Perry — A tight halftime battle became a blowout as Perry-Lecompton put on a low-post clinic in the second half of a 74-57 high school boys basketball victory over Perry-Lecompton on Tuesday at PLHS.
"We were like a volcano waiting to explode," said senior guard Aaron Swaggerty, one of six Kaws to score eight or more points. "That was the most consistent half we've had all year."
Perry Lecompton (3-5), which lost its first four games this season, had no trouble overcoming a four-point halftime deficit.
Perry Lecompton dominated the glass in the second half, outrebounding SFT, 24-6 which provided plenty of second-chance scoring opportunities, and the Kaws took advantage.
"They played hard and did everything we thought they would," said P-L senior Shane Howard, who tied for game-high honors with 20 points and snagged a game-high 14 rebounds. "But the thing was we had been working really hard in controlling the paint lately in practice and it paid off tonight."
Perry-Lecompton coach Pat Hupfauf praised his team's post play, but he said he felt the key was free throws.
"I really think the difference in this game came down to keeping them off the line and us getting to the line," he said.
Hupfauf might be right. After all, the Kaws hit eight more free throws than the Chargers and also shot 12 more. Plus, in the second half Perry-Lecompton made three more free throws than SFT (5-3) attempted.
That wasn't the case the first half, when the teams traded baskets and leads.
There were seven lead changes and five ties in the first quarter alone, but SFT's Ben Fawl, who had a team-high 20 points, hit a running layup with a second left in the quarter to give Santa Fe Trail a 15-13 lead.
The Chargers maintained the lead, despite one tie in the second quarter, and went into halftime with a 33-29 advantage. Fawl scored 15 of his points in the half, and the Chargers outrebounded the Kaws, 20-16.
But as soon as the second half started, the Kaws quickly took control. Guard Jared Swafford went on a personal 6-0 run to open the half. His putback with 6:17 left gave Perry-Lecompton a lead it wouldn't relinquish, and the Kaws outscored the Chargers 22-7 in the third quarter.
Things went much the same in the fourth as Perry-Lecompton kept SFT at bay with its inside game and quick drives to the bucket. Not even a late technical on Hupfauf for an illegal substitution prompted any surge for the Chargers.
"We lost our composure and we quit doing the things we've been doing all year," Fawl said. "We didn't keep fighting like we have been."
While Brian Kral and Shane Miles combined for 23 points for the Chargers, it was no match for the balanced scoring the Kaws showed Tuesday.
Swaggerty scored 14 points and Swafford scored 11. Ryan Soden added nine points and Justin Zimmerman and Aaron Spreer each added eight points.
Hupfauf said he hoped Tuesday's win will provide a spark.
"We're going to try to claw back into this thing," he said of the Kaw Valley League race. "We have Imac (Immaculata) up next and were going to play another hard game.
Perry-Lecompton 74,
Santa Fe Trail 57
SANTA FE TRAIL (57)
Cameron Babb 2-4 1-2 5, Shane Miles 2-9 4-8 10, Brian Kral 5-8 3-5 13, Ben Fawl 7-11 2-2 20, Ryan Hulings 0-4 1-2 1, Justin Ramsdell 2-6 2-2 6, Jay Shively 1-2 0-0 2, Peter Solar 0-2 0-0 0, Rob Musgrave 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-46 13-21 57.
PERRY-LECOMPTON (74)
Shane Howard 8-12 4-4 20, Justin Zimmerman 2-10 4-6 8, Aaron Spreer 3-8 2-3 8, Jared Swafford 5-13 1-7 11, Aaron Swaggerty 4-7 4-4 14, Spencer Kennedy 1-3 2-2 4, Ryan Soden 4-5 1-1 9, Mitch McPherson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-58 18-27 74.
Santa Fe Trail 15 18 7 17 57
Perry-Lecompton 13 16 22 23 74
Three-point goals Santa Fe Trail 6-14 (Fawl 4-7, Miles 2-4, Hulings 0-3), Perry-Lecompton 2-3 (Swaggerty 2-2, Swafford 0-1). Total fouls Santa Fe Trail 21, Perry-Lecompton 16. Turnovers Santa Fe Trail 14, Perry-Lecompton 10.
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.