photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury senior Jace Hoffman looks to pass in a 73-70 loss to Frankfort at Bishop Seabury Academy on Monday, March 3, 2025.

Bishop Seabury’s season ended with a 73-70 loss to Frankfort at home on Monday.

The Seahawks hoped to return to the 1A Division I state championship after finishing as the runner-up last year. This time, their season ends in the second substate round.

“I told them to keep their heads up,” Bishop Seabury coach Trey Johnson said. “They shouldn’t be ashamed of playing. I’ve known these seniors since they were 3 years old. It’s disappointing that it ends like that… There’s nothing tomorrow.”

The Wildcats started the game shooting hot from distance. They finished the first quarter with three 3-pointers and led 22-18 while the Seahawks primarily scored in the paint.

The Wildcats hit four 3-pointers to start the second quarter, giving them a 10-point lead. Junior guard Wes Anderson was the Wildcats’ go-to shooter, and he stayed hot for the majority of the game.

Bishop Seabury continued to drive to the rim and score in the paint. All 18 of the team’s points came on 2s, and junior power forward Marion Stubbs scored 8 of those points at the rim.

The Seahawks finished the quarter on an 8-4 run to cut the Wildcats’ lead to 6 points entering halftime. From there, the Seahawks amped up the pressure on the Wildcats’ ball handlers to force them to drive to the basket more. It worked, as the Wildcats became less effective and efficient the closer their shot was to the basket. Senior center Chase Honarvar had two blocks in the second quarter.

“We tried to make them drive instead of shoot,” Johnson said. “But 4 (Anderson) turned into a literal flamethrower. He didn’t miss. When you come into a team that is just on fire like that, you either have to outscore them or hope they miss.”

On the other end, the Seahawks continued running their offense through the paint. Stubbs and senior point guard Jace Smith tied the game through the first few minutes of the second half. Senior Jace guard Hoffman, senior forward Zephyr O’Hara and Smith lifted the Seahawks to a 4-point lead halfway through the third quarter. They held the Wildcats to 11 points and only one made 3-pointer. After a 10-point deficit, the Seahawks had a 5-point lead entering the final quarter.

“They’re good with pressure, and they don’t get super worked up or nervous,” Johnson said. “We’ve been down before… we put a lot of pressure on them in practice.”

Anderson and the Wildcats managed to get their 3-point shooting back, while the Seahawks stumbled with numerous turnovers in the first few minutes of the quarter. A turnover directly led to a 3-pointer that gave the Wildcats a 65-64 lead, their first lead since the 5-minute mark in the third quarter.

The Wildcats took a 71-66 lead in the final minutes, but the Seahawks continued to claw back into it. Stubbs hit a free throw, and the Wildcats missed two. Smith hit a 3-pointer with 33.9 seconds left to make it a 1-point game. The Wildcats missed more free throws, and the Seahawks called a timeout with 18.0 seconds left, down 71-10.

The Seahawks couldn’t finish with a bucket in the final 18 seconds, and the Wildcats finally hit two free throws to push their lead to 3 points. A final 3-point tying shot missed, and the Seahawks lost 73-70.

Smith led the team with 21 points, while Stubbs had 18 points. Honarvar scored 13 points, and Hoffman finished with 12 points.

Bishop Seabury’s team will graduate five seniors who have helped the Seahawks reach the state championship and win the Kaw-Valley Conference the last two years.

“In life, they’re going to have more exciting things and do great stuff,” Johnson said. “This was just a tiny little part of what makes them who they are when they grow up.”

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury senior Jace Smith drives to the basket in a 73-70 loss to Frankfort at Bishop Seabury Academy on March 3, 2025.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury center Chase Honarvar shoots a 3-pointer in a 73-70 loss to Frankfort on Monday, March 3, 2025, at Bishop Seabury Academy.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury senior Zephyr O’Hara loses the ball on a foul during a 73-70 loss to Frankfort at Bishop Seabury Academy on Monday, March 3, 2025.