Going the extra Pyle: Sister of McPherson great helps Pups to state semifinals
The Pyle siblings could field a full basketball team, but the only girl among them believes she would be the MVP.
“If there was a pickup game, I definitely think I got it,” Grace Pyle said.
She sure looked like an MVP on Wednesday in Emporia. The McPherson sophomore finished with a career-high and game-high 21 points in a 57-41 win over Topeka Seaman in the Kansas Class 5A state quarterfinals. She added six rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes.
The Bullpups are on to the semifinals.
“It was a 1-8 (seeding) matchup, but you throw seeds out the window,” coach Chris Strathman said. “They had won eight in a row. ... That’s a very tough atmosphere for a 3 o’clock game on a Wednesday afternoon.”
Pyle is the sister of two former Mr. Kansas Basketball winners. Ben, so honored in 2018, graduated after last year’s Class 4A-Division I runner-up finish. He was named to the Eagle’s All-State team and now plays at Western Illinois.
Drew, who won two years before, was also an All-State selection and continued his basketball career at Washburn.
Growing up with such well-known figures in Kansas high school basketball could be a big shadow to live under, but Grace has learned to look up to her brothers and let them motivate her.
“They were the sole focus of the household, and I just picked off of them,” she said. “I realized that if they can do it, I can do it. I want to be just like my brothers.”
Strathman said he knew Grace was going to be special; she is a Pyle, after all.
“That was one of her best games of the year for sure,” he said. “But I fully expected Grace to have a great game today.”
Pyle started the 2018-19 season on the bench. She slowly earned her spot in the starting lineup and quickly became one of the Bullpups’ biggest contributors on one of the most balanced teams in the state.
Strathman said he wouldn’t go into details about why he felt Pyle had earned her spot in the starting five but said her presence has been a welcome sight.
“We knew what we had,” he said. “She’s a great player, and she’s just a gamer. The atmosphere doesn’t get to her.”
Pyle started hot Wednesday. She went 3-for-3 from outside the three-point arc in the first half. She was tied for the team-high with nine points, and as the game started to settle in through the third quarter, she was key to expanding on the Pups’ four-point halftime lead.
In the second half alone, Pyle hit a pair of buckets and got to the free throw line four times. She didn’t miss once.
But Pyle wasn’t alone in the McPherson quarterfinal win.
Junior post Cassie Cooks, whose sister was instrumental to last year’s title-winning team, finished with 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including a pair of and-one buckets, in just 10 minutes on the floor.
Senior post Maggie Leaf was key to establishing a low post presence along with Cooks. She finished with nine points and eight rebounds.
With the win, McPherson reaches the state semifinals for the third straight year.
Pyle said Wednesday was special, but the Pups aren’t done.
“My teammates have helped me and taken me under their wing,” she said. “It’s just incredible: 5A is one of the toughest classes. We had the goal at the beginning of the year to win it all, and that’s what we want to do.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2019 at 5:22 PM.