We're back from Mizzou Arena for the final day of state wrestling.
Five area wrestlers wrapped up their season in the third and fifth place matches, finishing with two wins and three losses.
Lee's Summit senior Spencer Courier was able to overcome a couple injuries to his knee during the second period that stopped the action to pick up a 9-2 decision over Blue Sprigs South's Austin Eads.
Courier opened things up in the second period, extending his lead from 2-0 to 6-0 with an escape, a takedown and a misconduct point from Eads, which was a result of the injury to Courier's knee.
This was a great way for Courier to finish up his career. After taking fifth last season, Courier was probably the second best wrestler at 130 pounds, but his surprising loss in the district finals last weekend to Park Hill's Russell Coleman put him on the same side of the bracket as top-ranked Terrell Wilbourn.
Also winning today was Lee's Summit's Dylan Case. He was locked in a chess match with Blue Springs' Donnie Horner and scored a takedown late in the third period to go up 3-1. He held on for the 3-2 win.
"I was setting up shots earlier in the match and he was playing good defense," Case said afterward. "I knew if I tried to shoot I had to go 100 percent. I saw a windown and I went for it."
It was great to see Case go home with a state medal after a promising junior year that saw him go 0-2 at state last season.
Lee's Summit West's Jake Logsdon and Evan Boehm each took fourth.
Logsdon was locked in a tough match with Ft. Zumwalt West's Trevor Weist, who came in ranked No. 2. With the score tied at 1 in the third period, Weist got a takedown and let Logsdon back up to make it 3-2, but the West senior could never get the final takedown for the lead.
"When he was up 3-2 I could tell he just wanted to hand fight," Logsdon said, "so it was hard to get control."
Boehm had a rubber match with Ray-Pec's Andrew Mueller, and after the way the first two matches went, many were expecting another tight battle.
Well, it was that way for about a period and half until Mueller got a takedown and put Boehm on his back for the pin, putting a sudden end to the match.
Lee's Summit's Josh Howard was the other local wrestler remaining at 171. He lost a heartbreaker to Winnetonka's Dan Capp. Howard held a 4-3 lead until Capp took one last shot at the end and got a takedown as time expired for the 5-4 win. Howard still had a fantastic tournament, coming one match from the finals.
For everyone but Boehm, even if they didn't finish with wins, it had to be a great way to finish their careers, medaling at state.
"To know I placed was the coolest feeling," Logsdon said of how he felt after guaranteeing himself a medal.
Said Case, "It definitely feels good to medal and to win my last match is even better. It nice to end on a good note."
And after four years of training and keeping his body in tip-top shape, Logsdon knows what he's doing tonight.
"I'm going to have a huge steak dinner," he said with a smile.
They've all definitely earned it.
Thanks to everyone who followed along and make sure to check back later for a few more comments from the wrestlers. Also, check Wednesday's Journal for a full story and photos.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Day one comes to a close
Day one complete
It's been an eventful day of wrestling here in Columbia at the state championships and after a little more than eight hours, day one has finally come to a close.
Two more wrestlers have punched their ticket into the top six and all state status, as West's Jake Logsdon picked up a pin at 152, while Lee's Summit's Dylan Case had a flair for the dramatic with a 3-1 overtime decision to advance.
Logsdon was in control of his match all the way before finally getting the pin in the second period and guaranteeing he'll place his senior season. Same goes for Case, who got a takedown with 12 seconds left in overtime for the win.
Logsdon and Case both showed some emotion after their wins. It was pretty obvious this meant a lot with it being their senior seasons.
The other two semifinal matches didn't go area wrestlers way either, as along with Couerier, teammate Josh Howard and West's Evan Boehm went down and will have to hope for third.
Howard hung tough early with second-ranked Andrew Early of Lafayette. He nearly got an escape in the second period to make it 2-1 but couldn't get away. Early went ahead 4-0 going into the third period and took control in the third for a 10-2 win.
Boehm was in a nip and tuck match with Blue Springs' Billy Everett. He got the first takedown but Everett immediately responded with a reversal to tie it at two. Everett would get an escape in the second period and was able to avoid a Boehm takedown in the third for a 3-2 decision.
Lee's Summit's Justin Bruce and Steven Kingsolver each suffered tough defeats to see their season come to an end. Bruce was in a scoreless match before getting put on his back and pinned in the second, while Kingsolver scored a takedown with less than 10 seconds in the match to tie the score at 5-all, but Lindbergh's Marcus Higginbottom scored two points at the buzzer for the 7-5 win.
