 12 points, Morrison and Kara Jones each had 11, and Autumn Coleman contributed eight points, six rebounds and six assists.
 
Lindsay Coleman had a big game for Argonia in the final, scoring 20 points to go with five assists and five steals. Morrison added 11 points, eight rebounds and five steals.
 
“The championship game was a game where we were able to use our defense to establish the pace of play and help us get into an offensive flow,” Grippin said. “We were able to move the ball and shoot the ball well to win the championship.”
 

MARION REPEATS IN FINAL CENTRE COUGAR CLASSIC

Marion’s girls might be a little sad to see the Centre Cougar Classic go.
 
A year after Warriors coach Jason Hett earned his 100^th career victory as Marion won the tournament, the Warriors defended their title last week with a 40-35 victory over Goessel. Junior Dylan Kraus scored 20 points to lead Marion, which avenged a December overtime loss to the Bluebirds to claim the championship.
 
“We knew going into the game with Goessel it was going to be a grind-it-out kind of game,” said Hett, whose team won the final Cougar Classic and added a victory over Ell-Saline on Tuesday to improve to 9-6. “We lost to them in the second game of the season, so we were excited to get to see them again.
 
“Dylan came out early and set the tone for us with her activity on both ends of the floor. She was in attack mode from the tip.”
 
The Warriors were limited to two tournament games after their quarterfinal opponent, Wakefield, forfeited due to illness that left the Bombers without enough players. Marion reached the final with a 51-42 victory over Rural Vista as junior Kate Wessel scored 17 points and Kraus added 16.
 
Much like the 48-44 loss to Goessel on Dec. 5, the rematch came down to the wire.
 
“We had some girls step up for us and hit some big shots late in the game to keep our lead at two possessions,” Hett said. “We knew Goessel was not going to go away easily as they are well coached and play hard for 32 minutes. We handled the ball late and made plays down the stretch that win you games.”
 
After a 1-4 start, Marion continued to build momentum for the homestretch.
 
“I was very proud of our group this past week,” Hett said. “We had some adversity thrown at us, but they handled it well and played to our identity all week long. This is a close-knit group that continues to get better and works hard each day and has been very coachable, which makes my job so enjoyable.”
 

SECOND-HALF SURGE SENDS WICHITA EAST TO SALINA INVITATIONAL TITLE

Wichita East turned to a different player to carry its offense in each of its Salina Invitational games.
 
The Blue Aces’ defensive effort was a group project.
 
After a close contest with Class 4A No. 2 Wamego in the first half, the Aces ramped up their defense in the second half and pulled away for a 69-46 victory in Monday’s weather-delayed championship.
 
Sophomore Ty’Leeah Lucas provided the offensive spark in the final, hitting 6 of 9 3-pointers and finishing with 25 points.
 
“Winning the tournament was huge to us,” said East coach Willie Davis, who will take his 12-3 team on the road Friday to face unbeaten and Class 1A Division I No. 1 Little River. “We set a few milestones for the team and that was the first one we set, and we came out and accomplished it.”
 
A newcomer to the Salina Invitational, East breezed into the title game with a 76-23 victory over Abilene, followed by a 59-22 semifinal win over Salina South. Tournament MVP Quinacy Galbert scored 20 points in the tournament opener, while five other Aces each scored eight points.
 
Freshman Jada Davis led the way in the semifinals, scoring 16 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
 
Lucas, who joined Galbert and Davis on the all-tournament team, was too much for Wamego in the title game. She helped the Aces stretch their margin and hand the top-seeded Red Raiders their second loss in 15 games this season.
 
Davis was pleased with East’s unselfishness throughout the tournament.
 
“Another big thing was we averaged 17 assists per game in the three games,”Davis said. “We are sharing the ball and playing great team defense.”
 

 
MEDICINE LODGE WINS FIRST 54 CLASSIC TITLE
 
Led by tournament MVP Emery Shinliver and fellow junior Aubrey Miltner’s fast start in the tournament finale, Medicine Lodge won its first 54 Classic girls title with a 51-38 victory over Norwich in Friday’s championship at Cunningham.
 
Shinliver led the Indians to decisive victories over South Barber and Stafford in the first two games, scoring 22 and 13 points, respectively. In the final, Miltner scored 15 of her game-high 22 points in the first quarter as Medicine Lodge took control.
 
Shinliver was named to the all-tournament team along with senior Claire Cunningham, who tallied 22 points, 19 rebounds, 15 assists and 11 steals in the tournament.
 
Medicine Lodge yielded just 84 points the entire tournament, defeating South Barber 67-26 and Stafford 62-20.
 
“We were relentless on the defensive side of the ball,” Medicine Lodge coach Josh Inslee said. “We created many turnovers that led to transition points.”
 
While Shinliver scored 44 points in the tournament and Miltner added 39, junior Emmy Gerdes reached double figures in two games and finished with 37. The three tournament victories came on the heels of a 58-39 loss to Garden Plain, improving the Indians’ record to 11-3.


OTHER GIRLS TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS

• Eureka got 31 points from Brenna Rucker in the championship game and defeated Crest 65-33 to win Iola’s War on 54 title. The Tornadoes improved to 11-0, also defeating Anderson County 43-24 and Humboldt 55-32 en route to the title. Rucker was a first-team all-tournament selection, while teammates Elliana Coulter and Britta Mongeau were chosen to the second team.
• Berean Academy defeated Bennington 44-34 in overtime to win its Eli J. Walter Invitational. The Warriors also defeated Wichita Classical 52-35 and Hutchinson Central Christian 35-28 to improve to 9-4.