Lee's Summit North gave the Panthers a run but fell up short, 56-49.
The Broncos started to pressure PHS and got as close as six points on three different occasions, but each time PHS was able to hit their free throws and keep North at an arms length.
It was a valiant effort by the Broncos but it just came too late. They finally started to get in the lane and hit some shots in the fourth but it wasn't enough.
They still had an amazing season with a 20-8 record. More on the game to come.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Panthers pulling away
The tide didn't turn the way of the Broncos in the third quarter, as Park Hill South continues to pull away from the Broncos.
They led by as many as 19 and currently hold a 42-25 lead going into the fourth.
It's just one of those scenarios at this point where everything is going right for the Panthers and nothing is going the way of the Broncos. PHS was 8 of 15 from the floor in the third and hit 3 three-pointers.
Things continue to be difficult for North on the offensive end, there isn't much else to say. The Panthers are playing tough, smart half court defense. They aren't applying tons of pressure but they're always in help position and are in the right spot.
It's going to take a furious rally by the Broncos to make things interesting.
They led by as many as 19 and currently hold a 42-25 lead going into the fourth.
It's just one of those scenarios at this point where everything is going right for the Panthers and nothing is going the way of the Broncos. PHS was 8 of 15 from the floor in the third and hit 3 three-pointers.
Things continue to be difficult for North on the offensive end, there isn't much else to say. The Panthers are playing tough, smart half court defense. They aren't applying tons of pressure but they're always in help position and are in the right spot.
It's going to take a furious rally by the Broncos to make things interesting.
Broncos aiming for final four
HALFTIME
Well, Broncos head coach Mike Hilbert needs to figure out a way to get the LSN offense going or it could be a quick second half.
Park Hill South continues to clog the lane as they have raced out to 22-13 halftime lead over the Broncos.
Nothing is easy right now for the Broncos as they just continue to run their offense with little success. They've had a couple posessoins where they just keep passing the ball around the perimeter, looking for an opening down low.
This has translated to a 4 of 16 performance from the field.
Meanwhile, PHS isn't lighting it up offensively either, but they have got open for a couple threes, which they've knocked down, and are getting some decent looks, while not having to work nearly as hard as the Broncos.
It'll be interesting to see the adjustments the Broncos make at halftime to get back in the game.
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We're through one quarter of play here at the UCM Multipurpose Building with Park Hill South holding a 10-9 lead over Lee's Summit North.
Both teams seem to be feeling each other out here in the early going. There's not a lot of familiarity, obviously, between the two teams.
The Panthers are making it tough for the Broncos to get the ball in the paint, sagging off and helping a lot on penetration.
For as easy as the Broncos got in the lane against Rockhurst Wednesday, the Panthers clearly took notice and are making it tough.
We'll see how the Broncos adjust in the second quarter.
Well, Broncos head coach Mike Hilbert needs to figure out a way to get the LSN offense going or it could be a quick second half.
Park Hill South continues to clog the lane as they have raced out to 22-13 halftime lead over the Broncos.
Nothing is easy right now for the Broncos as they just continue to run their offense with little success. They've had a couple posessoins where they just keep passing the ball around the perimeter, looking for an opening down low.
This has translated to a 4 of 16 performance from the field.
Meanwhile, PHS isn't lighting it up offensively either, but they have got open for a couple threes, which they've knocked down, and are getting some decent looks, while not having to work nearly as hard as the Broncos.
It'll be interesting to see the adjustments the Broncos make at halftime to get back in the game.
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We're through one quarter of play here at the UCM Multipurpose Building with Park Hill South holding a 10-9 lead over Lee's Summit North.
Both teams seem to be feeling each other out here in the early going. There's not a lot of familiarity, obviously, between the two teams.
The Panthers are making it tough for the Broncos to get the ball in the paint, sagging off and helping a lot on penetration.
