Basketball recap: See the complete midseason tournament brackets
January Jam (Valley Center)
With a few seconds left, Maize South senior center Kael Kordonowy threw down his fifth dunk of the game.
His impact was immeasurable in the Mavericks’ 66-50 win over Wichita Heights in the championship game of the Valley Center January Jam on Saturday. Although it was considered an upset, Maize South put together a thorough performance.
“We just preached fundamentals, ball fakes, shot fakes, taking good shots,” coach Kip Schultz said. “If we could do that and develop a lead, we thought we could takes some air out of the ball. And down the stretch, Kael just showed what Kael is all about.”
Kondonowy and junior guard Trey Reid were named to the all-tournament team, and the 6-foot-7 playmaker was chosen as the MVP. Schultz, who has the Mavericks on a seven-game win streak, said Kordonowy was excellent on both ends, especially defensively impacting every shot at the rim.
“We don’t have a chance with out him,” he said. “We talked about this this morning. Kael and I have been together through his brother’s career. He changes more shots than any kid I’ve ever coached.”
Adolph Rupp Tournament (Halstead)
As the first quarter buzzer rang, Andale had a 14-point lead. Cheney had as many points as when the game started.
The Indians were dominant in their 58-36 win of the Adolph Rupp Tournament championship game. It marked half a decade of midseason tournament titles in Halstead.
“You should walk in our locker room when we get in there,” coach Jeff Buchanan said. “Every game, it doesn’t matter what game it is, it’s a celebration. Those guys understand all the work not just this year, not just this summer but their lifetime of what it took.
“You only get a select few times to play your best, and they’re starting to do it more regularly.”
Senior guard Easton Hunter was named tournament MVP for the third straight season. He scored 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting with nine rebounds in the championship game and delivered a pair of early threes before Cheney had scored once.
Tournament of Champions (Dodge City)
Bishop Carroll coach Mike Domnick said no one he has talked with knew the last time the Golden Eagles won a midseason tournament.
They did Saturday with a 64-54 win over Junction City in the championship game. After a 2-2 start, the defending 5A champs have arrived.
“It’s important to us that we do things that haven’t been done at Carroll in a while,” Domnick said.
With the win, Carroll is 5-1 in midseason tournaments over the past two seasons. After reaching the McPherson Invitational Tournament final last year, the Golden Eagles went undefeated to its first state title. Dominck said things are feeling eerily similar.
“I think we had the toughest draw in the tournament,” he said. “5A West is so loaded that it’s good to see us make good decisions down the stretch. That shows me we can do it down the road.”
Bluestem Classic (El Dorado)
One of the most anticipated championship games was canceled Saturday morning, but it has been revived.
Campus and Trinity Academy, two teams with one combined loss, were set to meet in the final, but with the inclement weather and subsequent power outage in El Dorado, the game was called off. It is back on tentatively at 1:30 p.m. Monday.
Roadrunner Classic (Chaparral)
Ark City isn’t going anywhere.
The Bulldogs won their third straight Roadrunner Classic on Saturday with an impressive 79-50 win over Clearwater in the championship game. Coach CJ Jennings said with so much turnover from year-to-year, 2019 could have been seen as the year to knock his team off.
Ark City is up to 10-1 and No. 2 in Class 5A West. The Bulldogs have one of the most lethal players in Kansas, senior guard Cevin Clark, who was named to the All-Tournament team.
“Some of these guys are excited about what we’ve done in the past, and I have to remind them, it doesn’t really matter what we’ve done,” Jennings said. “This was huge for us. Even when we took Cevin out of the game, our other guys stepped up.”
Orange and Black Tournament (Colby)
Maize coach Chris Grill said he was looking for a different style of basketball, and he found it out west.
The Eagles beat Goodland, Scott City and Pine Creek (Colorado) to clinch the Orange and Black Classic in Colby. Maize beat the out-of-state standouts 69-42.
Maize senior star Caleb Grill was named the tournament MVP. Chris Grill said at times his son wasn’t the go-to scorer. In the final, senior center Devon Koehn stepped up in the paint, and the Eagles fed him. Grill said that’s what makes his undefeated so good.
“Our guys understand that this is much bigger than each individual,” he said. “It’s something that they’re working hard for together, and as long as they keep that in perspective, they’re going to have success.
“I don’t think they really worry about all that (undefeated) stuff. We don’t really talk about it.”
Ralph Miller Classic (Chanute)
The Jaguars are back on track.
After a pair of rough performances, Andover Central put together three gems to win the Ralph Miller Classic in Chanute with an 89-76 win over Olathe North.
Olathe North entered as the No. 2 team in Class 6A East behind only Blue Valley Northwest and had allowed more than 80 only once.
With the win, the Jaguars improve to 10-1, their best start in school history.
Salina Invitational Tournament (Boys)
Salina Invitational Tournament (Girls)
McPheron Invitational Tournament
This story was originally published January 19, 2019 at 11:59 PM.