Veritas boys, girls basketball teams cruise in season openers

? Ethan Kay scored 16 points, and the Veritas Christian boys basketball team began the season with a 68-22 victory over Smokey Valley Home Educators on Thursday in the Shea Tournament.

“We ran and pushed the ball a lot. It was a good start,” Veritas coach Gary Hammer said. “We had a lot of fast-break layups. And we played really good defense, holding them to 22 points. We’re happy to move on to the semifinals.”

The Eagles will play again at 8 tonight against a team to be determined.

Elijah Penny added 12 for Veritas (1-0), which didn’t lose any players from last year’s squad.

Veritas girls 37, Salina Christian 30

Manhattan — Kayli Farley scored 12 points, and the Veritas Christian girls basketball team opened its season with a 37-30 victory over Salina Christian on Thursday in the Shea Tournament.

“We’re pleased with our effort,” Veritas coach Kevin Shelton said. “We’re excited to get that first game under our belt. We got a lead, and were able to hold onto it.”

Sarah McDermott added four points and 12 rebounds, and Madison Bennett chipped in 10 points for Veritas (1-0).

The Eagles will play in the semifinals at 6:30 tonight against Flint Hills Christian.