Tiger head coach Don Graham didn't seem to agree with the two-point call that cost Kingsolver. It was clearly a bang-bang move with time expiring.
That leaves five area wrestlers as all state performers who will now look to place as high as third: Courier at 130, Logsdon at 152, Howard at 171, Case at 215 and Boehm at 285.
It should be another exciting day of wrestling tomorrow. Action gets started at 10 a.m., so make sure to check here to see how those five wrestlers finish their seasons!
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Two Lee's Summit wrestlers have gone into action during the final session of day one at the state wrestling tournament.
Jesse Morris was up first at 125, squaring off against Willie Essex of McLuer North. After a scoreless first period, Essex got a takedown, followed by a reversal from Morris to knot the score at 2-all going into the final period. With the score now tied at 4, Essex picked up another takedown with at 25 seconds left in the match, sealing the win.
Tough way for Morris to finish the season. He ran out of dramatic wins but he had a graet season. That's two straight seasons he's qualified for state, and by coming one match short of all state this season, his final two years are looking pretty good.
Spencer Courier wrestled his semifinal match aaginst undefeated Terrel Wilbourn, who showed by he was undefeated with a 12-4 win. It was only 2-0 after the first period but Wilbourn took control in the second to go ahead 8-2. Courier is an amazing wrestler, which gives you an idea of how good Wilbourn is. He should cruise to the title tomorrow, while Courier will hope for a third-place finish.
Plenty more Lee's Summit area wrestlers are in action soon, so check back to see how day one finishes!
It's been an eventful day of wrestling here in Columbia at the state championships and after a little more than eight hours, day one has finally come to a close.
Two more wrestlers have punched their ticket into the top six and all state status, as West's Jake Logsdon picked up a pin at 152, while Lee's Summit's Dylan Case had a flair for the dramatic with a 3-1 overtime decision to advance.
Logsdon was in control of his match all the way before finally getting the pin in the second period and guaranteeing he'll place his senior season. Same goes for Case, who got a takedown with 12 seconds left in overtime for the win.
Logsdon and Case both showed some emotion after their wins. It was pretty obvious this meant a lot with it being their senior seasons.
The other two semifinal matches didn't go area wrestlers way either, as along with Couerier, teammate Josh Howard and West's Evan Boehm went down and will have to hope for third.
Howard hung tough early with second-ranked Andrew Early of Lafayette. He nearly got an escape in the second period to make it 2-1 but couldn't get away. Early went ahead 4-0 going into the third period and took control in the third for a 10-2 win.
Boehm was in a nip and tuck match with Blue Springs' Billy Everett. He got the first takedown but Everett immediately responded with a reversal to tie it at two. Everett would get an escape in the second period and was able to avoid a Boehm takedown in the third for a 3-2 decision.
Lee's Summit's Justin Bruce and Steven Kingsolver each suffered tough defeats to see their season come to an end. Bruce was in a scoreless match before getting put on his back and pinned in the second, while Kingsolver scored a takedown with less than 10 seconds in the match to tie the score at 5-all, but Lindbergh's Marcus Higginbottom scored two points at the buzzer for the 7-5 win.
Tiger head coach Don Graham didn't seem to agree with the two-point call that cost Kingsolver. It was clearly a bang-bang move with time expiring.
That leaves five area wrestlers as all state performers who will now look to place as high as third: Courier at 130, Logsdon at 152, Howard at 171, Case at 215 and Boehm at 285.
It should be another exciting day of wrestling tomorrow. Action gets started at 10 a.m., so make sure to check here to see how those five wrestlers finish their seasons!
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Two Lee's Summit wrestlers have gone into action during the final session of day one at the state wrestling tournament.
Jesse Morris was up first at 125, squaring off against Willie Essex of McLuer North. After a scoreless first period, Essex got a takedown, followed by a reversal from Morris to knot the score at 2-all going into the final period. With the score now tied at 4, Essex picked up another takedown with at 25 seconds left in the match, sealing the win.
Tough way for Morris to finish the season. He ran out of dramatic wins but he had a graet season. That's two straight seasons he's qualified for state, and by coming one match short of all state this season, his final two years are looking pretty good.
