All or nothing

5:30 p.m. UPDATE

The state qualifiers are officially set and the consolation semis were a little more kind to area wrestlers.

OF the 18 area wrestlers in consolation semifinal matches, 10 came away victorious and are headed to the state tournament in Columbia next weekend.

Winners were Lee's Summit's Jesse Morris at 125 picking up a pin; Tiger John Williams pinned West's Andrew Niehaus at 135; Tiger sophomore Josh Aguilar won by at pin at 145; Bronco Drake Duckworth won by tech fall at 152; Titan Jake Logsdon won by major decision over Lee's Summit's Chris Lattner at 160; Bronco Nathan Warman at 152 and Tiger Josh Howard at 171 both won by pin; Ben Poeschl was a victor for West at 171 by major decision; Tiger Steven Kingsolver pulled out a 2-1 win and Titan senior Tyler Dennis won by pin at 215.

Morris and Kingsolver had the two most exciting matches of the round. Morris picked up a pin with just 30 seconds left in the match up 5-3, while Kingsolver got a takedown late in the third period down 1-0 and was able to hold his opponent off for the win.

The wins were extra special for Aguilar, Warman, Kingsolver and Dennis who all qualified for the first time.

Aguilar said the feeling was "indescribable" about going to state for the first time, while Dennis said he's "never felt this good in life." For Warman, who's in his first full season as a senior with any major injuries, said he felt "greatful" to qualify after seeing injuries ruin previous seasons.

Here's how the qualifying breaks down from each school:

Lee's Summit (8) - Jesse Morris, Spencer Courier, John Williams, Josh Aguilar, Justain Bruce, Josh Howard, Steven Kingsolver and Dylan Case.
Lee's Summit West (4) - Jake Logsdon, Ben Poeschl, Tyler Dennis and Evan Boehm
Lee's Summit North (3) - Drake Duckworth, Nathan Warman and Brian Snyder

That's all for today. Thanks for checking in and look for final places tomorrow, along with a story and photos in Wednesday's Lee's Summit Journal!

3:00 p.m. UPDATE

We've come to the most important round in district wrestling, the consolation semifinals. Winners earn a berth to state, losers go home.

From the last part of the previous round, things were much better for area teams.

Lee's Summit John Williams, Alex Swart, Josh Aguilar, Chris Lattner and Sean Williams all picked up wins in the wrestleback rounds to keep their state hopes alive.

From Lee's Summit West, Tyler Dennis won at 215 with a pin to move on as well.

Two more wrestlers qualified for state, with Lee's Summit North's Brian Snyder defeating Lee's Summit's Steven Kingsolver 5-2. West's Evan Boehm won by forfeit to earn a spot in the finals.

Tiger senior Dylan Case picked up a hard-fought win at 215 in the semis, a 3-2 decision over Charles Hucke of Liberty, to make the finals as well.

Lee's Summit's Josh Howard lost in the semis at 171, sliding him down into the consolation semis for his shot at a state berth.

This will be the most exciting round of matches where the wrestlers hard work over the season will have to come through. It's all or nothing time. Win or go home. I'll have full results of the consolation semis once the round is over!

District Wrestling Update

The semis and third round wrestlebacks haven't been particularly kind to area wrestlers thus far.

We're currently at the 160 semis and 135 wrestlebacks.

Moving on at this point is Gunnar Duckworth from LSN, advancing to the consolation semis and a shot at state. Also winning his third round wrestleback match was Will Thomas from LSN.

Thomas had one of the more exciting matches, getting a takedown at the buzzer for an 8-7 to keep his season and state hopes alive.

Lee's Summit's Spencer Courier punched his ticket to state with a hard-fought 9-5 decision over A.J. Gassman of Rockhurst, who came in with just one loss.

Justin Bruce just punched his ticket to state as well with a tech fall win at 160 pounds, advancing to the finals.

Also keeping their season alive was West's Matt Lemanowicz at 130 and Lee's Summit's John Williams at 135. They are now one match from state.

A few wrestlers lost semifinal matches, placing themselves in the consolation semis next round for a chance at state.

Jesse Morris at 125 lost a tough 6-2 match, while both Chad Homand and Andrew Niehaus fell at 135 to drop to the consolation semis, needing a win there to advance to state. Also losing in the semis was Jordan Knox at 140, Drake Duckworth at 145, Jake Logsdon at 152 who was up 5-1 before getting put on his back and pinned, and Nathan Warman at 152 as well. Josh Howard just fell at 171 in the semis as well.

Lee's Summit Alex Swartz just earned a pin at 140 to advance to the consolation semifinals.

Just like at last weekends LSW Tournament, West's Ben Poeschl and Winnetonka's Dan Capp are in overtime in the semifinals. This match has actually just reached triple overtime and ... Capp just earned an escape for the 2-1 win. Tough loss for Poeschl but he'll still have a chance at state in the next round.

