Bishop Seabury junior Zach Bloch (11) guards the ball during a game against Veritas on Saturday at BSA on Feb. 8, 2020.

Bishop Seabury’s Jonathan Raney understands he has a luxury that most high school boys basketball coaches don’t have.

The Seahawks have several players capable of taking over a game, which is why they have been the No. 1 team in Class 2A since before the season. That level of balance was on full display in Bishop Seabury’s 79-42 win over Veritas on Saturday at BSA.

All five starters scored at least 9 points, including four players who reached double figures, to help the Seahawks complete the season sweep of their crosstown rival. BSA recorded an 86-38 victory over Veritas in the first meeting on Jan. 17.

“We are a blessed team,” Raney said. “We basically have five guys that can go for 20 points every night. We do have that balance. If you try to take one thing away, we feel like we have other options.”

The prolific offensive performance came one night after Bishop Seabury (12-2) used a total-team effort on the defensive end to secure a 54-47 home win over Grandview Christian. So the Seahawks, who have won five games in a row, certainly have the ability to win in a variety of ways.

Saturday’s lopsided victory was all about sharing the basketball, and letting multiple players get involved. Juniors Zach Bloch and Stavian Jones each finished with 16 points, while senior Cobe Green poured in 15 points.

Sophomore Joao Carlos Ramirez and senior Luke Hornberger provided a post presence all night as well. Ramirez scored 14 points, while Hornberger finished with 9 points in the win.

“It just proves that we are all talented,” Green said. “We are all really skilled basketball players. It builds our program, so that is what we like to see.”

Bishop Seabury junior Zach Bloch (11) passes the ball to junior Stavian Jones (22) during a game against Veritas on Saturday at BSA on Feb. 8, 2020.

Junior Brennan Clements paced the visitors with 18 points in a losing effort, but Veritas (7-12) didn’t go away quietly at first. Clements drilled a 3-pointer at the 6:25 mark in the first quarter, giving the Eagles their only lead of the night with an early 3-2 advantage.

Bishop Seabury responded with an 11-0 run to take control, and ultimately grab a 15-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The Seahawks then buried the opposition with a 29-point outburst in the second period.

Jones, who scored 29 points in the first meeting against Veritas, poured in all 16 of his points in the first half. He drilled three triples to help break the game open. Bloch, the hero of both buzzer-beater victories in this rivalry last year, delivered 8 points during a 57-second stretch in the second quarter as well.

Bloch and Ramirez then missed the final four-plus minutes of the first half due to foul trouble. Green, Hornberger and Jones all ensured the Seahawks still had a 44-17 advantage at the intermission.

“We are doing a good job of going inside-out, which I don’t necessarily think we were doing up until the last couple of weeks,” Raney said. “We have been working on it. We have been putting a lot of time executing offensively.”

Ramirez then provided 10 of Bishop Seabury’s 22 points in the third quarter, which allowed there to be a running clock for the duration of the fourth period. Most of the BSA starters watched from the bench during the final frame.

Junior Will Rau was the only other Veritas player to finish in double figures, scoring 13 points in the loss.

“This is my last time playing Veritas, so it meant a lot to get a win,” Green said.

Both teams will be back in action on Tuesday. Bishop Seabury will host Metro Academy, while Veritas will host Christ Prep Academy.

Veritas (42)

Will Rau 6-19 0-7 13, Will Bartkoski 0-3 0-0 0, Lawson Ream 1-3 0-0 2, Aden-Jay Baker 1-2 0-0 3, Brennan Clements 8-14 0-1 18, Calvin Clements 1-2 1-2 3, Abel Brackenhoff 1-2 0-0 3, Grady Stegall 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 18-47 1-10 42.