Spencer Courier wrestled his semifinal match aaginst undefeated Terrel Wilbourn, who showed by he was undefeated with a 12-4 win. It was only 2-0 after the first period but Wilbourn took control in the second to go ahead 8-2. Courier is an amazing wrestler, which gives you an idea of how good Wilbourn is. He should cruise to the title tomorrow, while Courier will hope for a third-place finish.
Plenty more Lee's Summit area wrestlers are in action soon, so check back to see how day one finishes!
STATE WRESTLING UPDATE
Second round wrestlebacks
The second round wrestlebacks were a little kinder to area wrestlers, as several kept their seasons alive but not all were so lucky.
Jesse Morris was the first area wrestlers in the wrestlebacks and he had the most drama in his match. He led 5-4 to start the third, only to get five straight points scored on him to start the third period and get behind 9-5. After he was awarded a stall point, Morris made the most of his new-found life with an escape and takedown as time expired to send the match into overtime.
In overtime Morris didn't waste any time, scoring a quick takedown for the 11-9 win.
Also moving on was West's Jake Logsdon with a dominating 15-0 win, as well as Justin Bruce of Lee's Summnit with a 9-1 major decision. Bruce's teammates, Steven Kingsolver and Dylan Case, each picked up wins as well to keep their seasons going, Kingsolver by pin and Case by a 5-1 decision.
Lee's Summit North didn't have as much success with Nathan Warman, Drake Duckworth and Brian Snyder all seeing their seasons come to an end. Warman and Duckworth were both in close matches before getting pinned.
Semifinal matches and third round wrestlebacks are set to get underway around 6 p.m. All wrestlers in semifinal matches are already all state, while winners of third round wrestleback matches earned all state status with a win.
Here are wrestlers in semifinal matches:
130 - Spencer Courier vs. Terrel Wilbourn (Francis Howell Central) - The two faced off earlier in the season with Wilbourn - who's undefeated and ranked No. 1 - picking up a 3-2 decision. This shold be another classic with Courier wanting to get to the finals with this being his senior season.
171 - Josh Howard vs. Andrew Early (Lafayette)- Early is second-ranked so all the pressure is on him. Howard already has upset sixth-ranked Derick Sanders in the first round and kept that momentum going into the quarters.
285 - Evan Boehm vs. Billy Everett (Blue Springs) - This should be a dandy, with the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked wrestlers at heavyweight, respectively. It's hard to say who has the upper hand going into this one, so it should be good. A win probably puts Boehm in the finals against Ray-Pec's Andrew Mueller. Hopefully, he won't look ahead.
Wrestlers in wrestlebacks:
Lee's Summit - Jesse Morris, Justin Bruce, Steven Kingsolver and Dylan Case
Lee's Summit West - Jake Logsdon
These are big matches for all wrestlers, including Bruce, Case and Logsdon who are all seniors. Nothing would be sweeter for them then to finish their careers as all-state wrestlers.
More on the way after the upcoming round!
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QUARTERFINAL UPDATE
The quarterfinals have just wrapped up here at Mizzou Arena.
Area wrestlers finished the quarterfinal round 3-6, with Lee's Summit's Spencer Courier and Josh Howard, along with West's Evan Boehm advancing to the semifinals.
Howard got up early on SLUH's Peter Everson with some takedowns and took a 9-5 lead and was able to hang on for a 9-7 decision.
Boehm squared off against Parkway South's Donnell Walker of Parkway South, the eighth-ranked wrestler at 285 and earned a pin in the second period. He took a 2-0 lead with a takedown in the first period and after an escape and another takedown in the second, got Walker on his back for the pin.
Wrestlers that dropped to the second-round wrestlebacks, which are currently taking place, were Drake Duckworth (145) of North, Jake Logsdon (152) of West, Justin Bruce (160) of Lee's Summit, Steven Kingsolver (189) of Lee's Summit, Brian Snyder (189) of North and Dylan Case (215) of Lee's Summit.
Duckworth had his hands full with fourth-ranked Espen Conley of SLUH and lost by a tech fall. Logsdon was forced to face top-ranked Brandon Wilbourn and after hanging tough in the first period, lost by fall in the second.
Bruce lost the biggest heartbreaker of the quarters for area wrestlers, losing 2-1 to third-ranked Andrew Buffa of Francis Howell Central. Down 2-0 in the third, Bruce was able to get an escape but never could get the go-ahead takedown.
