MANHATTAN – “Take it to him,” shouted the Olpe fan.
Sure enough, the Olpe Eagles took the basketball right at St. John-Hudson’s 6-foot-8 Dean Wade and the results were predictable – two blocks, several altered shots and missed opportunities.
Four-time state champion St. John (24-0) secured its spot in the Class 2A championship game with a hard-fought 57-47 semifinal victory over Olpe. The Tigers played Plainville in Saturday’s Class 2A state championship game.
Olpe’s boys have made 11 trips to the state tournament without a state championship.
The Tigers had to battle for every point as a physical Eagle defense defended Wade and kept after the Tigers’ perimeter shooters. Wade finished with 15 points and three assists. Jorge Calleros gave the Tigers a huge lift with 14 points and several hustle plays.
“Jorge played great,” said St. John coach Clint Kinnamon. “He ran the floor and got to Olpe’s shooters.”
St. John shot 43 percent from the field on 20 of 46 field goals and converted 4 of 14 3-pointers. Kade Kinnamon chipped in nine points.
Kinnamon said the Eagles played a physical style of defense that slowed St. John’s offense.
“Olpe is a great basketball team – give them all the credit,” he said. “That was one of the best teams we’ve seen all season.”
The Eagles grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and dominated the boards 45-27, but they didn’t take full advantage on second-chance points. Brady Scheidegger scored 13 points and Joe Redeker netted 11 points. Olpe shot 35 percent on 17 of 48 field goals and made 7 of 17 free throws.
“We didn’t block them off the glass,” Kinnamon said. “Chance Stout and Joe Redeker are talented athletes. It was a physical game and our kids had to play through things.”
St. John led 23-20 at halftime. Jorge Calleros scored nine second-half points and Zuriel Reyes scored seven second-half points to spark the Tigers. Five different Tigers scored early in the second half for a 32-23 lead. The Tigers built the lead to 50-37 when Calleros scored five straight points, all on assists by Wade.
“Our goal from the start of the season was to get back to the state championship game,” Kinnamon said. “Every kid on this team has played in their backyard thinking about playing for a state championship.”
Clint Kinnamon was a freshman when St. John captured its 1982 state title. The Tigers captured the Class 1A-Division I state championship last year at Emporia. But the Tigers’ other three basketball championships in 1974, 1982 and 2007, came in Class 2A. The Tigers were Class 2A state runner-up in 2008.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Class 2A State Tournament

BOYS

Friday

At Manhattan
Bramlage Coliseum

Semifinals

ST. JOHN-HUDSON 57, OLPE 47
Olpe                   10  10   9   18 – 47
St. John              9   14  15  19 – 57
OLPE (21-3)
Joe Redeker 5-10 1-1 13; Brady Scheidegger 5-10 1-1 11; Toby Smith 4-15 1-3 10; Chance Stout 1-3 1-4 3; Beau Krueger 3-9 2-4 8; Zachary Nuessen 0-0 1-2 1; Chase Coble 0-0 1-2 1; Totals 17-48 7-17 47.
SJ (24-0)
Dean Wade 4-10 6-6 15; Jorge Calleros 6-8 1-2 14; Kade Kinnamon 3-8 2-2 9; Zuriel Reyes 3-11 1-2 7; Cole Kinnamon 1-2 2-4 5; Jesus Alvarez 2-5 1-2 5; Jacob Milton 0-0 0-0 0; Gerardo Calleros 0-0 0-0 0; Alexis Valenzuela 0-0 0-0 0; Nathan Ward 0-0 0-0 0; Triston Long 0-0 0-0 0; Trey Nelson 1-2 0-0 2; Totals 20-46 13-18 57.  
Three-point goals—Olpe 6-23 (Scheidegger 3-7, Smith 1-9, Redeker 2-5, Krueger 0-2); SJ 4-14 (C. Kinnamon 1-2, Wade 1-2, K. Kinnamon 1-3, Calleros 1-3, Reyes 0-3, Nelson 0-1). Rebounds—Olpe 45 (Stout 10), SJ 27 (Alvarez 6). Assists—Olpe 4 (Smith 2) SJ 6 (Wade 3). Turnovers—Olpe 18, SJ 11. Steals—Olpe 7 (Krueger 2); SJ 10 (K. Kinnamon 3, Alvarez 3). Fouls—Olpe 15, SJ 16.