Tonganoxie ? Jacob Walker’s only two points of the night couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Tonganoxie High senior grabbed a missed free throw and put in a stickback with one motion, sealing the Chieftains’ 60-56 boys basketball victory against Jefferson West during Monday’s opening round of the Tonganoxie Invitational.

It capped a lackluster night for the 6-foot-2 forward — not that it bothered him.

“I couldn’t care less,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how much I score, as long as we win.”

Tonganoxie (4-5) led throughout — by as many as 10 points in the third quarter — but the Tigers hung around because of Tongie’s late turnovers and poor free-throw shooting. The Chieftains only hit three of nine charities, allowing the Tigers to pull within three, 56-53, with 1:40 remaining.

Three West free throws and 45 seconds later, Tongie got a huge bucket from junior Shane Howard, whose jumper rolled around the rim once before giving Tongie a 58-56 lead. The Chieftains held on defense, then senior Joe Calovich was fouled with less than 10 seconds remaining. He missed both free throws, but Walker’s rebound and bucket preserved the win.

Without a single player in double figures — Howard and Calovich each had nine points — Chieftains coach David Walker needed balanced scoring from his group, and got it. By playing eight or nine players extensively, he’s been able to reduce the scoring burden needed from one standout.

“We’re fortunate enough that it’s one of the few years we can do that,” he said. “We didn’t play as smart as we’re capable of playing, but when we have that night when everybody does click, it’ll be huge.”

Tonganoxie plays Eudora at 6 p.m. in Thursday’s semifinals.

Eudora 46, Pleasant Ridge 45

The Cardinals thumped the Rams by 33 points in the teams’ Dec. 6 opener, but Eudora needed a last-second three-pointer from senior Caleb Niedens to avoid a first-round loss at the Tonganoxie Invitational.

Tonganoxie's Jacob Walker (25) and Jefferson West's Duston Burns become entangled while battling for a rebound. The Chieftains won, 60-56, on Monday in Tonganoxie.

“We got lethargic and did not take advantages of the things we can do,” EHS coach Scott Stein said. “We did not play as a team, but sometimes, I guess, you have to win ugly.”

Eudora (7-3) nursed a lead through most of the third quarter, but went into the fourth down 34-32 and trailed 39-32 with just over five minutes left. The Cardinals kept clawing at the Rams’ lead until Chris Gabriel’s layup with 1:20 remaining made it 43-41.

The Rams made one of two free throws, and a Niedens’ jumper cut the lead to 44-43. Pleasant Ridge again made just one free throw, and with 26 seconds left Eudora set up an in-bounds play for Niedens.

He missed a three-pointer from the wing, but junior Josh Brouhard skied for the rebound and dished to Niedens, who swished it with 2.3 seconds left.

“I just let it fly. I didn’t really think about it,” he said.

Niedens said the Rams’ patience on offense disrupted Eudora’s rhythm. But Niedens, who led all scorers with 19 points, and Gabriel, who added 17, were able to score when needed.

“We’d been struggling the last few games with our offense; been standing around watching (Tyler) Cleveland dribble and not looking to attack,” Niedens said. “We have to fix that.”

Eudora plays Tonganoxie at 6 p.m. in Thursday’s semifinals.