Heights in position for rare 6A repeat
EMPORIA — Everything about the beginning of Heights' boys basketball season was easy.
Of course the Falcons are going to repeat as Class 6A champions. They have Perry Ellis and Evan Wessel, arguably the two best players in the City League. The players they lost can be replaced.
It was a simple forecast, but at the end of the season, it's just not that easy.
In an example of how difficult it is to beat three of the state's best teams in three days — or two in two — Heights outlasted Leavenworth 83-78 in the 6A semifinals at White Auditorium on Friday night.
The Falcons survived 29 points from Nino Williams, a gritty effort from Kyle Wiggins to keep Leavenworth in the game after Williams fouled out, and their own fatigue that began to set in during the fourth quarter.
But Heights didn't just survive. The Falcons were on the attack, too. And when their first wind ran out, they found a second, third and fourth. Now they meet Blue Valley Northwest tonight with a chance to become the first 6A repeat champion since South in 1993 and 1994.
"It was a fun game to win," Heights coach Joe Auer said. "It was a great battle. It was one of the most competitive contests we've been involved with over the last three years. With so much on the line, our kids raised their level in the second half and played some of their best offensive basketball of the season."
No one typified Heights' performance, which was less of a win and more of an adrenaline rush, than Dreamius Smith. The 6-foot junior, who became recognized by averaging better than 12 points off the bench in last year's state tournament, dispensed the most energy in a game that was predicated on hustle.
Smith's extra gear in the fourth quarter wasn't a result of cutting corners earlier. He passed up several open shots from the perimeter to drive the lane, and the result was most often a layup or a foul — Smith made 7 of 11 shots, including a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer that tied it 39-39, and was 8 of 9 from the free-throw line.
If he had thought about it, Smith probably would have realized he was running on empty. But Smith had an easy remedy to that potential problem.
"I try not to think about it," Smith said. "I just try to keep going through it, keep playing."
Williams provided a similar boost for Leavenworth. The 6-foot-5 senior is headed for Kansas State after a scheduled stop next year at a prep school, and Williams played Friday as if he needs no further seasoning.
Williams made 10 of 17 shots from various spots on the floor and scored 29 points. But the missed basket in the fourth quarter that would have allowed Williams to eclipse the 30-point barrier proved even more costly when Williams committed a foul in the backcourt, his fifth, to prompt disqualification with 4:37 to go.
"He's our leading scorer and leading rebounder," Leavenworth coach Larry Hogan said. "He's the guy they look for on offense and defense to go get the ball off the glass. It's a big key."
Wiggins scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough. Heights missed 14 free throws in the fourth after missing two during the previous three quarters. But the Falcons found another level, as they've done all season, and made 5 of 6 from the line in the final 40 seconds.
Smith scored 23 points for the Falcons, which was matched by Perry Ellis, a sophomore who went over 1,000 points for his career.
The Falcons have sent their football, girls basketball and boys basketball teams to the 6A championship games — a first in Kansas' largest classification. Now they're a game away from not having to remember how difficult these three days are until next year.
"We know we're going to get everyone's best," Wessel said. "We wouldn't want it any different. We've got to play hard every game. But we're here now and ready to go get the win."
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