HUTCHINSON—The Larned Indians started their comeback about 15 seconds too late here Thursday evening and were edged, 49-48, in 3A State Tournament action by Perry-LeCompton.
The Indians had fallen behind the Kaws by 9 points with only 1:04 left in the game when they began their rally. Spurred by two baskets by Brayden Rupp and a three-pointer by Chance Sanger, Larned had rallied to trail by only 4 with 8 seconds remaining when they again created a t urnover to gain possession. Chance Sanger then drained a long 3-pointer over the hands of two defenders as the clock ticked 4, then 3, then 2 and then — the buzzer!
Larned had used all of their timeouts in the second half and could not stop the clock and Perry-LeCompton’s guards wisely simply held the ball, standing out of bounds, as the final seconds ticked away dampening the enthusiastic Larned crowd.
It was a game that was highlighted by the contrasting styles of the two teams. Perry LeCompton put a team on the floor that focused on getting the ball into the paint for easy shots by their big men. The Kaws featured a distinct advantage in size as they offered 6’6”, 6’5”, 6’5”, 6’4” and 6’3”. With no starter taller than 6’0”, the Indians relied on quickness and a ballhawking defense along with 3-point shooting.
Larned struggled with their shooting throughout the game as they hovered around the 33% mark in all four quarters. Larned coach Jerrod Smith said, “Well, it played out pretty much how we had thought. They were big and dominated us inside. We were quick and caused them turnover problems. We created 16 turnovers but our poor shooting prevented us from taking even more advantage of that.”
The two teams battled to a 24-24 standoff at halftime but Perry-LeCompton carved a 39-32 edge at the end of the third stanza on the inside play of 6’5” Connor Anderson and 6’3” Colton Mallonee. Early in the fourth quarter they had extended that lead to 11 before Larned began whittling into the margin. The Kaws, using their size advantage, outscored Larned 30-20 in the paint but Larned countered by winning the points off of turnovers battle, 17-6.
Coach Smith stated, “Wow! I am so proud of this bunch of guys. We just ran out of time, barely, but what heart they play with. All year, when things aren’t going their way, they just keep going, keep trying. We’ve pulled out a lot of close ones. Just not this time though but I am super proud and super happy with these guys.”
Third-seeded Perry-LeCompton made 20 of 39 shots for 51.3%. They converted 6 of 13 free throws to improve to 21-2. Connor Anderson led the balanced scoring with 13 points while Colton Mallonee added 12 and Connor Morgison 8. The Kaws move into semifinal action on Friday against Beloit.
Larned struggled from the field and finished 19 of 56 for just 33.9 %. They made 4 of 6 free throws. Chance Sanger led the scoring parade with 16 points while Brayden Rupp added 13 and Dillan smith 6. Larned finishes their season at 17-7 in their first trip to the State Tournament in 25 years.
LARNED (17-7)—Sanger 6-19 1-2 16, Rupp 6-14 0-0 13, Thomas 0-1 0-0 0, Perez 2-8 1-2 6, Smith 2-8 2-2 6, Skelton 2-3 0-0 5, Fletcher 1-3 0-0 3, Totals 19-56 4-6 48
PERRY-LECOMPTON (21-2)—Stone 2-3 0-0 6, Morgison 3-4 1-3 8, Williams 2-3 2-4 6, Mallonee 6-10 0-2 12, Anderson 5-10 3-4 13, Farmer 2-9 0-0 4, Totals 20-39 6-13 49
3-pointers—L 6-14 (Sanger 3-7, Skelton 1-1, Fletcher 1-1, Rupp 1-5); PL 3-9 (Stone 2-2, Morgison 1-2, Williams 0-1, Farmer 0-1, Anderson 0-1, Mallonee 0-2: Rebounds—L 27 (Sanger 6, Perez 6); PL 33 (Anderson 13); Assists—L 8 Sanger 2, Perez 2, Smith 2, Rupp 2); PL 11 (Anderson 4); Steals—L 8 (Sanger 3, Skelton 3); PL 4.