For as easy as the Broncos got in the lane against Rockhurst Wednesday, the Panthers clearly took notice and are making it tough.
We'll see how the Broncos adjust in the second quarter.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Broncos hang on
Well, it wasn't as easy as it looked like it might be in the early going, but Lee's Summit North hung on for a 59-55 win over Rockhurst, advancing them to the state quarterfinals Saturday.
North had trouble with the Hawklet presssure in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over seven times and hitting just 11 of 16 free throws in the final period, but it was enough.
It's a good thing the Broncos got that early lead because they needed all of it.
North had trouble with the Hawklet presssure in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over seven times and hitting just 11 of 16 free throws in the final period, but it was enough.
It's a good thing the Broncos got that early lead because they needed all of it.
North maintains lead
1:18 LEFT IN FOURTH
The three-point barrage continues for the Hawklets. They've not hit four in a row and have cut the Bronco lead to 55-51.
North needs to take care of the ball and hit their free throws, an area they're still struggling with, if they want to pull this out.
3:24 left in fourth
The Hawklets are trying to make a late run. They've hit back to back three-pointers sandwiched in-between two North free throws to cut the deficit to 54-45.
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It wasn't a pretty quarter but Lee's Summit North is still in the lead heading into the final 8 minutes the game, ahead 46-32.
The third quarter had a lot of fouls, missed free throws, turnovers, physical play but North never let its lead dip below 10.
The Hawklets picked up the pace and began pressuring defensively in the full court with a press and trapping in the half court. It worked at times as North seems to be a bit out of rhythm, but they can't capitalize on the other end.
The two teams combined to shoot just 8 for 28 in the quarter and North was 5 of 13 from the foul line.
If the Broncos can handle the pressure and execute on offense, they should be headed to the state quarterfinals on Saturday.
The three-point barrage continues for the Hawklets. They've not hit four in a row and have cut the Bronco lead to 55-51.
North needs to take care of the ball and hit their free throws, an area they're still struggling with, if they want to pull this out.
3:24 left in fourth
The Hawklets are trying to make a late run. They've hit back to back three-pointers sandwiched in-between two North free throws to cut the deficit to 54-45.
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It wasn't a pretty quarter but Lee's Summit North is still in the lead heading into the final 8 minutes the game, ahead 46-32.
The third quarter had a lot of fouls, missed free throws, turnovers, physical play but North never let its lead dip below 10.
The Hawklets picked up the pace and began pressuring defensively in the full court with a press and trapping in the half court. It worked at times as North seems to be a bit out of rhythm, but they can't capitalize on the other end.
The two teams combined to shoot just 8 for 28 in the quarter and North was 5 of 13 from the foul line.
If the Broncos can handle the pressure and execute on offense, they should be headed to the state quarterfinals on Saturday.
Broncos hold halftime lead
It could have been worse but Lee's Summit North is still holding a 34-20 halftime lead over Rockhurst.
Thanks to a 14-2 lead to start the quarter the lead swelled to 33-10.
But Rockhurst started to play a little better defense near the end of the second quarter, forced some tough shots and turnovers to get them back in the game. They continue to pound it inside and got to the free-throw line four times during their littl 7-0 spurt to close the quarter.
It'll be interesting to see what kind of adjustments both teams make, especially Rockhurst.
The Broncos continue to live in the paint, just like they have the past month of play. The Hawklets started to apply more defensive pressure late in the second, going to a full-court zone press and trappping some in the half court. They're gonig to have to make the Broncos uncomfortable to get back in it.
Thanks to a 14-2 lead to start the quarter the lead swelled to 33-10.
But Rockhurst started to play a little better defense near the end of the second quarter, forced some tough shots and turnovers to get them back in the game. They continue to pound it inside and got to the free-throw line four times during their littl 7-0 spurt to close the quarter.
It'll be interesting to see what kind of adjustments both teams make, especially Rockhurst.
