ST. JOHN — A year after finishing as Class 1A Division-I state runners-up, the St. John-Hudson High School girls’ basketball team secured a return trip.
The Lady Tigers, who are No. 3 in the final Kansas Basketball Coaches Association poll, stomped Victoria in a sub-state tournament championship game on Saturday night 58-24.
“We won, and we made it to the state tournament,” St. John head coach Danny Smith said. “That’s the main thing.”
Building a massive 38-13 lead at halftime, St. John scored 19 points in each of the first two quarters.
“(Victoria) came out in a zone defense, which is different from the last time we played them,” Smith said. “We hit five 3s in the first quarter. That kind of makes you come out of your zone a little bit.
“Then we just built on that lead.”
Senior guard Jamie Waters led the Lady Tigers with 18 points, the only St. John player in double figures. She also finished with a team-leading eight rebounds.
“Our seniors did help a lot, and not just in the scoring column,” Smith said. “Jamie and Morgan (Osborne) guarded their two best players and really did a fantastic job. They forced some turnovers and things.”
Osborne and Alexis Witt added eight points for the Lady Tigers (20-2).
Teresa Christie scored seven points.
Last season, the Lady Tigers finished 23-3 after a 55-45 loss to Hoxie in the state championship game.
“We’re back, and really, I’m happy for our seniors,” Smith said. “It’s their last shot at it, and they’ve been working really hard.
“We’re in for some good competition. We have to be ready, and I feel like we’re up to it.”
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Class 1A Division-I
Sub-State Tournament
GIRLS
Saturday
At St. John
Championship
St. John 58, Victoria 24
VICTORIA (11-11)
Huser 4-13 0-0 9, Schmidt 0-4 0-0 0, Nowak 4-6 1-2 9, Broyles 0-1 1-2 1, Dome 1-4 0-0 3, A. Crawford 0-0 2-2 2, M. Crawford 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 9-28 4-6 24.
ST. JOHN (20-2)
Tia Smith 0-3 0-0 0, Jessica Hanson 2-4 1-2 7, Marsena Irvine 1-1 0-0 2, Morgan Osborne 3-10 0-2 8, Jamie Waters 6-13 3-4 18, Maddy Lippoldt 2-5 1-2 6, Alexis Witt 4-7 0-0 8, Bre Towers 0-2 0-0 0, Brandi Hanson 1-2 0-0 2, Teresa Christie 3-4 1-2 7, Bella Haskins 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-52 6-12 58.
Victoria 4 9 9 2 — 24
St. John 19 19 16 4 — 58
Three-point goals — Victoria 9-28 (Huser 1-5, Dome, 1-3, Schmidt 0-4); St. John 8-24 (Waters 3-8, Osborne 2-6, J. Hanson 2-3, Lippoldt 1-3, Smith 0-3, B. Hanson 0-1). Total fouls — St. John 13, Victoria 12.
Tigers eliminate Mustangs in sub-state championship
ST. JOHN — For the St. John Tigers, it’s usually their fast-paced transition offense that leaves opponents in the dust.
Not so much against Stafford County rival Macksville in a Class 1A Division-I sub-state championship game on Saturday night.
It was the defense of No. 1-ranked Tigers that helped boost them to a state tournament berth with a 51-35 win.
“Defensively, we were really good tonight,” St. John head coach Clint Kinnamon said. “We held them to 25 percent shooting. We played with out fouling them. We were moving our feet. We contested their shots. I was happy with our defense.”
As the No. 1 seed, St. John (21-1) was the favorite heading into the tournament.
“It’s a relief, honestly,” Kinnamon said. “When you’re the favorite, everyone expects you to win. Then playing Macksville again.
“You know how everyone says it’s really hard to beat someone three times. It’s really, really hard to beat someone four times.”
St. John’s two post players led the way, with Spencer Nusser scoring a team-leading 15 points. He grabbed nine rebounds.
Dean Wade, St. John’s 6-foot-8 sophomore, scored 13 points and reeled in a game-high 14 rebounds for a double-double.
“Those two individuals are just really good inside,” Kinnamon said. “Dean with his length, and Spencer using his size, they are both solid in the middle for us.”
Macksville was led by Tanner Tranbarger, who finished with 17 points.
Jordan Welch added 12 points for the Mustangs (14-8).
The Tigers out rebounded Macksville 45-24.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Class 1A Division-I
Sub-State Tournament
BOYS
Saturday
At St. John
Championship
St. John 51, Macksville 35
MACKSVILLE (14-8)
Tanner Tranbarger 6-189 5-6 17, Hugo Flores 0-2 0-0 0, Adolfo Ibarra 2-9 0-0 4, Clayton Wood 0-1 0-1 0, Jordan Welch 4-15 2-3 12, Simon Miller 1-6 0-0 2, Billy Burnett 0-0 0-0 0, Peter Penner 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 13-53 7-10 35.
ST. JOHN (21-1)
Kade Kinnamon 2-3 0-0 6, Omar Ramirez 2-3 1-2 6, Francisco Calleros 0 0-0 0, Spencer Nusser 5-13 4-5 15, Ethan Long 2-6 0-0 4, Dean Wade 3-6 7-16 13, Zuriel Reyes 1-5 4-5 7. Totals 15-36 16-28 51.
Macksville 4 14 8 9 — 35
St. John 11 15 13 12 — 51
Three-point goals — St. John 5-16 (Kinnamon 2-3, Ramirez 1-2, Nusser 1-3, Reyes 1-5, Long 0-2, Wade 0-1); Macksville 2-18 (Welch 2-9, Tranbarger 0-6, Miller 0-2, Ibarra 0-1). Total fouls — Macksville 23, St. John 15. Fouled out — Macksville (Tranbarger, Ibarra, Miller); St. John (Kinnamon).
— Kevin Price
