photo by: Shutterstock Image

LJWorld.com Area Basketball Roundup

The Eudora boys basketball team will be playing for a title on Thursday.

In its home tournament, Eudora advanced to the championship game with a 57-41 win over Olathe Northwest in the semifinals Tuesday night. It came one day after EHS cruised to a 68-38 victory over KC East in the opening round.

A trio of players scored in double figures for the Cardinals (2-1, No. 8 in Class 4A) during the semifinals. Jacob Merkle led the team with 14 points on five baskets and a 4-for-4 effort at the free throw line. Ty Abts hit three triples to score 13 points, while Brett Breedlove knocked down a pair of 3-pointer to finish with 11 points.

Eudora jumped out to a 20-10 lead in the first quarter en route to the double-digit victory.

EHS will now face KC Harmon in the championship game, which is slated to begin at 8 p.m. Thursday. KC Harmon, a team ranked No. 10 in Class 6A, recorded a 54-53 victory over Bonner Springs in the semifinals on Tuesday.

In the same tournament, another area team will have something to play for on the final day of the event.

Veritas earned a 51-50 win over Paola to advance to the fifth-place game of the Eudora basketball tournament. The Eagles scored double digits in all four periods, and had a 15-13 edge in the fourth quarter.

The tandem of Will Rau and Will Bartkoski pushed VHS on in the consolation bracket. Bartkoski went 8-for-14 from the floor to lead the team with 19 points, while Rau added 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Rau also recorded 11 rebounds and four assists for the Eagles.

Veritas will face KC East in the fifth-place game at 5 p.m. Thursday at EHS.

2019 Eudora basketball tournament

First round

Eudora 68, KC East 38

Olathe NW 66, Wellsville 48

Harmon 66, Paola 39

Bonner Springs 79, Veritas 58

Semifinals

Eudora 57, Olathe NW 41

Harmon 54, Bonner Springs 53

Consolation bracket

KC East 80, Wellsville 71

Veritas 51, Paola 50

Thursday’s schedule:

7th place game — Wellsville vs. Paola, 3:30 p.m.

5th-place game — Veritas vs. KC East, 5 p.m.

3rd-place game — Olathe NW vs. Bonner Springs, 6:30 p.m.

Championship game — Eudora vs. Harmon, 8 p.m.

Eudora girls fall in semifinals

The Eudora girls basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, spoiling its chance to play for a tournament title.

EHS dropped a 36-26 decision to KC Piper in the semifinals of the Panther girls basketball tournament at Paola. Tuesday’s 10-point loss came one day after Eudora (2-1, No. 7 in Class 4A) eased past KC East for a 63-24 win in the opening round.

The Cardinals were held to just three points in the second quarter and four in the third period against KC Piper, a team ranked No. 2 overall in Class 4A girls. Reagan Hiebert scored 10 points in a losing effort for EHS.

Eudora will square off with Wellsville (No. 4 in Class 3A) in the third-place game at 5 p.m. Thursday at Paola High School.

2019 Panther girls basketball tournament

First round

Paola 64, Turner 17

Wellsville 50, Bonner 39

Piper 58, Basehor-Linwood 53

Eudora 63, KC East 24

Semifinals

Paola 56, Wellsville 51

Piper 36, Eudora 26

Consolation bracket

Basehor-Linwood 74, KC East 31

Bonner 46, Turner 11

Friday’s schedule:

7th-place game — KC East vs. Turner, 5 p.m.

5th-place game — Basehor-Linwood vs. Bonner, 6:30 p.m.

3rd-place game — Wellsville vs. Eudora, 5 p.m.

Championship game — Paola vs. Piper, 6:30 p.m.

Other area results

A few other area squads were in non-tournament action on Tuesday.

Head coach Jami Hodge earned her first career win, as the Perry-Lecompton girls basketball team claimed a 41-37 road victory over Tonganoxie. The Kaws are now 1-1 on the year, while the Chieftains fall to 0-2 under first-year head coach Mitch Loomis.

In the nightcap, THS boys secured a 39-37 win over Perry-Lecompton to improve to 2-0. PLHS is now 0-2 following a third-place finish in Class 3A last year.

The Baldwin girls basketball team (2-0, No. 4 in Class 4A) cruised to a 64-47 win over Anderson County. On the boys side, the Bulldogs (1-1) suffered a 53-52 road loss to the same school.