The Broncos continue to live in the paint, just like they have the past month of play. The Hawklets started to apply more defensive pressure late in the second, going to a full-court zone press and trappping some in the half court. They're gonig to have to make the Broncos uncomfortable to get back in it.
Broncos start hot
The fisrt quarter has come to a close in the Class 5 state sectional game at the Independence Events Center and Lee's Summit North is taking it to Rockhurst 19-8.
The Broncos are doing everything right on offense, being patient and getting the ball down low as they are 8 of 12 from the field.
David Kravish and Chase Salazar are leading the way with 12 combined points.
Defensively, the Broncos are playing their usual hard-nosed style. They are pressuring the Hawklets and have forced them into 3 of 14 shooting. Kravish and Salazar are a force on defense as well, altering and blocking shots.
I don't expect the Hawklets to continue shooting that bad. They have missed some easy ones.
But the key is how easy the Broncos are scoring. If Rockhurst doesn't make a change quick, this could be a blowout.
The Broncos are doing everything right on offense, being patient and getting the ball down low as they are 8 of 12 from the field.
David Kravish and Chase Salazar are leading the way with 12 combined points.
Defensively, the Broncos are playing their usual hard-nosed style. They are pressuring the Hawklets and have forced them into 3 of 14 shooting. Kravish and Salazar are a force on defense as well, altering and blocking shots.
I don't expect the Hawklets to continue shooting that bad. They have missed some easy ones.
But the key is how easy the Broncos are scoring. If Rockhurst doesn't make a change quick, this could be a blowout.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Lee's Summit North preparing for Hawklets
As Lee’s Summit North head coach Mike Hilbert told his team Monday at practice, welcome to March Madness.
The Broncos play in the Class 5 state sectional game at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Independence Events Center against the Rockhurst Hawklets.
In my opinion, this game should be a good one. The two met in early January with the Hawklets needing a late three-point play to pull out a 58-55 win.
That was during an early-season stretch in which the Broncos couldn’t win a close game. But this Broncos squad is coming in with some momentum having won 12 of their last 14 games.
“We’ve had two really good practices (this week),” Hilbert said. “I really like where we are right now as a group. We’re playing with a lot of confidence.”
The two teams match up with each other fairly well, which was evident by their first meeting.
Both teams have two different kinds of post players, with the Broncos sporting 6-foot-9 lanky David Kravish, while Rockhurst counters with 6-foot-8 Cooper Beckett who sports a similar frame. On the other block will be North’s Chase Salazar and Rockhurst’s Dan Tapko, both who have strong frames and were tight ends on their respective football teams.
Hilbert hopes Kravish and Salazar can hold their own down low.
“We want to stay out on the perimeter which puts posts in a one on one situation, but I think they’ve (Kravish and Salazar) shown if they can stay in front of their post guy they can force tough shots making them shoot over them,” Hilbert said.
The reason Hilbert wants to stay on the perimeter is to keep a hand in the face of Hawklet guards Dexter McDonald and Matt Lampo. Both have the ability to hit the long ball, which isn’t something the Broncos do as successfully.
In other words, Hilbert doesn’t want to get caught in a three-point shootout.
“I think we can trade baskets but if they knock down threes that’s rough for us to stay in the game,” Hilbert said.
Hilbert said he watched the Hawklets in their district final win over Grandview, saying they looked tough to stop in the early going when they were running in transition.
“In the first quarter against Grandview all they did was attack the rim or kick it to shooters,” he said. “But when Grandview slowed down their transition and forced them into the half court that’s when they got back in the game.
“A lot will depend on whether or not we can do what we’ve been successful with, as far as defending and not giving up easy baskets and transition points.”
Transition and attacking the rim has been the way the Broncos have been winning as of late. They have been relentless with their penetration and transition game, which was on full display in their 66-45 win over Blue Springs South Friday.
But they weren’t the first time around against the Hawklets, and Hilbert made sure to remind them of that.
