Tucker Flory’s 31 points carry Veritas boys past Wichita Classical

The moment he stepped onto the court before his team’s game against Wichita Classical, Veritas junior Tucker Flory already had a sizeable advantage.

Standing at 6-foot-3, Flory posed as the tallest offensive threat in the game, and he took full advantage against Classical’s defense Friday night at East Lawrence Recreation Center.

Flory dominated around the rim and scored a game-high 31 points in Veritas’ 69-49 win over Classical.

After the game, Flory also made sure to give credit to his backcourt composed of juniors Quinton Donohoe and Trey Huslig, which he believes helped generate his offensive output.

“It was all my guards, honestly,” Flory said. “They just looked for me, and I was hot, so they kept feeding me. That’s all them.”

Flory established himself around the rim early in the first quarter, which led to a hot offensive start for the Eagles. Veritas shot 9 of 12 (75 percent) from the floor and took a 25-17 lead into the second quarter. Flory finished the first quarter with 8 points.

In the second, Classical battled its way back into the game and outscored Veritas 14-12 behind 7 of 12 (58 percent) shooting from the floor. However, the Saints still trailed the Eagles 37-31 at halftime.

And after the second half began, the Saints would trail the rest of the way. Veritas (10-10) dialed up its intensity on defense and outscored Classical 17-5 in the third quarter. Classical (11-5) went scoreless for the first three minutes of the second half. The Saints didn’t record their first points until Jameson Logan made a layup with 4:25 remaining in the quarter.

It was a defensive effort that didn’t go unnoticed by Veritas boys’ basketball coach Carl Huslig.

“We’ve talked every game about (how) the key to every game is the first four minutes of the third quarter,” Huslig said. “This is the first time that we just put the pedal to the medal and took care of business. The kids executed the offense, but I thought our defensive intensity was the best it was all year.”

It was also in the third that Flory did most of his scoring. He finished the quarter with 13 points and five made free throws. Classical committed the most fouls on Flory in the third. Flory finished 9 of 11 from the free throw line in the game.

“When he’s bigger and stronger than the kids, he can put those (kind of) points up any night,” Huslig said.

The Eagles took an 18-point lead into the fourth quarter and emptied their bench with 12 seconds left for the starters to receive a standing ovation. Veritas ended the game on a 32-18 run, with 17 points coming from Flory.

“This is our best all-around game that we’ve had all year,” Huslig said. “That’s the kind of effort we’ve been looking for, and it’s the first time all season that we put 32 minutes of effort behind it. And tonight, when Tucker got hot, we got the ball to Tucker.”

Veritas will next play Wichita HomeSchool on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Veritas (69)

Quinton Donohoe 6-7 0-1 14, Trey Huslig 1-7 3-5 6, Jackson Rau 0-3 1-2 1, Grant Schuck 3-8 0-0 8, Tucker Flory 11-14 9-11 31, Kyle Weinhold 4-6 1-2 9. Totals 25-45 14-21 69.

Wichita Classical (49)

Cole Buckingham 6-9 0-0 13, Will Kenas 1-4 0-1 3, Louis Riddle 2-3 0-0 4, Jameson Logan 3-6 1-2 7, Alex Henneberg 4-5 1-1 9, Micah Dolloff 5-14 3-6 13. Totals 21-41 5-10 49.

Veritas 25 12 17 15 — 69

Wichita Classical 17 14 5 13 — 49

3-point goals: Veritas 5-15 (Donohoe 2, Schuck 2, Huslig); Wichita Classical 2-11 (Buckingham, Kenas). Fouled out: None. Turnovers: Wichita Classic 18, Veritas 13.