Check back soon for full results of the current round!

District Wrestling

We're coming to you live from Lee's Summit High School for district wrestling!

We're currently in the semifinal and third round wrestleback round of the tournament. If a wrestler is in the semifinals, a win puts him in the finals and into the state tournament. A loss puts them in the consolation semis, which they must win to advance to state.

All wrestlers in the third-round wrestleback side of the bracket must win their next two matches to advance to state.

Here are the remaining area wrestlers left and where they stand:

112 - LSN, Gunnar Duckworth, third round wrestlebacks

119 - LSN, Austin Watts, third round wrestlebacks

125 - LS, Jesse Morris, semifinals
LSN, Will Thomas, third round wrestlebacks

130 - LS, Spencer Courier, semifinals
LSN, Spencer Riffe, third round wrestlebacks
LSW, Matt Lemanowicz, third round wrestlebacks

135 - LSN, Chad Homan, semifinals
LSW, Andrew Niehaus, semifinals
LS, John Williams, third round wrestlebacks

140 - LSW, Jordan Knox, semifinals
LS, Alex Swartz, third round wrestlebacks

145 - LSN, Drake Duckworth, semifinals
LS, Josh Aguilar, third round wrestlebacks

152 - LSW, Jake Logsdon, semifinals
LSN, Nathan Warman, semifinals
LS, Chris Lattner, third round wrestlebacks

160 - LS, Justin Bruce, semifinals
LSW, Andrew Bestgen, third round wrestlebacks

171 - LS, Josh Howard, semifinals
LSW, Ben Poeschl, semifinals

189 - LSN, Brian Snyder, semifinals
LS, Steven Kingsolver, semifinals

215 - LS, Dylan Case, semifinals
LSW, Tyler Dennis, third round wrestlebacks

285 - LSW, Evan Boehm, semifinals
LS, Sean Williams, third round wrestlebacks

Continue to check the blog to see who advances into the next round and eventually state!

Basketball District Seeding Breakdown

The boys and girls basketball district seeds came out Wednesday and there are some good first round games, along with the potential for some great semifinal matchups.

Here are the boys seeds:

No. 1 seed - Lee's Summit North
No. 2 - Lee's Summit
No. 3 - Blue Springs South
No. 4 - Sedalia Smith-Cotton
No. 5 - Lee's Summit West
No. 6 - Blue Springs

First round byes: Lee's Summit North and Lee's Summit

First round games: Blue Springs South vs. Blue Springs
Sedalia Smith-Cotton vs. Lee's Summit West

Blue Springs South has already defeated its cross-town rival Blue Springs once this season, with ease, but the Wildcats have shown some positives signs as of late, defeated Lee's Summit West tonight and taking Hickman Mills to double overtime before losing on Tuesday. South has been an up and down team this season, evident by their 10-11 record, but they are a dangerous three-seed when they come to play.

Not a lot is known about Smith-Cotton, so it's tough to tell what kind of team the Titans will see. Their toughest competition has been a pair of games with Class 4 state ranked O'Hara - both 15-point losses - and just a three-point defeat to Class 5 state ranked Columbia Rock Bridge.

A couple of potential semifinal games are very interesting. Blue Springs South has already defeated Lee's Summit once this season, while the first Lee's Summit North-Lee's Summit West game was a battle. I can only imagine the intensity being cranked up a couple notches for districts.

As for the girls, here are the seeds:

No. 1 seed - Blue Springs
No. 2 - Lee's Summit
No. 3 - Lee's Summit North
No. 4 - Blue Springs South
No. 5 - Lee's Summit West
No. 6 - Sedalia Smith-Cotton

First round byes: Blue Springs and Lee's Summit

First round games: Lee's Summit North vs. Sedalia Smith-Cotton
Blue Springs South vs. Lee's Summit West

I think both of these first round games are intriguing. Once again, not a lot is known about Smith-Cotton, but they sit at 15-7 - same record as the Broncos - but against much easier competition. But you never can sleep on a No. 6 seed, especially one with 15 wins.

South and West are two very similar teams in that you never know who's going to show up. The one thing the Titans have going is that they are starting to hit their stride a bit. After a very slow start they are almost back to .500, sitting at 11-12 after a win over Raytown tonight. If the Titans start to put things together, they'll be a dangerous five seed and could give Blue Springs all they could handle in the semis.

A Lee's Summit North win would set up a cross-torwn clash with Lee's Summit in the semis, which would give the Broncos a chance at revenge on the Tigers who have beat them twice this season. And with both teams so evenly matched, it's hard to give one team much of an edge.

While districts is still a little over a week away, there should be some exciting games. Lee's Summit North has to be considered the favorite in a very competitive boys bracket with two wins over South and winning two of three over Lee's Summit. Same goes for Blue Springs in the girls division. They've beat every other team in the bracket except for Smith-Cotton who they haven't played.