“I’m really hopeful that how we’ve won games, and I told them after Friday’s game, we hit three threes but we were attacking the basket,” Hilbert said. “I showed them on tape our game against Rockhurst and how we shot jumpers but when we reversed the ball and attacked gaps how much more successful we can be.”
There’s no doubt the Broncos will need to continue being aggressive on offense to pull out a win. They have guys like Kenny Berry, P.J. Lewis and Will Harrington that can knock down outside shots, but they can’t rely on that if they want to advance.
Two guys that have been instrumental as of late are B.J. Dunbar and Salazar.
Dunbar scored 28 against South and Salazar has picked up his play the last few weeks. And Hilbert knows he’ll need to bring his ‘A’ game Wednesday, especially going up against Tapko.
“One reason (we’ve been playing so well) is both our seniors are playing at really high levels,” Hilbert said. “Their maturity level encourages other guys.
“I think the key for us is when Chase feels good and is focused, we’re a different basketball team. I really like where he is right now. He’s been really up recently.”
The Broncos are hoping for a little revenge not just from earlier in the year but from years past. The Hawklets have been a thorn in the side of North, knocking them out of the playoffs back in 2005 – a sectional loss – and in 2006 in the quarterfinals.
And in the end, Hilbert knows along with all the Xs and Os, this game will come down to fundamentals.
“I think probably whichever team can go the longest stretches playing mistake-free will be the team that comes out on top,” Hilbert said. “Turnovers, giving up offensive rebounds I think will be really, really big.”
As of late, the Broncos have usually been the best at that. But this is when the stakes are the highest.
One of the most interesting things to see will be who handled the big stage the best.
The game obviously has plenty at stake, plus it’ll be at an arena bigger then they’ve played in all year. Handling the pressure of the situation will be key.
And Hilbert believes his team is ready.
“I think so. My impressions of them are they do feel really good. I think it’ll be a great game tomorrow,” he said. “I think we’ll be ready to play.”
Indeed, it should be a great game tomorrow and if you can’t make it, be sure to check us out here at the Journal sports blog as I’ll be coming to you with live updates from the game!
The Broncos play in the Class 5 state sectional game at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Independence Events Center against the Rockhurst Hawklets.
In my opinion, this game should be a good one. The two met in early January with the Hawklets needing a late three-point play to pull out a 58-55 win.
That was during an early-season stretch in which the Broncos couldn’t win a close game. But this Broncos squad is coming in with some momentum having won 12 of their last 14 games.
“We’ve had two really good practices (this week),” Hilbert said. “I really like where we are right now as a group. We’re playing with a lot of confidence.”
The two teams match up with each other fairly well, which was evident by their first meeting.
Both teams have two different kinds of post players, with the Broncos sporting 6-foot-9 lanky David Kravish, while Rockhurst counters with 6-foot-8 Cooper Beckett who sports a similar frame. On the other block will be North’s Chase Salazar and Rockhurst’s Dan Tapko, both who have strong frames and were tight ends on their respective football teams.
Hilbert hopes Kravish and Salazar can hold their own down low.
“We want to stay out on the perimeter which puts posts in a one on one situation, but I think they’ve (Kravish and Salazar) shown if they can stay in front of their post guy they can force tough shots making them shoot over them,” Hilbert said.
The reason Hilbert wants to stay on the perimeter is to keep a hand in the face of Hawklet guards Dexter McDonald and Matt Lampo. Both have the ability to hit the long ball, which isn’t something the Broncos do as successfully.
In other words, Hilbert doesn’t want to get caught in a three-point shootout.
“I think we can trade baskets but if they knock down threes that’s rough for us to stay in the game,” Hilbert said.
Hilbert said he watched the Hawklets in their district final win over Grandview, saying they looked tough to stop in the early going when they were running in transition.
“In the first quarter against Grandview all they did was attack the rim or kick it to shooters,” he said. “But when Grandview slowed down their transition and forced them into the half court that’s when they got back in the game.