Kingsolver and Snyder were both in tight matches in the second period before getting put on their backs and pinned, while Case got as close as 6-3 with a takedown in the third against fourth-ranked Andrew Lazalier of Holt before Lazalier clinched the match with another takedown for an 8-3 decision.
All six wrestlers, along with Lee's Summit's Jesse Morris and North's Nathan Warman, will be in action shortly to keep their seasons alive.
Check back soon to see how they did and who's moving on!
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Stephen Bubalo coming to you live from the state wrestling tournament in Columbia!
The quarterfinals and second round wrestlebacks just got started about a half hour ago.
The one early result I have in is Lee's Summit's Spencer Courier advanced to the semifinals with a first-round pin over Jacob Cyr of Waynesville, the fourth-ranked wrestler in the state.
Keep it here for more updates soon!
The second round wrestlebacks were a little kinder to area wrestlers, as several kept their seasons alive but not all were so lucky.
Jesse Morris was the first area wrestlers in the wrestlebacks and he had the most drama in his match. He led 5-4 to start the third, only to get five straight points scored on him to start the third period and get behind 9-5. After he was awarded a stall point, Morris made the most of his new-found life with an escape and takedown as time expired to send the match into overtime.
In overtime Morris didn't waste any time, scoring a quick takedown for the 11-9 win.
Also moving on was West's Jake Logsdon with a dominating 15-0 win, as well as Justin Bruce of Lee's Summnit with a 9-1 major decision. Bruce's teammates, Steven Kingsolver and Dylan Case, each picked up wins as well to keep their seasons going, Kingsolver by pin and Case by a 5-1 decision.
Lee's Summit North didn't have as much success with Nathan Warman, Drake Duckworth and Brian Snyder all seeing their seasons come to an end. Warman and Duckworth were both in close matches before getting pinned.
Semifinal matches and third round wrestlebacks are set to get underway around 6 p.m. All wrestlers in semifinal matches are already all state, while winners of third round wrestleback matches earned all state status with a win.
Here are wrestlers in semifinal matches:
130 - Spencer Courier vs. Terrel Wilbourn (Francis Howell Central) - The two faced off earlier in the season with Wilbourn - who's undefeated and ranked No. 1 - picking up a 3-2 decision. This shold be another classic with Courier wanting to get to the finals with this being his senior season.
171 - Josh Howard vs. Andrew Early (Lafayette)- Early is second-ranked so all the pressure is on him. Howard already has upset sixth-ranked Derick Sanders in the first round and kept that momentum going into the quarters.
285 - Evan Boehm vs. Billy Everett (Blue Springs) - This should be a dandy, with the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked wrestlers at heavyweight, respectively. It's hard to say who has the upper hand going into this one, so it should be good. A win probably puts Boehm in the finals against Ray-Pec's Andrew Mueller. Hopefully, he won't look ahead.
Wrestlers in wrestlebacks:
Lee's Summit - Jesse Morris, Justin Bruce, Steven Kingsolver and Dylan Case
Lee's Summit West - Jake Logsdon
These are big matches for all wrestlers, including Bruce, Case and Logsdon who are all seniors. Nothing would be sweeter for them then to finish their careers as all-state wrestlers.
More on the way after the upcoming round!
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QUARTERFINAL UPDATE
The quarterfinals have just wrapped up here at Mizzou Arena.
Area wrestlers finished the quarterfinal round 3-6, with Lee's Summit's Spencer Courier and Josh Howard, along with West's Evan Boehm advancing to the semifinals.
Howard got up early on SLUH's Peter Everson with some takedowns and took a 9-5 lead and was able to hang on for a 9-7 decision.
Boehm squared off against Parkway South's Donnell Walker of Parkway South, the eighth-ranked wrestler at 285 and earned a pin in the second period. He took a 2-0 lead with a takedown in the first period and after an escape and another takedown in the second, got Walker on his back for the pin.
Wrestlers that dropped to the second-round wrestlebacks, which are currently taking place, were Drake Duckworth (145) of North, Jake Logsdon (152) of West, Justin Bruce (160) of Lee's Summit, Steven Kingsolver (189) of Lee's Summit, Brian Snyder (189) of North and Dylan Case (215) of Lee's Summit.
Duckworth had his hands full with fourth-ranked Espen Conley of SLUH and lost by a tech fall. Logsdon was forced to face top-ranked Brandon Wilbourn and after hanging tough in the first period, lost by fall in the second.
