Council Grove can't cope with Collegiate
HUTCHINSON — Collegiate's success against other Class 3A boys basketball teams doesn't come from an extraordinary tactical advantage.
Collegiate coach Mitch Fiegel didn't invent the full-court press. Nor did he originate substituting in waves.
It just looked that way in the Spartans 74-32 victory over Council Grove on Wednesday in the Class 3A boys quarterfinals.
"Fortunately for us, we have some teams in our league that do that," Council Grove coach Bruce Hula said. "They don't do it as well as Collegiate, but it's something we've seen before. We weren't surprised by it. We didn't handle it as well as I thought we would."
Hula's Indians were the 18th team turned away by the Spartans by more than 15 points this season. After each game, the opposing coach is left wondering what he didn't prepare his team for.
"It's that defense that we bring every night," Collegiate guard Bryce Cornejo said. "It's our number one priority. You can have an off night at any time, so we bring our defense first and foremost."
Consider this was most of the same Council Grove team that made last year's No. 1 seed, Hutchinson Trinity, sweat until the last minute.
On Wednesday night, the Spartans were done sweating in the first two minutes. By then, they had already built a 9-0 lead.
Council Grove was left wondering what just happened.
"We felt like teams had underestimated them in the past," Fiegel said. "We wanted to come out rocking and rolling early and boy did we ever."
When the Indians finally caught their breath after a timeout, in came the second wave of Spartans. Different five, same in-your-face pressure.
"It's definitely demoralizing knowing they have two teams that can put it to you," Council Grove's Tyler Sisson said.
Considering Collegiate didn't make its usual amount of three-pointers — just 2 of 9 the first half — the halftime margin of 43-15 was generous.
Blake Jablonski nailed two three-pointers in the opening minutes of the third quarter and Collegiate led 62-19 before Fiegel peeled back the attack.
"It's frustrating," Sisson said. "Knowing that everybody looks at the score and puts their head down, it makes it tough to play through."
All 12 Spartans scored — Jablonski was the high with 22 points — and Trace Clark, Kevin Richardson, Ty Fiegel and Tre Bailey scored eight or nine points.
What doesn't show up in the box score is Collegiate's ruthlessness playing with a lead.
"It's their intense inner-competitive nature," Fiegel said. "Man for man, that's just the way they are. If they're playing you in a game of Halo, same way."
Like the video game, Collegiate is looking through the scope at its target: back-to-back state championships, a feat last accomplished in Class 3A in 1980.
"When you get to sub-state play and you're one-and-done, then you have that killer instinct that you don't want to lose," Jablonski said. "Tonight we took our first step and we had the game we wanted to have."
Rossville 59, Halstead 58 — Sometimes a team can do everything right, yet still lose the game.
Halstead outshot (46 percent to 40) and outrebounded (34 to 28) Rossville and led for 30 of the 32 minutes. But when Rossville's Matt Buhler is feeling it, there's not much a team can do.
Buhler drilled two three-pointers — one that Halstead defended so well, he had to adjust and ended up banking in — and made the game-winning free throw with three seconds left. Rossville will play Collegiate on Friday night in a semifinal.
"He's probably made so many of those without using the bank, he probably deserved a bank," Halstead coach Joe Gerber said. "It just came at a really bad time for us."
The Dragons swallowed a late Rossville run and extended their lead to 56-52 with 1:22 remaining.
Even with Halstead scoring a lay-up on every possession, Rossville was able to make up the deficit with Buhler's threes. The bank shot tied the score at 58 with 28 seconds left, and then Halstead abruptly turned the ball over — to Buhler.
"He played a good game," said Halstead's Simon McKee. "He made a heck of a shot. They played a good game. I'm just happy we played with them and played them tough."
McKee led the Dragons with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Cody Ratcliffe added 14 points and Jared Regehr and Chris Santoya both scored 11.
"Definitely tough to swallow," McKee said. "It's tough to lose on a free throw like that. I just wish it would have turned out different. But we played the best we could and I'm proud of my team."
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