“A lot will depend on whether or not we can do what we’ve been successful with, as far as defending and not giving up easy baskets and transition points.”
Transition and attacking the rim has been the way the Broncos have been winning as of late. They have been relentless with their penetration and transition game, which was on full display in their 66-45 win over Blue Springs South Friday.
But they weren’t the first time around against the Hawklets, and Hilbert made sure to remind them of that.
“I’m really hopeful that how we’ve won games, and I told them after Friday’s game, we hit three threes but we were attacking the basket,” Hilbert said. “I showed them on tape our game against Rockhurst and how we shot jumpers but when we reversed the ball and attacked gaps how much more successful we can be.”
There’s no doubt the Broncos will need to continue being aggressive on offense to pull out a win. They have guys like Kenny Berry, P.J. Lewis and Will Harrington that can knock down outside shots, but they can’t rely on that if they want to advance.
Two guys that have been instrumental as of late are B.J. Dunbar and Salazar.
Dunbar scored 28 against South and Salazar has picked up his play the last few weeks. And Hilbert knows he’ll need to bring his ‘A’ game Wednesday, especially going up against Tapko.
“One reason (we’ve been playing so well) is both our seniors are playing at really high levels,” Hilbert said. “Their maturity level encourages other guys.
“I think the key for us is when Chase feels good and is focused, we’re a different basketball team. I really like where he is right now. He’s been really up recently.”
The Broncos are hoping for a little revenge not just from earlier in the year but from years past. The Hawklets have been a thorn in the side of North, knocking them out of the playoffs back in 2005 – a sectional loss – and in 2006 in the quarterfinals.
And in the end, Hilbert knows along with all the Xs and Os, this game will come down to fundamentals.
“I think probably whichever team can go the longest stretches playing mistake-free will be the team that comes out on top,” Hilbert said. “Turnovers, giving up offensive rebounds I think will be really, really big.”
As of late, the Broncos have usually been the best at that. But this is when the stakes are the highest.
One of the most interesting things to see will be who handled the big stage the best.
The game obviously has plenty at stake, plus it’ll be at an arena bigger then they’ve played in all year. Handling the pressure of the situation will be key.
And Hilbert believes his team is ready.
“I think so. My impressions of them are they do feel really good. I think it’ll be a great game tomorrow,” he said. “I think we’ll be ready to play.”
Indeed, it should be a great game tomorrow and if you can’t make it, be sure to check us out here at the Journal sports blog as I’ll be coming to you with live updates from the game!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Broncos split in district finals
The Lee's Summit North boys and girls basketball teams were both in district title games but only one was able to advance, with the boys claiming an impressive 66-45 win over Blue Springs South.
The girls did all they could to stick with Blue Springs, only to struggle in the final 10 minutes and fall 61-39.
The Broncos boys showed why they are so tough against the host Jaguars. They played hard-nosed defense in the final three quarters and for the entire game they were attacking the basket at will.
North has adapted the aggressive mentality over the past few weeks and it has paid off. They rarely took shots from the perimeter during the title game, hitting just three shots from outside the paint - all from three-point range - as they just kept getting layup after layup.
Head coach Mike Hilbert talked after the game about how this is a different style of team than he's ever coached, with their ability to get to the basket seemingly at will, but he's not about to start complaining. The Broncos are playing some of their best basketball at the right time.
While it was hard to ignore the Broncos' offense, their defense was just as big of a key. After South hit 6 of 10 shots from the field in the first quarter, they were just 7 of 34 the rest of the game. WIth their size, they were able to neutralize South's Shawn Meyer inside, which didn't allow South's shooters to get many open looks.
But what's most impressive about the Bronco defense is their ability to run in transition after stops and steals. After every steal they were right back on the attack running it down South's throat for layups. The Broncos can play in the half court, but they're much better when they get out and run.
