WICHITA – The first shot was expected, anticipated and almost predictable. The second shot was an improvised, resourceful act of desperation.
 
Kapaun Mt. Carmel dodged them both. And the Crusaders’ reward is the opportunity to play for their third consecutive Class 5A boys basketball title.
 
On the verge of being down for the count late in the third quarter, the Seaman Vikings clawed and scratched their way back into their 5A state semifinal against Kapaun on Thursday at Koch Arena. But when junior Jack Becker’s off-balance baseline heave caromed off the back of the rim, the Crusaders held on for a 54-52 victory.
 
Kapaun, which improved to 27-0, will face Bonner Springs in Saturday’s championship game. The Crusaders got 18 points from junior Cole Rapp and a key block from Rapp’s classmate, Blaise Dalian, to extend their winning streak to 44 games dating back to last season.
 
The 6-foot-4 Dalian denied Seaman standout KaeVon Bonner on his drive to the basket in the closing seconds. Becker then corralled the bouncing ball and, with Rapp defending him tightly, launched a fadeaway with his left foot in the air and his right foot behind the 3-point line.
 

 Becker’s shot was remarkably on-target given the chaos of the moment. But it was a bit strong, and the rebound landed in Kapaun junior Rocco Keller’s hands as the remaining time disappeared.
 
“I knew he was going to shoot it,” Dalian said of Bonner, who scored a game-high 27 points. “I helped off my man and just let instincts take over.
 
“I thought time was over and then I saw the other shot go up. I didn’t even think it was a possibility. It almost went in, but thank goodness it didn’t.”
 
It was an unlikely scenario after Dalian hit a 3-pointer to put the Crusaders up 40-22 with 2:19 to play in the third quarter.
 
Top-seeded Kapaun had reached that point with good outside shooting from Rapp, who finished with four 3-pointers after going scoreless in the Crusaders’ 53-38 quarterfinal victory over Shawnee Heights on Tuesday. Kapaun combined that with its aggressive man-to-man defense, guarding Bonner with a rotation of several players.
 
While Bonner ultimately surpassed the 24 points he scored in the Vikings’ quarterfinal win over Maize South, he also committed nine turnovers amid Kapaun’s on-ball hounding.
 
“We come into every game knowing each team wants to beat us for the name on our chest,” Rapp said. “No one necessarily likes Kapaun. That’s just how it is, so we come in knowing they want to beat us, so we have to answer that.”
 
Seaman, which fell to 22-5, certainly brought the fight. After making just four field goals and trailing 25-15 at halftime, the Vikings warmed up by hitting four 3-pointers – three in the final quarter. Seaman also hit 19 of 22 free throws, with Bonner a perfect 13 of 13.
 
“We gave the fans their money’s worth in the second half,” said Seaman coach Craig Cox, whose team will face fellow United Kansas Conference member Topeka West for the third time this season in Saturday’s third-place game. “We were a little disappointed with how things went in the first half.
 
“They dominated the boards and got some easy runouts on us. I just thought we did a much better job in the second half, and to mount that kind of comeback really shows the character of our kids.”
 
Kapaun, which defeated Wichita Heights 54-53 in overtime in its closest game of the season, got 12 points from Keller. And a definite scare from Bonner, Becker and the rest of the Vikings.
 
“It was a little up and down,” Rapp said. “Coach (Steve Eck) always tells us you’ve got to stay steady, but you can’t always stop it when it goes like that.
 
“He just chucked it over his head and I was like, ‘There’s no way,’” Rapp said. “And then I looked up and it was on line and I was like, ‘Oh, no.’ When it hit back iron, I lost it.”
 

BONNER SPRINGS 76, TOPEKA WEST 61 – Winning 26 of 27 games doesn’t just happen by accident. That continued to be evident Thursday in Bonner Springs’ case as it kept an athletic Topeka West team at arm’s length throughout its semifinal victory.
 
Breaking out to a 19-8 first-quarter lead, the Braves’ advantage remained in double digits for most of the rest of the game as Bonner Springs advanced to the 5A championship game for the first time since winning its lone title in 1984.
 
Senior Kelan Gruver scored 32 points and dished out eight assists, and sophomore Jaiden Jones added 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting for the Braves, who delivered another strong state tournament performance on the heels of their 68-49 victory over Kansas City Washington in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
 
Bonner Springs duplicated its 25-of-40 shooting performance from that game and had 16 assists on 25 field goals. The Braves also scored 19 points off 13 Topeka West turnovers.
 
“We’ve been taught all year and even last year that to win against the good teams, you have to play together,” said Gruver, who was 10 of 15 from the field, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range. “When we play together, that makes us really hard to beat.”
 
Topeka West (23-4) arrived with the momentum of a double-overtime quarterfinal victory over Piper on Tuesday in Emporia. And while the Chargers got 21 points from 6-foot-6 junior Prince Lassiter and 15 from senior Gad Munganga, they never got closer than eight points after trailing 37-25 at halftime.
 