Bishop Seabury (79)

Zach Bloch 6-7 0-0 16, Stavian Jones 6-11 1-1 16, Cobe Green 7-10 0-1 15, Luke Hornberger 3-7 3-4 9, Joao Carlos Ramirez 5-11 4-5 14, Sam Hertzog 1-4 0-0 3, Sam Bayliss 2-3 0-0 4, Enzo Karam 0-1 0-0 0, Jett French 0-1 0-0 0, Gobind Singh 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 31-56 8-11 79.

Veritas 8 9 15 10 — 42

Seabury 15 29 22 13 — 79

3-point goals: VCS 5-20 (Rau, Baker, Brennan Clements 2); BSA 9-22 (Bloch 4, Jones 3, Green, Hertzog). Turnovers: VCS 17; BSA 9. Fouled out: None.

Veritas freshman Lydia Alvarado (10) attempts to dribble past Bishop Seabury freshman Sofia Gonzalez on Saturday at BSA on Feb. 8, 2020.

Bishop Seabury girls push past Veritas

Behind a freshman backcourt of Reagan Thayer and Sofia Gonzalez, Bishop Seabury’s girls basketball team rolled to a 48-22 win over Veritas in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader at BSA.

It was enough for the Seahawks (5-9) to complete the season sweep over their crosstown foe, while recording their season high in total points in the process. Bishop Seabury earned a 40-13 win over Veritas in the first meeting on Jan. 17 at Haskell Indian Nations University.

“I was much more pleased offensively than I was defensively,” BSA head coach Ryan Gutierrez said. “We gave up some easy buckets, but offensively I thought we got everybody involved. I challenged my girls, and they definitely rose to the challenge.”

Bishop Seabury freshman Reagan Thayer goes up for a layup during a game against Veritas on Saturday at BSA on Feb. 8, 2020.

Thayer and Gonzalez were the catalysts of Bishop Seabury’s high-octane offense on Saturday, and it came in a multitude of ways. Thayer drove hard to the lane time after time — often off turnovers by Veritas — to ultimately finish with 16 points.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, showcased her range by hitting a trio of 3-pointers en route to a game-high 17 points. The first meeting between these two teams did not feature one triple, but Gonzalez netted one in the first and two more in the second half.

And it could be a promising sign for the Seahawks moving forward.

“Sofia really came alive,” Gutierrez said. “She really sets up our offense for the most part, but I knew she’d have a pretty good matchup tonight. I challenged her to shoot the ball and score, and she did exactly that, so I was very proud.”

But Veritas (0-9) showed strides as well in a losing effort. For one, Veritas scored 8 points in the opening period after not getting on the scoreboard in the first frame of the first meeting. The Eagles eventually trailed by double digits at halftime, but showed signs of improvement on both ends of the floor.

Freshman guard Lydia Alvarado paced the Eagles, who have a varsity girls basketball team for the first time in three years, on offense in the loss. Alvarado finished with 7 points on 3-of-12 shooting. Freshmen Maddy Malm, Satchel Koch and Corissa Bandel all scored at least 4 points for the visitors.

Like the boys, both girls teams will be back in action on Tuesday. Bishop Seabury will host Metro Academy, while Veritas will host Christ Prep Academy.

Veritas (22)

Maddy Malm 2-9 0-0 4, Lydia Alvarado 3-12 1-3 7, Corissa Bandel 2-9 1-5 5, Satchel Koch 1-8 2-3 4, Hannah Borger 1-7 0-0 2, Anna Houk 0-2 0-0, Rebekah Ballast 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 9-48 4-11 22.

Bishop Seabury (48)

Reagan Thayer 8-23 0-0 16, Sofia Gonzalez 6-13 2-2 17, Anna Johnson 4-9 0-0 8, Oona Nelson 1-13 1-6 3, Hannah Motsinger 2-8 0-0 4, Katie Eckert 0-2 0-0. Totals: 21-68 3-8 48.

Veritas 8 4 3 7 — 22

Seabury 12 12 7 17 — 48

3-point goals: VCS 0-4; BSA 3-8 (Gonzalez 3). Turnovers: VCS 23; BSA 17. Fouled out: None.