Overtime, one point and another thriller: Kapaun boys basketball tops Heights
In a City League boys basketball rivalry that continues to double as the championship barometer, Kapaun Mt. Carmel survived a 54-53 overtime road battle at Wichita Heights on Tuesday night.
Thanks to late defensive stands at the end of regulation and overtime, the Crusaders, ranked No. 1 in Class 5A, improved to 9-0 overall and 7-0 in league play, opening a narrow but meaningful cushion over the Falcons, who fell to 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the City League.
Even with Heights under first-year head coach Gary Thomason, the stakes have not changed. The Falcons, ranked No. 4 in Class 6A, look every bit like a championship contender once again, which made Tuesday’s meeting feel as important as a mid-January game can feel. The rematch at Kapaun is set for Feb. 24.
“It’s very important, but of course it’s just one game,” Kapaun coach Steve Eck said. “It doesn’t make a season.”
Heights controlled much of the game early, using its pressure and athleticism to open a 10-point lead twice. The Falcons’ last push came midway through the third quarter when they stretched the margin to 40-30, appearing to seize control over the two-time defending Class 5A state champions.
“Their defense made us look bad for the first half and some of the third quarter,” Eck said. “They’re quick, they’re fast, they’re athletic.”
That edge vanished quickly. Kapaun responded with its most decisive stretch of the game, ripping off an 11-0 run that flipped the scoreboard and the momentum. Blaise Dalian scored seven points during the burst and capped it with a go-ahead 3-pointer to put the Crusaders ahead 41-40 early in the fourth quarter.
Dalian struck again with another 3 to give Kapaun a four-point lead, but Heights refused to fold. Jordan Timmons sparked the response by stripping a ball handler for a steal and layup, then Jalihn Timmons, his older brother, attacked baseline to finish at the rim and tie the game at 49 with 1:04 left in regulation.
Both teams’ stars had chances to end it before overtime. Dalian missed a short jumper for the lead, then Jalihn Timmons’ baseline pull-up fell short and Tyson Phillips’ putback attempt at the buzzer rolled off, sending the rivalry game into an extra period.
Overtime followed the same script: tense, physical and decided by the smallest of margins. Jalihn Timmons briefly put Heights in front with a layup, but Kapaun answered right back when the Falcons lost senior Jude Porter just outside the paint. Porter calmly knocked down a short jumper to put Kapaun up 54-53 with 1:14 remaining, which proved to be the final points of the night.
Heights had multiple chances in the final minute. Jalihn Timmons’ 3 rimmed out, then Adrian Hall gave Heights new life by poking the ball out from behind to force a Kapaun turnover in the final seconds that gave Heights one last chance: a baseline out-of-bounds play with 10 seconds left. The ball was funneled to Jordan Timmons, who muscled his way to an 8-foot shot in traffic, but it bounced off and the ensuing scramble ended with the final buzzer as Kapaun spilled onto the floor to celebrate.
Dalian finished with a game-high 21 points, drilling five 3s, while Heights was led by the Timmons brothers: Jordan with 17, Jalihn with 13. Eck pointed to Kapaun junior Ryan Cary as a quiet difference-maker with his defense off the bench.
The coach also noted that his team is still rounding into form after a delayed start to the season. Kapaun’s football team won the Class 4A state championship, pushing back the return of several players and compressing the early portion of the basketball schedule.
“We’re about a week behind where we should be,” Eck said. “We still haven’t got all of the offense in and some injuries didn’t help any at all. But they’re working hard every day in practice and they’re a good bunch of guys.”
That makes what Kapaun is doing to start the season even more impressive. Just three days before, playing without Dalian, the Crusaders grinded out a 58-42 win over a ranked Andover team in the City League vs. AV-CTL Challenge. Freshman Braylon Jones grabbed 14 rebounds in that win and has already shown his upside this season, including an 18-point explosion earlier against Northwest.
Since Eck returned to the sidelines, Kapaun has won 97 of 107 games and appeared in the 5A championship game for the past three seasons. They are currently the top-ranked team in 5A again under Eck, who has eight high school state championships to his name.
This story was originally published January 14, 2026 at 6:02 AM.
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