Timing is everything, the saying goes, and Kapaun Mt. Carmel coach Steve Eck believed his undefeated Crusaders benefited from a three-week extension before they faced off with fellow unbeaten Wichita Collegiate on Monday.
 
The matchup of top-ranked teams – Kapaun in Class 5A and Collegiate in 3A – was originally scheduled for Jan. 24 as the championship game of El Dorado’s Bluestem Classic. But the midseason tournament’s final day was wiped out by inclement winter weather.
 
Still wanting to play, the schools rescheduled as part of a doubleheader with El Dorado and Wichita Trinity – the Bluestem’s fifth-place matchup – at Friends University’s Garvey Center in Wichita. A packed house watch Kapaun withstand a third-quarter charge from Collegiate and pull away late for a 79-55 victory.
 
“I knew it was going to be a good atmosphere,” said Eck, whose team improved to 20-0 and stretched a winning streak to 37 games dating back to last season. “That’s why we scheduled that like we did.
 
“I don’t think we could have beaten them that Saturday night because we had the flu. We’ve been practicing with seven guys out over the last three weeks.”
 
Missing only two players from its regular rotation, Kapaun flexed its versatility and size advantage. The Crusaders never trailed, building a 23-12 lead in the first quarter and keeping it in double digits most of the way.
 
Collegiate, which lost for the first time under first-year coach Nate Schmitt, pulled within five at 52-47 late in the third quarter. But Kapaun freshman Braylon Jones scored five straight points to help squash the threat.
 
“We’ve been looking forward to this,” said Kapaun junior Blaise Dalian, whose 20 points complemented senior teammate Rocco Keller’s team-high 22. “It was probably our best competition this season. It was a good challenge to face some adversity and fight through it.”
 
Dalian and Keller are returning starters for the Crusaders along with senior Jude Porter, who added 13 points and provided strong defense against Collegiate. Jones, at 6-foot-5, helped Kapaun exploit its height advantage, finishing with 10 points.
 
Collegiate faded late amid a 16-0 run by Kapaun that stretched its advantage to 26 points. But Schmitt, whose team got 24 points from senior Sebastian Hines-Turner, was convinced the Spartans’ takeaways would be beneficial for the season’s homestretch.
 
The Spartans put the lessons to use less than 24 hours later, defeating El Dorado 80-40 to improve to 19-1 in a game in which Hines-Turner surpassed 1,000 career points.
 
“We played hard and competed and never quit,” Schmitt said. “In a coach’s eyes, against a team like that, you always know you’re going to struggle with some things. But when you’re beating everybody else by 15, 20 or 30 points, a 17-year-old kid isn’t going to listen to that.
 
“That was what we learned about this game. We’ve got to rebound better, we’ve got to be stronger and tougher. But I’m very proud of my kids fof the way we fought back and showed resiliency, though.”
 
Kapaun, bidding for its third consecutive 5A title, will first try to clear the remaining hurdles toward an unbeaten regular season and Greater Wichita Athletic League title. The Crusaders travel to Wichita Northwest on Friday before returning home for a two-game homestand that begins with Wichita Heights on Tuesday.
 
Heights provided Kapaun with its closest battle this season, with the Crusaders winning 54-53 in overtime on Jan. 13.
 
“We’ve got to get back in the league frame of mind,” Eck said. “I told my guys Collegiate is a very, very good basketball team. At the end of the game, we wanted to make them good, not very good. God gave us some talent and the guys use that to the best of their abilities.”
 
OTHER SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS BASKETBALL STANDOUTS

• Moundridge avenged a triple-overtime loss to Hesston in late January with a 50-49 victory over the Swathers on Monday in Hesston. Heath Churchill scored 17 points and Easton Shahan added for Moundridge, which trailed 40-35 after three quarters. The Wildcats, No. 3 in Class 2A, added a 54-25 victory over Hutchinson Trinity on Thursday to improve to 18-3.
• Oxford senior Kellen Green followed up a 41-point effort in a win over Sedan earlier this month with a career-high 44 points in the Wildcats’ 88-42 victory over West Elk last Friday. Green’s point total was second most in Oxford program history, behind Bryce Mayes’ 50 points against Elk Valley in 2009.
• Wichita East junior Luke Henderson scored a career-high 40 points to boost the Blue Aces to a 71-66 double-overtime victory over Wichita Heights last Friday. Henderson hit seven 3-pointers to help East end a three-game losing streak. The Aces are 13-7 after a 56-22 win over Wichita North on Tuesday.
• Valley Center’s Preston Looney made four 3-pointers and scored 18 points in the Hornets’ 59-41 victory over Andover Central on Thursday. Evan Chavez added 14 for Valley Center, which improved to 8-12.
• Cherryvale freshman Remington John scored 39 points in the Chargers’ 69-56 victory over Fredonia on Tuesday. John added five assists and four steals.
• Erie junior Nick Haviland scored 24 points and added seven rebounds and seven steals in the Red Devils’ 73-55 victory over Liberty Homeschool Alliance on Thursday.