LARNED —The Larned boys captured third place at the Keady Basketball Classic Saturday as they defeated rival Hoisington 63-47.
It was a game that was noted for a 17 point run by the Indians that began late in the first quarter and into the second quarter. It brought Larned (3-1) from an 11-8 deficit to a 25-11 lead they would not relinquish.
Thomas Harmon came off the bench to lead the Indians in scoring with 18 points while Brock Skelton added 12 and DaMontay Philips seven.
“I was happy with our defensive effort but we are still way too inconsistent on offense,” said Larned coach Larned coach Jerrod Smith. “We’ve got to know when we can run and when it is best to pull back and run our offense. Hoisington is a very young ball club that is going to just get better.”
The pesky Cardinals made several second-half runs at the Indians but were never to get the deficit under seven points. Both ball clubs had the opportunity to expand their scoring from the charity stripe but both struggled there. Hoisington was 14 of 23 from the free throw line and Larned was 13 of 26.
Larned fashioned a 20-11 first quarter lead and 39-29 at halftime. Thomas Harmon came off of the bench to spark Larned with seven points in its 17-0 run. A strong rebounding advantage by the Indians held off most Hoisington comeback attempts.
The loss left Hoisington with a 1-3 record and fourth place in the Keady Basketball Classic.
The Cardinals were led in scoring by freshman Ryan Woydziak’s 10 points. He received support from two other freshmen, Mason Haxton with eight and Drew Nicholson with seven.