But when it comes to playoff basketball, you never know what to expect. All it takes is one team to get hot.

Check back Saturday as I follow along live at with district wrestling at Lee's Summit High School!

Things got interesting

Well, it took a little more than three quarters but Tuesday night's game between Lee's Summit North and Lee's Summit finally had some drama.

The Broncos had things under control early in the fourth leading 42-31 before the Tigers finally started to show some life, most notably senior guard Sean Green.

Green was superb in the fourth quarter scoring 10 of his 21 points and twice cutting the Bronco lead to two with baskets. Tigers head coach Keith Miller said Green was the key in the fourth as he finally got the rest of the team to play aggressive with him.

But in the end this game was about the Broncos' effort and ability to get in the paint. It seemed as if North had a little more energy and effort most of the game, something even Miller noticed. As for their ability to get the ball in the paint, whether it was with an entry pass or penetration, the Broncos seemed to have found their calling.

Hilbert said after the game that his team isn't the kind of team that should rely on shooting from the perimeter. While they can knock down a three every once in a while, there game is getting in the paint with guys like BJ Dunbar and PJ Lewis, along with post players David Kravish, Chase Salazar and Anthony Eller doing damage on the block.

This was the second straight game the Broncos had taken single digit shot attempts outside the lane and it's no coincidence they were both wins.

One thing's for sure, after three meetings between these teams - two of them North wins - it's pretty obvious there isn't a lot separating the two. A fourth battle in the conference title game would be pretty entertaining. Of course, Lee's Summit West, Blue Springs South, Blue Springs and Sedalia Smith-Cotton will have a say in whether that happens again or not.

Broncos hang on

Lee's Summit made things interesting, coming back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to get within two on three different occasions, but the Broncos made enough free throws down the stretch for a 55-48 win.

Check back later for a final wrap-up of the game!

Broncos starting to take control

Lee's Summit North is proving they can play at any pace.

They have taken a 39-29 lead heading into the fourth in what was a more up and down quarter.

The Tigers started to hit some shots, knocking down three three-pointers, but the Broncos always had an answer. North hit a couple outside shots in the third, but still are ruling the paint with tips in and offensive rebounds.

Halftime update

Defenses continue to rule at the moment with the Broncos holding a 21-16 advantage.

The pace of the game picked up quite a bit in the second quarter, with the Broncos able to get out in transition at times for layups. And they continue to live in the lane, still yet to hit a shot outside of five feet, which is just fine with head coach Mike Hilbert. They did the same thing in a 10-point win at Liberty last Friday.

The Tigers continue to struggle from the field, although a lot of that can be contributed to the Bronco defense. North is doing a good job of challenging shots and even threw in a 3-2 zone at times to slow the Tigers down.

Lee's Summit is currently just 6 of 22 from the field. North isn't allowing penetration easily, and when the Tigers do have a chance to get in the lane, 6-foot-8 David Kravish is altering shots and getting blocks.

Neither team is playing all that bad at this point, but I expect the level of play to pick up quite a bit in the second half. If the Broncos are able to extend the lead in the third quarter, it could be tough for the Tigers to come back, although definitely not out of the question with their ability to shoot from long range.

For the most part, Lee's Summit is doing a good job being patient and running their offense, they've just go to start hitting a few more shots. Another 6 for 22 half and they're in trouble.

Kenny Berry is leading the Broncos with six points, while the Tigers are led by Sean Green with six as well.

LSN-LS first quarter update

After a slow start both teams got things going a bit, with the Tigers leading 10-9.

The Broncos had some turnover problems to start the game, committing three straight to start the game. While they finished the quarter 4 of 9 from the field, they had five turnovers.

Meanwhile, the Tigers were very patient on offense and took care of the ball but had trouble converting. They turned it over just once, but were 4 of 13 from the field.

Both teams are living in the paint right now, with neither team having hit a jump shot.

Check back for more at halftime.

Lee's Summit vs Lee's Summit North boys basketball

Hello Journal followers! Sports editor Stephen Bubalo here coming to you live from the Lee's Summit North gymnasium for Tuesday night's cross-town game with Lee's Summit. Keep it here for updates on the game with stats and analysis.

If the first two meetings between the two teams is a sign of things to come tonight, we should be in for quite a game.

The Tigers won the first meeting with the Broncos taking the second in the title game of the Culver's Classic. Both games have come down to one possession.

The Broncos have been playing their best basketball of the season as of late, while the Tigers picked up two easy wins last week after falling at Blue Springs South.

North got a big lift from center Chase Salazar in Friday's win at Liberty, and they'll need him to continue that strong play. As for the Tigers, they will look to win the same way they have all season, as a team. Tip-off is on the way!