Varsity Kansas - The Blog

by joanna

Southeast leads 41-34 at the half and it’s been the Adonis Gantt show. This kid is such a stud!

He’s 10 points — not the most for Southeast as Jordan Cyphers has 13 and Joe Mitchell has 12 — but he’s 4 for 5 shooting has 7 assists and two steals and three rebounds. He’s just so exciting. If only he weren’t so dang cocky…. he was introduced and he did a little rolling of his arms, a la Daunte Culpepper. But there, at the end of the first half, he stripped Lawrence’s Dorian Green on an inbounds play, scored with 2 seconds to go and spun around yelling. That’s cool. It’s all about the emotion.

Dorian Green and John Schneider lead Lawrence with 10 apiece. Lawrence has a 23-15 edge in the rebounding total. Southeast has forced nine turnovers, only committing four.

Here comes Lawrence with 2:30 to go before the third quarter.

by joanna

Oh. My. God. I cannot believe what I just saw. Southeast’s Adonis Gantt just passed the ball to himself, scored and was fouled (he missed the free throw).

Now, I think he passed it completely around his back and to his right hand in the front of his body. Scott thinks he passed it through his legs. It happened so fast, but I’m telling you, it’s one of the best moves I’ve ever seen. In my life.

There’s 1:26 to go in the half and Southeast leads 35-32.

Adonis Gantt just made a sweet pass to the interior that Joe Mitchell scored on. Then he stole the ball, was fouled and made the two free throws. Southeast 37-32 under a minute.

by joanna

There’s 6:13 to go in the first half, Lawrence took a timeout with Southeast leading 24-21.

It looks like Lawrence is running a box-and-one on Jordan Cyphers with defender Baba Diallo (6-6). It’s not a bad idea because Cyphers hit those three threes in the first. But the Lions need to be careful because Cyphers isn’t the Buffs’ only weapon.

Lawrence used nine players in the first quarter.

There’s a Lawrence fan who is covered in red paint, with a black mohawk. I’m actually frightened looking at him. No lie.

25-21 Southeast 5:26 to go

by joanna

Southeast leads 21-19 at the end of the first quarter. Jordan Cyphers has hit three threes, while Lawrence’s Dorian Green  has four points, John Schneider with six.

The pace is definitely to Southeast’s liking. The Buffs got a little too jump shot-happy, but I’m Carl Taylor will take care of that.

20-8 Highland Park after the first quarter. Rico Richardson took four three-pointers in the first 3:10 for Highland Park, and here was the result:

 WACK!
YACK!
YACKEM!
MONEY!

That’s four makes, in case you didn’t know. Highland Park looking good.

by joanna

midway through the first, it’s 11-9 Southeast

make that 11-11 with 3:01 to go.

BY LEVI

Berean Academy 42, St. John 41 - Final, OT

Fantastic game. Craziness all around. Just check out the scoring by quarters…
St. John - 18..0…2…13…8 - 41
Berean - 9…11…9…4…9 - 42

And the Warriors do it without Cathryn Wiebe, who tore her ACL early in the second quarter. More details in tomorrow’s Eagle.

by joanna

You should see Southeast coach Carl Taylor. The man is wearing a black suit with a black and gold striped tie. I told him he should coach in a state championship game all the time (he usually wears khakis and a Southeast sweater vest, or something of that nature). He just looked at me and smiled.

Hey, you should always look good for the state championship.

What I really, really want to know is where the heck are the Southeast students. They have a small student section. I’m not saying there aren’t Southeast fans here, because there are, but there’s just no student section. It’s ridiculous. Why can’t Wichita support its teams better? This is Southeast, one of the best teams in the state, yet there are those Lawrence kids putting the Wichita kids to shame. Sad, really.

Five Lawrence fans are standing there shirtless with D G # 2 2 on their chests (That’s Dorian Green, No. 22)

It’s almost time for introductions.

Hopefully I won’t get a phone call during the national anthem again.

Got a comment from a Lawrence fan about the rushing the court comment — this person pointed out that the Lions fans rushed a corner of the court. Give them a break.

Whatever. Dude, I just said they rushed the court. Sorry I didn’t give the dimensions, circumference, the inches, the feet. My bad.

Well, that sounded cranky. Almost like Jeff Lutz. Let me give you another Jeff Lutzism — this Lawrence color guy from the girls game was the biggest homer, pumping his fist during the game. Man, you’re on press row, show some decorum. We’re not supposed to be fans. We just report.  I can guarantee you’ll never see me cheering for a team. For any reason, when I’m on press row.

OK, Southeast’s D’Andre Tomlin hasn’t stopped smiling yet, and he’s swaying back and forth. Hee, hee.

Just saw the backs of those shirtless Lawrence fans — It spells out Rules. I guess they think Dorian Green rules.

It’s nice to see Southeast assistant Riccardo Harris out here smiling. It wasn’t all that long ago that his son, Robert Ridge, was killed. What a sad year it’s been for him. Maybe this can bring him some joy.

Man, these introductions take forever.

I think I’ve run out of things to say, it’s taking so long.

by joanna

Just heard that Andover Central girls did win. Wow. Guess the Jags can win the close ones, huh?

Just saw the craziest thing — the entire student section from Lawrence just raced across the floor to take the vacated spots of the Goddard students. It was like a stampede. If that had happened in Wichita, I guarantee you the cops would have been all over that — not that anything bad would have happened, it’s just that everyone is so fearful.

Anyway, the biggest cheer for the Lawrence players was for Haley Parker, the girl who put the Lions ahead for good.

Then the team was asked to come get the championship trophy and that’s when Danielle Bird and Lindsey Murray — the team’s only seniors — put their hands up and told the rest of the team to stay where they were while they got the trophy.

Now we’re 34 minutes from the Southeast-Lawrence boys championship starting. Should be a good one. I haven’t seen Lawrence play, but I’m banking on a Southeast runaway.

by joanna

Haven’t seen a final, but Andover Central was leading by two in overtime of the 4A girls title game.