Bruce lost the biggest heartbreaker of the quarters for area wrestlers, losing 2-1 to third-ranked Andrew Buffa of Francis Howell Central. Down 2-0 in the third, Bruce was able to get an escape but never could get the go-ahead takedown.
Kingsolver and Snyder were both in tight matches in the second period before getting put on their backs and pinned, while Case got as close as 6-3 with a takedown in the third against fourth-ranked Andrew Lazalier of Holt before Lazalier clinched the match with another takedown for an 8-3 decision.
All six wrestlers, along with Lee's Summit's Jesse Morris and North's Nathan Warman, will be in action shortly to keep their seasons alive.
Check back soon to see how they did and who's moving on!
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Stephen Bubalo coming to you live from the state wrestling tournament in Columbia!
The quarterfinals and second round wrestlebacks just got started about a half hour ago.
The one early result I have in is Lee's Summit's Spencer Courier advanced to the semifinals with a first-round pin over Jacob Cyr of Waynesville, the fourth-ranked wrestler in the state.
Keep it here for more updates soon!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tigers fall short against Panthers
Lee's Summit did its best to knock off second-ranked Ray-Pec Tuesday night but came up short, falling 48-46. The Panthers got a bucket with 5 seconds to play to stay undefeated in conference action.
The second half was a fun 16 minutes of basketball.
You have to credit Lee's Summit for getting back in the game. They lost to the Panthers by 33 points earlier in the season and they could have thought the game was getting away from them, but they came out with a lot more intensity in the second half.
A lot of that can be contributed to their defense. After forcing the Panthers into just four turnovers the entire first half, the Tigers picked up the defensive pressure and Ray-Pec turned it over six times in the third quarter alone.
WIth that defensive pressure came success on the offensive end as they were able to find a bit of a rhythm. Head coach Keith Miller spread the floor in the second half and the Tigers were much more aggressive.
Miller knows if his team is to be successful in district play, they're going to have to play defense.
"That's how we score," he said after the game. "When our defense creates offense that's when we play our best."
You could just tell the team was more into the game and had a little bit of a bounce in their step in the second half.
The fourth quarter came down to who would get the most our of their possessions and who would make the big plays down the stretch, and while both teams did, the Panthers just made a few more plays including a pair of important offensive rebounds that led to four points.
In the end, little things like offensive rebounds and valuing the ball are key.
"A play here and a play there, those things get magnified in games like these," Miller said.
Still, the Tigers proved that when they play well and compete they have the chance to beat anybody. They just would have liked to pick up one more win Tuesday night. Losing by two instead of 33 is still a loss to them.
"I don't like losing," senior Sean Green said.
If the Tigers play well enough they'll get another shot at the Panthers in the state sectional, but there's still a lot of basketball to go.
The second half was a fun 16 minutes of basketball.
You have to credit Lee's Summit for getting back in the game. They lost to the Panthers by 33 points earlier in the season and they could have thought the game was getting away from them, but they came out with a lot more intensity in the second half.
A lot of that can be contributed to their defense. After forcing the Panthers into just four turnovers the entire first half, the Tigers picked up the defensive pressure and Ray-Pec turned it over six times in the third quarter alone.
WIth that defensive pressure came success on the offensive end as they were able to find a bit of a rhythm. Head coach Keith Miller spread the floor in the second half and the Tigers were much more aggressive.
Miller knows if his team is to be successful in district play, they're going to have to play defense.
"That's how we score," he said after the game. "When our defense creates offense that's when we play our best."
You could just tell the team was more into the game and had a little bit of a bounce in their step in the second half.
The fourth quarter came down to who would get the most our of their possessions and who would make the big plays down the stretch, and while both teams did, the Panthers just made a few more plays including a pair of important offensive rebounds that led to four points.
In the end, little things like offensive rebounds and valuing the ball are key.
"A play here and a play there, those things get magnified in games like these," Miller said.
Still, the Tigers proved that when they play well and compete they have the chance to beat anybody. They just would have liked to pick up one more win Tuesday night. Losing by two instead of 33 is still a loss to them.
"I don't like losing," senior Sean Green said.
If the Tigers play well enough they'll get another shot at the Panthers in the state sectional, but there's still a lot of basketball to go.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
It's a final
Once again, the one-loss Panthers make the plays at the end, coming up with a 48-46 win.
