Tuesday’s basketball takeaways: Some avoid sub-state upset, others do not

Eisenhower led by two with 16.8 seconds left against Goddard; the door was open. The top-seeded Tigers pulled out a 52-47 victory against their cross-town rival but, again, left the door open.

Eisenhower escapes

Eisenhower has struggled lately.

After losing to Arkansas City in the regular season finale, a 5-point victory over Goddard served as a healthy reminder for coach Steve Blue and his team.

“I think it’s a big motivator for us,” Blue said. “For a lot of our kids, I think it was a wake up call.”

Goddard entered Class 5A sub-state as the No. 16 seed in the west with only three wins this season. But the Lions have played Eisenhower tough.

In their first meeting, Jan. 9, Goddard took it to double overtime before losing 72-71. It took an outstanding effort from Lion guard Jordan Vincent in the extra period with 12 points.

Blue said his group doesn’t match up well with Goddard’s size with a pair of players taller than 6-foot-4 in the paint. Blue said the Lions could throw it down low to Jeremiah Crawford and Chod Morrow and get layups whenever they wanted.

Crawford and Morrow scored team-highs with 11 points each.

“Like with Ark City, we thought at some point the Eisenhower name would be enough to get us by,” he said. “When teams are well-coached and playing well, it’s gonna take more than just showing up.”

Andover faces Eisenhower in second round

Braden Johnson made his last shot at Kapaun count.

Johnson attended went to Kapaun and played for coach John Cherne III as a freshman. As a senior for lower-seeded Andover, he came back for Tuesday’s sub-state opener and scored 23 points in Andover’s 65-59 sub-state victory.

Johnson said coming back was rough and emotional.

After a few semesters with the Crusaders, Johnson transferred to North and eventually settled in Andover. Cherne said he was happy for Johnson; he said he played well.

Johnson’s 23 was a career-high.

Andover coach Martin Shetlar said he knew it would take a strong group effort to get a win Tueday. Kapaun entered as the No. 8 seed and finished the season 11-3. The Trojans struggled late, going 2-3 to close the regular season.

“The way we played tonight with all the nerves, I feel like we can play with anyone,” Johnson said. “Eisenhower only won by five, so it’s exciting.”

A father again

Toward the end of the regular season, Newton coach Andy Hill drove to games by himself.

Hill followed the Railroaders’ team bus in his car in case he needed to leave the game early. His pregnant wife was nearing her due date.

He never had to leave on the road, but he wasn’t at Friday’s game against Salina Central. He was at the freshmen boys game, but as he sat in the stands, he didn’t feel right, so he went home.

He became a father to Haylee Hill on Saturday morning, his second child.

“Every one is special and is a gift,” Hill said. “My family, it’s me and brother, and my brother had two boys, and then we had our son. So Haylee is kinda the first girl around in our family.

“The fact that she was born in the middle of basketball season is something that I’ll always remember.”

He was on the sideline Tuesday coaching in Newton’s 62-58 sub-state loss to Salina Central.

Sophomore guard Ty Berry scored 32 in the loss. Although the Railroaders’ season is over, Hill said he is encouraged about the future.

“There’s potential for this group to have a pretty special year next year, but it’s gonna take time,” Hill said.

This story was originally published February 28, 2018 at 1:22 PM with the headline "Tuesday’s basketball takeaways: Some avoid sub-state upset, others do not."