Lassiter’s follow shot with 1:00 remaining in the third quarter made it 50-42, the third time in the period Topeka West pulled within eight. But Jones answered with a layup, and Gruver added a 3-point play in the final second of the quarter to stretch Bonner Springs’ lead to 55-43.
 
The run continued into the fourth, with Gruver sinking a 3-pointer from the right wing with 4:07 to play that gave the Braves their largest lead at 66-45.
 
“You’ve got to credit the guys,” said Drew Gruver, Bonner Springs’ second-year coach and Kelan’s father. “They don’t care who gets the credit. They just want to win basketball games and they do whatever needs to be done to win.
 
“We’ve got some nice weapons. We’ve got multiple guys who can make plays and do things. We’ve had different guys step up at different times throughout the season, and it makes us tough to play against because we do share the ball and play a team-type style.”
 
Gruver has preached the team concept to the Braves since arriving from Chapman two years ago. Bonner Springs went 18-5 last season and earned its first state berth in six years, building momentum for what has taken place this winter.
 
On Saturday, the Braves will have a chance to join the 1984 team, which was led by All-State player Hughes Suffren and coached by the late Carl Taylor, in Bonner Springs’ championship lore.
 
“I know the guys on that team are pulling for us,” Gruver said. “The whole town of Bonner is proud. We brought two or three buses down today. We’ve got a great group called the Orange Crush, and they travel to road games. They’re driving home tonight and hopefully they’ll come back for Saturday.
 
“It’s a great opportunity for our team, and a great opportunity for our town and our school.”


CLASS 5A BOYS SEMIFINALS
 
KAPAUN MT. CARMEL 54, SEAMAN 52
 
Seaman … 9 … 6 … 13 … 24 … – … 52
Kapaun Mt. Carmel … 11 … 14 … 17 … 12 … – … 54
 
Seaman (22-5) – Wiltz 1-3 2-2 4, McConnaughey 0-2 2-2 2, Zuniga 5-10 0-0 13, Brian 1-2 1-3 3, Bonner 6-17 13-13 27, Esser 0-1 0-0 0, Scholes 0-1 1-2 1, Becker 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 14-39 19-22 52.
 
Kapaun Mt. Carmel (27-0) – Maingu 2-3 0-0 4, Porter 3-8 1-2 8, Keller 3-6 6-10 12, Rapp 6-14 2-3 18, Dalian 2-4 2-2 8, Jones 1-1 0-2 3, Cary 0-3 0-0 0, Gooch 0-2 1-2 1, Stuhlsatz 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-42 12-21 54.
 
3-point goals – Seaman 5-16 (Zuniga 3-5, Bonner 2-7, Esser 0-1, Becker 0-1, Wiltz 0-2); Kapaun Mt. Carmel 8-24 (Rapp 4-9, Dalian 2-4, Jones 1-1, Porter 1-5, Keller 0-1, Gooch 0-1, Cary 0-3). Rebounds – Seaman 22 (Zuniga 6); Kapaun Mt. Carmel 33 (Maingu, Keller 9). Assists – Seaman 6 (McConnaughey, Bonner 2); Kapaun Mt. Carmel 12 (Dalian 4). Turnovers – Seaman 14, Kapaun Mt. Carmel 13. Total fouls – Seaman 20, Kapaun Mt. Carmel 21. Fouled out – Seaman: McConnaughey, Brian; Kapaun Mt. Carmel: Porter. Technicals – Kapaun Mt. Carmel: Keller, Dalian. 
 
BONNER SPRINGS 76, TOPEKA WEST 61
 
Topeka West … 8 … 17 … 18 … 18 … – … 61
Bonner Springs … 19 … 18 … 18 … 21 … – … 76
 
Topeka West (23-4) – Munganga 4-6 4-5 15, Traylor 3-7 1-2 7, Duncan 3-4 0-1 7, Paul 3-9 0-0 6, Lassiter 9-13 3-3 21, Philips 0-2 1-4 1, Ware 1-2 2-5 4, Doby 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-44 11-20 61.
 
Bonner Springs (26-1) – Donnell 0-0 2-4 2, Jones 9-10 1-2 20, Ferrell 4-10 9-12 17, Jones II 2-4 1-3 5, Gruver 10-15 8-10 32, Cruse 0-0 0-0 0, Nez 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-40 21-31 76.
 
3-point goals – Topeka West 4-12 (Munganga 3-5, Duncan 1-2, Taylor 0-1, Phillips 0-1, Paul 0-3); Bonner Springs 5-16 (Gruver 4-8, Jones 1-1, Nez 0-1, Jones II 0-2, Ferrell 0-4). Rebounds – Topeka West 22 (Lassiter 7); Bonner Springs 24 (Jones, Gruver 5). Assists – Topeka West 11 (Paul 4); Bonner Springs 16 (Gruver 8). Turnovers – Topeka West 13, Bonner Springs 10. Total fouls – Topeka West 26, Bonner Springs 17. Fouled out – Topeka West: Traylor, Lassiter.