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LJWorld.com Area Basketball Roundup

For the first time in 39 years, the Perry-Lecompton boys basketball team is one game away from the state championship.

Perry-Lecompton edged Larned with a 49-48 victory Thursday night at Hutchinson Community College. PLHS, which has now won 19 games in a row, notched the program’s first trip to the semifinals since 1980 with the narrow victory.

“It feels great,” PLHS coach Jared Swafford said. “I’m just really proud of our kids, finding a way to get a win for themselves, the community and the school. I’m really, really proud of what they have done.”

Perry-Lecompton (21-2) scored 30 points in the paint, leaning on a balanced attack in the opening round of the 3A state tournament. Connor Anderson led the way with 13 points to go along with 13 rebounds. He also paced the team in assists with four and blocks with three. Colton Mallonee scored 12 points to join Anderson in double figures.

Conner Morgison, Dawson Williams and Benjamin Stone all netted multiple baskets as well. Stone hit two of the team’s three triples in the game. Perry-Lecompton jumped out to a strong start, forcing Larned to switch to a man defense.

“Offensively, I was happy with how we started,” Swafford said. “We moved the ball pretty good against their zone and attacked their press early.”

The Kaws, who are the No. 3 seed, have still not lost since Dec. 11. Perry-Lecompton will face No. 2 Beloit (23-1) at 4:45 p.m. Friday.

“They pose a lot of problems for teams, so we are going to have to play really well to give ourselves a chance,” Swafford said. “You are just trying to find wins to keep advancing. We know we are going to have to play well, but a shot is all we are asking for.”

LARNED (48)

Jaylen Thomas 0-1 0-0 0, Mason Perez 2-8 1-2 5, Brayden Rupp 6-14 0-0 13, Dillan Smith 2-8 2-2 6, Brock Skelton 2-3 0-0 5, Chance Sanger 6-19 1-2 16, Trenton Fletcher 1-3 0-0 3. Totals: 19-56 4-6 48.

PLHS (49)

Benjamin Stone 2-3 0-0 6, Conner Morgison 3-4 1-3 8, Dawson Williams 2-3 2-4 6, Colton Ketron 0-0 0-0 0, Colton Mallonee 6-10 0-2 12, Cole Logan 0-0 0-0 0, Connor Anderson 5-10 3-4 13, Blake Farmer 2-9 0-0 4. Totals: 20-39 6-13 49.

LHS 14 10 8 16 — 48

PLHS 18 6 15 10 — 49

Baldwin advances to final four

For the second consecutive season, the Baldwin girls basketball team recorded a win in the opening round of the state tournament.

BHS (20-1) took down Ulysses for a 47-41 win, advancing to the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament at Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina. The Bulldogs, who are the defending 4A-II state champions, will take on undefeated Bishop Miege (22-0) at 3 p.m. Friday.

Seniors Macey Frost and Kate Ogle both scored in double figures for Baldwin. Frost went 4 for 9 from long range, finishing with a team-high 13 points. Ogle hit 4 of 8 shots to finish with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Junior Anna Burnett notched 9 points, hitting clutch free throws down the stretch.

ULYSSES (41)

3-12 1-5 8, Madison Haney 5-14 3-3 14, Riley Oglevie 0-3 0-0 0, Luz Gomez 0-3 0-0 0, Gina Ballesteros 3-20 0-0 8, Clara Garcia 0-2 0-0 0, Cristen Edwards 4-9 2-3 10, Halle Nagel 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 15-64 7-13 41.

BALDWIN (47)

Kayla Kurtz 1-6 2-5 4, Josie Boyle 3-5 0-1 6, Anna Burnett 2-7 5-7 9, Kate Ogle 4-8 2-6 10, Macey Frost 4-9 1-2 13, Lindsay Toot 1-3 0-0 3, Rian Gere 1-1 0-0 2, Paige Ellis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 16-39 10-21 47.

UHS 13 8 7 13 — 41

BHS 15 7 12 13 — 47

Eudora eliminated by Kansas City Piper

Just one area team survived the opening round of the 4A state tournament, as Eudora suffered a 52-35 loss to Kansas City Piper Thursday night at Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina.

It marked the third time this season that the Cardinals lost to their Frontier League foe. Piper, the top seed in the bracket with a 22-0 record, advanced to the semifinals. Eudora ended its season with a 16-6 record, while notching its first state berth since 2009.