Panther senior Josh Stockman drove baseline and kissed it off the glass with about 5 seconds to play for the game-winning bucket. Sean Green got a last-ditch three-pointer off only to see it bounce off the backboard, hit the rim and charom away.
The loss drops the Tigers to 15-9 on the season.
Come back later for more analysis on the game.
Panther senior Josh Stockman drove baseline and kissed it off the glass with about 5 seconds to play for the game-winning bucket. Sean Green got a last-ditch three-pointer off only to see it bounce off the backboard, hit the rim and charom away.
The loss drops the Tigers to 15-9 on the season.
Come back later for more analysis on the game.
Lee's Summit vs Ray-Pec Update
LATE FOURTH
We're tied at 46 with 9.8 seconds to play!
After the Panthers missed a pair of free throws, Sean Green drove to the basket and dished to a cutting Skylar Arbuckle for an off-balance layup to tie the game.
It's Panther ball. You would imagine they would pound it down low.
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Ray-Pec holds a 46-44 lead with 54.1 seconds to play and it's Tiger ball.
Tiger senior Sean Green has done a good job of penetrating to the basket all game, so we'll see if Coach Miller draws up a drive and kick possibility.
THIRD QUARTER
Ray-Pec 38, Lee's Summit 37
The Tigers picked up the defensive pressure, forcing six turnovers, and started to create some better shots on offense.
While they hit three three-pointers, they also got to the rim and scored five layups. And a few of their threes were opened up by drives to the basket.
The biggest difference in the third, though, was the defense. The Tigers got back on defense and stopped transition and didn't allow nearly as many easy buckets. The Panthers are having to work more for their points now.
This sets up what should be an exciting fourth quarter, as the Tigers look to hand the Panthers their first conference loss.
We've got ourselves a ballgame with one quarter to play!
HALFTIME
Ray-Pec 27, Lee's Summit 18
The Tigers got as close as 21-18 but a 6-0 spurt to end the half puts the Panthers up nine at the break.
There's still nothing fancy to what the Panthers are doing, but they're doing it with defense and an efficient offense. They were 5 of 11 in the quarter with all five field goals coming on layups.
They can play in the half court or they can push the ball. Their final two field goals off Tiger misses where they pushed the ball in transition and got easy layups. That's one of the main differences at this point in the game; the Panthers are getting some easy buckets, while the Tigers are having to work for everything they get on the offensive end.
The Tigers need to start being a little more aggressive, but do it under control and pick their spots. Ray-Pec has shot 13 free throws compared to just one for Lee's Summit.
We'll see how the Tigers adjust in the second half. Maybe they'll throw a zone at the Panthers, force them to hit some jumpers, or just pick up the intensity a little bit with some pressure. Check back soon for further updates!
First quarter
Lee's Summit started the game with five seniors on the floor for Senior Night, three of which are seldom used, and hung with the Panthers for the first six minutes of the game. When the Tigers finally subbed, it was an 8-all game.
But the Panthers went on a 7-0 run those last two minutes for a 15-8 first quarter lead.
It's typical Panther basketball. It's not pretty, as they're shooting just 4 of 15 from the field, but they haven't commiitted a turnover, they went to the line 10 times - making seven - and they're playing good defense.
The Panther post players hit the boards hard as well.
The Tigers will need to be a little more patient on offense and limit the Panthers to just one shot. We'll see how they adjust.
We're tied at 46 with 9.8 seconds to play!
After the Panthers missed a pair of free throws, Sean Green drove to the basket and dished to a cutting Skylar Arbuckle for an off-balance layup to tie the game.
It's Panther ball. You would imagine they would pound it down low.
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Ray-Pec holds a 46-44 lead with 54.1 seconds to play and it's Tiger ball.
Tiger senior Sean Green has done a good job of penetrating to the basket all game, so we'll see if Coach Miller draws up a drive and kick possibility.
THIRD QUARTER
Ray-Pec 38, Lee's Summit 37
The Tigers picked up the defensive pressure, forcing six turnovers, and started to create some better shots on offense.
While they hit three three-pointers, they also got to the rim and scored five layups. And a few of their threes were opened up by drives to the basket.
The biggest difference in the third, though, was the defense. The Tigers got back on defense and stopped transition and didn't allow nearly as many easy buckets. The Panthers are having to work more for their points now.
This sets up what should be an exciting fourth quarter, as the Tigers look to hand the Panthers their first conference loss.