The win sets up a sectional matchup with Rockhurst, a team the Broncos lost to by just a couple of points back in early January. The game will be played Wednesday at the Independence Events Center at 4:45 p.m.
As for the Lady Broncos, the Wildcats turned up the pressure just enough to pull away from the Broncos in the second half.
North came out in the second half with a bounce in their step and sliced a 12-point deficit down to four at 36-32, forcing a Wildcat timeout as they had them on their heels.
But in a matter of minutes the Blue Springs full-court press took over. They finished the quarter on an 11-1 run where the Broncos had trouble just getting a shot off without turning the ball over. North finished with 11 turnovers in the quarter alone.
How the Broncos handled the Wildcat pressure was one of the big keys of Saturday's game and for 2 1/2 quarters they didn't do such a bad job. But Blue Springs has the ability to make you pay for every mistake and they can pounce quick, which is what they did.
Afterward, seniors Ashley Creason and Lauren Dudenhoeffer talked about the successful season, and how the one loss didn't take away from what a memorable year it was. After losing their leading scorer and rebounder, there may have been some question marks coming into this season for the Broncos, but they answered those questions with a hot start and finished fairly strong. They just ran into a tough team Saturday.
Read Wednesday's Journal for full stories and photos from both games. Also, check back here Tuesday night for a preview of the state sectional game for the Bronco boys against the Hawklets.
The girls did all they could to stick with Blue Springs, only to struggle in the final 10 minutes and fall 61-39.
The Broncos boys showed why they are so tough against the host Jaguars. They played hard-nosed defense in the final three quarters and for the entire game they were attacking the basket at will.
North has adapted the aggressive mentality over the past few weeks and it has paid off. They rarely took shots from the perimeter during the title game, hitting just three shots from outside the paint - all from three-point range - as they just kept getting layup after layup.
Head coach Mike Hilbert talked after the game about how this is a different style of team than he's ever coached, with their ability to get to the basket seemingly at will, but he's not about to start complaining. The Broncos are playing some of their best basketball at the right time.
While it was hard to ignore the Broncos' offense, their defense was just as big of a key. After South hit 6 of 10 shots from the field in the first quarter, they were just 7 of 34 the rest of the game. WIth their size, they were able to neutralize South's Shawn Meyer inside, which didn't allow South's shooters to get many open looks.
But what's most impressive about the Bronco defense is their ability to run in transition after stops and steals. After every steal they were right back on the attack running it down South's throat for layups. The Broncos can play in the half court, but they're much better when they get out and run.
The win sets up a sectional matchup with Rockhurst, a team the Broncos lost to by just a couple of points back in early January. The game will be played Wednesday at the Independence Events Center at 4:45 p.m.
As for the Lady Broncos, the Wildcats turned up the pressure just enough to pull away from the Broncos in the second half.
North came out in the second half with a bounce in their step and sliced a 12-point deficit down to four at 36-32, forcing a Wildcat timeout as they had them on their heels.
But in a matter of minutes the Blue Springs full-court press took over. They finished the quarter on an 11-1 run where the Broncos had trouble just getting a shot off without turning the ball over. North finished with 11 turnovers in the quarter alone.
How the Broncos handled the Wildcat pressure was one of the big keys of Saturday's game and for 2 1/2 quarters they didn't do such a bad job. But Blue Springs has the ability to make you pay for every mistake and they can pounce quick, which is what they did.
Afterward, seniors Ashley Creason and Lauren Dudenhoeffer talked about the successful season, and how the one loss didn't take away from what a memorable year it was. After losing their leading scorer and rebounder, there may have been some question marks coming into this season for the Broncos, but they answered those questions with a hot start and finished fairly strong. They just ran into a tough team Saturday.
Read Wednesday's Journal for full stories and photos from both games. Also, check back here Tuesday night for a preview of the state sectional game for the Bronco boys against the Hawklets.
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