We've got ourselves a ballgame with one quarter to play!
HALFTIME
Ray-Pec 27, Lee's Summit 18
The Tigers got as close as 21-18 but a 6-0 spurt to end the half puts the Panthers up nine at the break.
There's still nothing fancy to what the Panthers are doing, but they're doing it with defense and an efficient offense. They were 5 of 11 in the quarter with all five field goals coming on layups.
They can play in the half court or they can push the ball. Their final two field goals off Tiger misses where they pushed the ball in transition and got easy layups. That's one of the main differences at this point in the game; the Panthers are getting some easy buckets, while the Tigers are having to work for everything they get on the offensive end.
The Tigers need to start being a little more aggressive, but do it under control and pick their spots. Ray-Pec has shot 13 free throws compared to just one for Lee's Summit.
We'll see how the Tigers adjust in the second half. Maybe they'll throw a zone at the Panthers, force them to hit some jumpers, or just pick up the intensity a little bit with some pressure. Check back soon for further updates!
First quarter
Lee's Summit started the game with five seniors on the floor for Senior Night, three of which are seldom used, and hung with the Panthers for the first six minutes of the game. When the Tigers finally subbed, it was an 8-all game.
But the Panthers went on a 7-0 run those last two minutes for a 15-8 first quarter lead.
It's typical Panther basketball. It's not pretty, as they're shooting just 4 of 15 from the field, but they haven't commiitted a turnover, they went to the line 10 times - making seven - and they're playing good defense.
The Panther post players hit the boards hard as well.
The Tigers will need to be a little more patient on offense and limit the Panthers to just one shot. We'll see how they adjust.
Final district wrestling results
It was a successful - for the most part - district wrestling tournament for area teams over the weekend.
A total of 15 wrestlers are heading to state after placing in the top four at districts. A pair of wrestlers - Lee's Summit Justin Bruce at 160 and Lee's Summit West's Evan Boehm at heavyweight - finished in first place.
Bruce defeated Rockhurst's Chandler Smith by a 7-3 decision in the finals, while Boehm avenged a loss to Ray-Pec's Andrew Mueller in last weekend's LSW Tournament in an epic 3-2 four overtime win. Boehm handed Mueller his first loss of the season with an escape for the dramatic win.
Placing second was Lee's Summit's Spencer Courier (130) and Dylan Case (215), while Lee's Summit North's Brian Snyder (189) also tok second.
Here are the third-place finishers: Lee's Summit - Jesse Morris (125), John Williams (135), Josh Howard (171) and Steven Kingsolver (189)
Lee's Summit West - Jake Logsdon (152)
Lee's Summit North - Drake Duckworth (145)
Fourth places: Lee's Summit - Josh Aguilar (145)
Lee's Summit West - Ben Poeschl (171) and Tyler Dennis (215)
Lee's Summit North - Nathan Warman (152)
I'll be back on the blog Tuesday night with live updates and analysis from the Lee's Summit-Ray-Pec boys basketball game, as the Tigers try to defeat the one-loss Panthers.
A total of 15 wrestlers are heading to state after placing in the top four at districts. A pair of wrestlers - Lee's Summit Justin Bruce at 160 and Lee's Summit West's Evan Boehm at heavyweight - finished in first place.
Bruce defeated Rockhurst's Chandler Smith by a 7-3 decision in the finals, while Boehm avenged a loss to Ray-Pec's Andrew Mueller in last weekend's LSW Tournament in an epic 3-2 four overtime win. Boehm handed Mueller his first loss of the season with an escape for the dramatic win.
Placing second was Lee's Summit's Spencer Courier (130) and Dylan Case (215), while Lee's Summit North's Brian Snyder (189) also tok second.
Here are the third-place finishers: Lee's Summit - Jesse Morris (125), John Williams (135), Josh Howard (171) and Steven Kingsolver (189)
Lee's Summit West - Jake Logsdon (152)
Lee's Summit North - Drake Duckworth (145)
Fourth places: Lee's Summit - Josh Aguilar (145)
Lee's Summit West - Ben Poeschl (171) and Tyler Dennis (215)
Lee's Summit North - Nathan Warman (152)
I'll be back on the blog Tuesday night with live updates and analysis from the Lee's Summit-Ray-Pec boys basketball game, as the Tigers try to defeat the one-loss Panthers.
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